1. Welcome to NoFap! We have disabled new forum accounts from being registered for the time being. In the meantime, you can join our weekly accountability groups.
    Dismiss Notice

Want to learn coding.

Discussion in 'Self Improvement' started by bluehippo06, Oct 19, 2020.

  1. bluehippo06

    bluehippo06 Fapstronaut

    35
    43
    18
    Hi guys i m a veterinarian and i want to learn coding.i m intrested in python but have no prior knowledge of anything related to coding.i need someone to tell me that a medical professional can learn coding.please help and suggest me how to start.
     
  2. Havangenerati

    Havangenerati Fapstronaut

    24
    22
    3
    There a tons of website that can help you to learn python and other coding language.I strongly recommend you to use sololearn.com, its best website to learn any coding language,even i started my python course with this website.This app is also available for download on android
     
    Brain-Police likes this.
  3. PeterGrip

    PeterGrip Fapstronaut

    Before I started studying Computer Science I had already messed with it myself for about 2 years.
    It doesn't matter what you do, you can learn programming. Let me tell you, though, that it will require a lot of steps. If your aren't familiar with how a computer interprets things, then you will have to work in small steps to develop understanding and intuition. It all depends on your goals too, of course. As a computer scientist I can tell you that digging deep is a very long journey, and not one you need to take to make simple programs. Take it easy, take your time, and you will get some coding done.

    Oh and for how to start: if you can tell me how serious you are about this and what your goals are, then I might be able to recommend some material. If you are simply looking to get into it with no ulterior motive, then there are tons and tons of tutorials that teach you the same stuff pretty much. Don't pay for any online courses that take in people with no prior experience. Buy material when you know exactly what you want from it.
     
    Brain-Police likes this.
  4. SCRATCH! Nice. Love that.

    @bluehippo06 there are plenty of resources! Just look around and just pick some that seem decent and get learning!
     
    Brain-Police likes this.
  5. MisterDoe

    MisterDoe Fapstronaut

    Hello, as a developer. I suggest getting yourself Andrei Neagoie Python udemy course. The course itself is very good. But the main reason is to have access to Zero To Mastery discord forum. Currently, the forum has 159k students. It's very active and can help you with questions and motivation.
     
  6. PeterGrip

    PeterGrip Fapstronaut

    No finer programming language exists :)
     
    Ju@n likes this.
  7. true true. @bluehippo06 just learn scratch
     
    PeterGrip likes this.
  8. Start with youtube tutorials to develop basic understanding and then take online courses for specific topics (like data structures) .
     
  9. Scratch is not worth doing . it's for Kids.
     
  10. It’s very easy to learn to learn on your own, although at some point you will be wise to find a mentor once you have the basics down. I started teaching myself Python in December 2020, out of desperation for a new career, and was able to code decently by March 2021. Used Lynda/ LinkedIn learning at first and realized I was getting nowhere. Then tried leetcode but realized I couldn’t solve the simplest problems.

    It was gruelling. I spent many many hours banging my head against the keyboard, lost and confused. Some days I would spend hours (like 10 - 14 hours) coding straight, learning, planning, etc.

    The secret to success is find something you like or a problem you need to solve. Games are the perfect thing to code because they are rule based. And you already know all the rules. You know all the rules of hanged man, for example, and that’s all you need to be able to conceptualize code for it. I started coding text-based games : a word guessing game, then hanged man, then tic tac toe.

    The most important part is learning how to problem-solve and how to “think” like a computer - meaning, how to break down large problem into smaller problems and address them in a way that is logical and therefore intelligible by the machine.

    This is why it’s best to start with real problems that you actually want to solve. For me, I had all these stupid repetitive tasks for my job and I thought “I wonder if I could automate this…” and down the rabbit hole I went. Taught myself some basic algorithms. Wrote code to send automated reminder emails, then pulling data from websites, then sorting and transforming that data using a module in Python called pandas.

    Around mid December 2020, print(f”{d}-{m}-{y}”) was too confusing for me.

    In early February 2021, I had finished my first automation project. By mid March, I had automated 80% of my job (sending automated emails to people based on a schedule). Then, I started taking on small odd jobs on UpWork (developing small scripts, then larger data flows and pipelines for online businesses).

    In March, I secured a few interviews as a database manager and developer. Was hired for a short term programming contract by end of March. Didn’t work out in the end - the project was killed. Started reading up on category theory and learning about the machine learning modules. Dabbled in OCR (object character recognition).

    In April, I started doing jobs and developing small scripts, then developed automated pipelines for a bunch of clients using a web interface, then developed some specialized software based on my field of work. That work carried me out until July or August 2021.

    then, I started revisited some of my old code and reconfiguring it to make it more clean. At this point, I had enough code to have a code base to steal from myself or repurpose old code for similar purposes.

