Career Opportunities in Programming
Programming has great opportunities for self-learners around the world. It is very easy for anyone to decide to explore a programming language and start coding right away. In the beginning, everyone asks about which is the best programming language to learn the basics with, but once they choose they discover it is not just enough to learn a language. So, after the enthusiasm of the first step, many learners feel confused about what to do next. I even know people who took hard curriculums on Coursera or edX, and they did great. Yet, once they did it they didn’t know what to do next.
This article is a clear seven-blocks plan to go through after learning the basics of any programming language. These blocks may take seven weeks or more depending on your available time. I hope this article will help more people proceed in the field.
Block 1: Algorithms and Data Structures
Once you know a programming language, you must never stop practicing it. Just code anything. Yet the best way to master this language is to apply it in many diverse ways out there. Algorithms and data structure is a perfect start. It helps you understand any language in-depth, and to excel in coding.
So what to do?
- Data structures: Learn what data structures are available in your programming language, and how they are coded and how you can apply other data structures that are not available. Things like arrays, lists, dictionaries, hash maps, trees, and more.
- Algorithms: You don’t need to master all algorithm problems in this block. All that you need is the basics. So, check up on the well-known sorting and searching algorithms and start coding them right away. Do stuff like brute-force search, binary search, merge sort, quick sort, and a dynamic programming problem.
It is your choice to go into depth with this block and take a full course on data structures and algorithms or decide to just search for the very basic points to have a quick pass on all well-known data structures and algorithms. For the quick walk, I recommend a book like “Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solution.”
This is not an affiliate recommendation, I just have this book, and I loved the way the chapters were. It just gives you a few problems on each well-known topic. So if you didn’t study algorithms before, you may scan this book’s titles and choose one title to do more googling on. So, for example, in a chapter like “Trees,” so you starting learning trees in depth from articles and fast YouTube videos. Then go back to the book, check the problems in this topic, and now you can code the solution.
Block 2: Analysis of Algorithms
So, now you know, basic data structures and algorithms are out there, it is time to learn how to analyze what you applied. Analyzing is as simple as understanding the running time and needed storage for each algorithm. Usually, people use the terminology of Big O for the running time.
In this step, read in-depth more on the algorithms you applied, and test how long your code took to solve a problem. You need to notice when would an algorithm be better than another. When would a data structure be more suitable than another?
A beginner will always have a favorite. They would say I prefer merge sort for example or lists. Yet a professional knows you can’t generalize what is your favorite; it depends on the problem. This leads a beginner to not have diversity in this code and to have solutions that are slow and that might take a lot of memory storage while processing. So, try to read more, learn more, debug your code more, and think about the worst-case when your problem is very complex.
Block 3: Competitive Programming
In the last two blocks, you had a quick introduction to the basics; you were a learner more than a thinker. It is time to work on problems that are not clear for you to which topic they belong and to decisions and to practice more.
In this step, I don’t want you to get a medal in Google’s Code Jam or any real competitive programming contests out there. You are just a beginner, and this step goal is not to be a winner but to learn more in less time.
All you need to do is to go to websites like Codewars, HackerOne, and Leetcode. To solve and compete with others in the problems available on those websites. The more you practice, the faster you will learn. Most of these websites will help you go from basic level problems to higher levels step by step.
Don’t go on this block for less than a week. Once you are done with this step, you will be deeper in programming — with no way back.
Block 4: Databases
Databases are your next step. Every program in the real world needs a database. It is very rare for programs to just work on processing data with no database.
So, take a quick course on Databases. SQL is the most well-known so far. It doesn’t matter what you will use eventually, it might be SQL, MongoDB, or even services like firebase store. What matters is understanding what databases are, how data is stored, and how to retrieve it using your language. CRUD instructions — create, read, update, delete — are good at the beginning. Then, you need to code searching and sorting algorithms on your database.
Block 5: Object-Oriented Programing
Most beginners don’t go in-depth with OOP. They focus on using the for-loops, the if statements, and getting the problem solved fast. So, in this block, it is time to go in-depth. OOP might not be the perfect or only solution for all programs, but it is very well known in the field in a way you must know it even if you used something else.
Most programming languages support OOP. So make sure you know the meaning and application of terminologies like classes, inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, abstraction, etc. The terminologies might make you think it is something complex, but trust me it is quite simple. Also, if you are going to use OOP in the future, learning this stuff in depth will help you have a magnificent structure and use of OOP.
Block 6: Programmer’s Tools
You are a programmer now. So it is time to use the tools and set up the environment most programmers use.
Basically, I recommend three things for this block:
- An IDE — Integrated Development Environment: It depends on the language you’re learning, but you need to explore the environment you want to work in. It can be Visual Studio, Android Studio, or anything you prefer. IDE gives you many tools that help you code fast and debug easier. If you don’t feel you need an IDE, it is OK, but have a look at what is available. Personally, I do JS most, and a text editor like Sublime is enough for me. Yet, try an IDE before you decide to learn the tools most programmers are using.
- Version Control System: This is a must. You might have heard about Github before. Github uses git, the same as Bitbucket. It is really important to use version control and understand its role. It will not just help you in managing your code and working with others; it will help you discover open source code as well. So just head to any git basics material out here and start using it.
- Building, Packaging, And Deployment: Most likely you have been working locally since the beginning. It is now time to know how you can share your program with users. So dig into how to build, package, and deploy your program. It depends on the language your program uses, but you can check something like Docker as a start. Google will be your best friend in this step.
Block 7: Choose Your Track
All your previous work was to learn the fundamentals of the field. Yet, in a way, that gets you deeper and more familiar with everything in a way where there is no turning back. It is now time to decide what you want to do and to learn the technologies related to your choice.
There are a lot of tracks and specialities you may go through, and depending on the track, you will know what to learn.
First, list down the tracks and end-products that might be there:
- Web development
- Backend development
- Frontend development
- Native mobile development
- Cross-platform development
- Chrome extension development
There is always more. Google to know more. Some YouTube videos and articles try to summarize the trending tracks for the current year. Some specialities will be easier than others, more interesting to you than others, or highly paid than others. See whatever you prefer and choose. Once you choose the field, try not to hesitate, as multiple trials get you lost in this block.
Let’s say I choose Chrome Extension Development, it is time to go into depth on what I need to learn to be good in this. It would be HTML, CSS, JS, and Chrome Extension API as a start. And now I know my plan.
Learning JS will be fast, as I already know all programming fundamentals. You may discover that learning Chrome extension development will take less than two weeks.
While if I choose full-stack web development, I may have to learn about frameworks, and more new concepts so this track will take more time to excel.
It’s your choice, and you are ready for it.
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