    Around that time, I also found a mentor who could give me feedback on my code. Hetaught me how to setup GitHub (thank God, I found that very challenging).

    I stopped challenging myself at this point. I got into school (for an unrelated field) but have kept the coding in the background, mostly to help me perform time consuming job tasks.

    I love coding though. A lot of artists-turned-programmers will tell you it’s the closest you can get to pure creation. I would agree. I always have ideas in the back of my head for new software/business and, when I get off for the summer, I’m going to binge code a whole bunch of stuff and see how it turns out.

    hope this helps you. It’s a long, harrowing journey. It’s difficult but very rewarding if you aren’t afraid to fail literally every step of the way. That’s half the fun. I am from an arts / social sciences background. Above average intelligence, yes… but zero technical ability or training before December 2020.

    I truly believe that if you can think, you can code. It’s as simple as that. DM if you have any questions !
     
    meru_44 likes this.
  11. koolpal

    koolpal Fapstronaut

    I recommend Anaconda.

    https://www.anaconda.com/

    Has lots of tutorials on python.

    Used mostly Jupyter Notebook, taking interactive notes as I learned the python language and syntax with immediate feedback, used the different packages, data visualization, machine learning, etc.

    https://jupyter.org/

    Hope that helps.
     
  12. Battlestar

    Battlestar Fapstronaut

    19
    18
    3
    You are not alone. I've asked the same question and gotten similar answers. If you are looking for one good answer you won't get it. Some guys I've talked to (employed professionals) couldn't tell me how they learned. There is no established method or order except "do it online".

    This is what I've gotten:
    • You need a project. It's a concrete, not an abstract thing. To learn HTML write a webpage, don't read a book.
    • Good beginning languages to start are: Python, Java, Java Script, HTML/CSS.
    • General computer knowledge can be had from "howtogeek", "lifehacker", and "computerhope"; NOT "stackoverflow". If you google something and the result doesn't make sense, or it's a bunch of code, don't waste time, keep googling. There is usually a simpler, more straightforward answer.

    And:
    • Some desirable languages are: C (C++, etc.) and SQL.
    • For HTML/CSS you can use "W3schools" - especially the "try it" feature. This is where to start HTML.
    • Lynda (now Linkedin Learning) is has good resources. You may have access through your library card.
    • Eventually will need to learn "GitHub" (website and platform), and an "IDE" (a program where you write code).

    Helpful things would be:
    • Get "Notepad ++" for Windows, it's the bomb.
    • Learn a little about the command line interface, like Windows "Powershell" or "CMD", Apple "Terminal", Linux shell (Bash, XTerm, etc.). Use whatever you have, probably "Powershell". Powershell has "Powershell ISE" mode which is helpful. Search for it in the Windows search bar.
    • If you already use Excel, learn more about Excel formulas, they're a kind of computer code.
    • Learn the difference between "procedural" and "imperative" languages, and "high level" and "low level" languages.

    I have found that most programmers/coders can't teach (or even explain) if their life depends on it - no offense intended. The mindset required for the two occupations seem somehow wholly incompatible. The basic attitude is that if you can't learn it on your own, you can't do it. However, very specific questions are perfectly acceptable.

    In working with coders I found that if I want good answers I have to be:
    • As specific as possible.
    • As direct as possible.
    • Use as few words as possible.
    • Phrase things so that they are absolutely unambiguous.
    • Phrase things so that can only be understood one way.
    • All of that to the point of absurdity.
    • Never get your terminology mixed up. They will assume you mean EXACTLY what you say, they won't be able to "interpret" and correct you.
    I just realized all of that is like a computer language.


    The real challenge seems to be:
    • Learning "how to learn" technology.
    • Inculturation - There is an IT/computer/coding culture. You are being dropped in a foreign country. You don't know the language (I'm not talking just about the "programming language"), and don't know any of the assumptions. No one there speaks your language, or knows your assumptions. Basically, Google is your friend.
    Best Wishes!
     
  13. The most important thing when learning to program is to focus on the logic, so it doesn't matter if you learn Python or whatever language your want, find a course or a book (I prefer books, like "Learn Python the Hard Way" or the official Python book) and do the exercises, you'll learn the basics very fast, so when you have a cool idea, try to implement it. I'll leave a link with lots of free books (including the official Python ones) for you. If you need help, you can talk with me.
     
  14. Anonymous86

    Anonymous86 Fapstronaut

    2,815
    837
    113
    Content edited by a mod

    Wow, very cool and interesting. Do you have to pay for any of this at all? I am letting you know now that I didn't read this post in it's fullest, and mostly just skimmed it. So I do apologize, ahead of time.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 30, 2022

Share This Page