So, you want to learn how to code fast? Well, you’re in luck. As someone who has taught himself how to code, I have learned many ways to help speed up the process.
Don’t get me wrong, it will still be a ton of work. However, with these 7 tips, you will be a pro programmer in no time!
So without wasting any time, let’s dive in.
1. Fundamentals Before Anything
If you want to learn how to code fast, you need to spend the appropriate time on the fundamentals. It may seem difficult to spend a considerable amount of time on the basics when there is so much more to learn. However, those basics are the building blocks to help you better understand everything else.
By spending a considerable amount of time on the fundamentals, you are actually speeding up the process of learning more advanced concepts. You can’t learn asynchronous programming until you have a strong foundation in synchronous programming!
Don’t know what makes up the fundamentals of programming?
There is a great course that walks you through everything you need to know. It’s called the fundamentals of programming. This course will teach you the basics of programming in 9 different languages, including JavaScript, Python, C, C++, C#, Ruby, and more!
It is a great way to get started because it shows you that these languages aren’t so different or as scary as they seem.
It is also a great way to learn because if you do not know which programming language to start with you don’t need to decide immediately. Not to mention, it is good to know all the major languages used in the industry.
2. Don’t Ask For Help Immediately
When you first start learning how to code, you will likely be very overwhelmed and need to ask for help. That is totally okay!
However, what is going to ultimately make you a good programmer is solving these problems on your own. You should be spending a considerable amount of time trying to figure out a problem before asking for help.
If you can’t figure something out immediately, take a break and come back. It’s a great technique to refresh your mind after a long programming session.
If you still can’t figure out the problem, then ask for help.
I know you probably want to know the answer immediately and move on to other challenges of the project. However, remember that being stuck and figuring out a problem is a huge part of programming. If you can learn how to figure these problems out yourself, you will be unstoppable!
All that time spent trying to figure out a problem will also allow time for that solution to sink into your head. Trust me, if you spend multiple hours trying to solve something and eventually find the answer, you aren’t forgetting that solution. You would also be surprised by the number of challenges you can solve by being stubborn and persistent.
Once you feel like you are spinning your wheels and are not being productive, ask for help.
If you don’t know anyone that can help you solve your problem, the Reddit thread r/learnprogramming and StackOverflow are great resources. Friendly reminder that r/learnprogramming will be much kinder if you are a beginner though!
3. Stick To A Consistent Schedule
The most beneficial thing you can do when learning how to code is to stick to a consistent schedule. Block off a chunk of time every single day and force yourself to code in that time frame. You would be surprised how much you can get accomplished with consistency.
Let me repeat. Do this every single day! Even if it’s only for 30 minutes.
In a month, you will be amazed by how much you have progressed.
In addition to this schedule, whenever you get some free time, jump on a coding site like Codewars or HackerRank and do a challenge.
Make learning to code your top priority if you can. The more seriously you take the process of learning to code, the better your results will be.
All of these little moments add up. Trying to code once a week for 5 hours is just going to lead to burnout, frustration, and minimal progress.
For me personally, when I was teaching myself how to code I did it day and night. After work, all I would do is research and build new projects. It was an absolute grind.
However, all that time eventually paid off. I have a better understanding of all the aspects of the codebases I work with and feel very confident in my coding abilities. This is not something I would have said in my first year of programming!
4. Actually Code (Avoid Tutorial Hell)
When you first start learning how to code, you will probably start with the tutorial “code along”. This is a very normal way to start coding and it can be effective and easier when first starting out.
However, one major issue that people get stuck in is a condition called “Tutorial Hell”.
This is when all you do is watch tutorials and never actually think or code for yourself. While it is much more difficult to start your own coding project, this is where your learning will start to accelerate.
If you want to learn how to code fast, you need to be researching and coding your own projects. This is really what separates beginners from expert programmers. If you can build a coding project from start to finish, that is when you can start calling yourself a real programmer!
Being able to look up and read the documentation and take a plan from conception to reality is what separates the men from the boys.
It may seem scary and difficult at the start, but once you can do it, you’re going to learn at an exponential rate. You will also be ready to do this much sooner than you think. So even if you’re unsure, just jump into it!
5. Check out Helpful Online Coding Resources
There are a ton of great coding resources out there that can help teach you how to code fast. If you are looking for some free resources, I outlined a ton of great, high-quality courses here. Most of these I have done myself and they come from some of the best schools, such as Harvard, MIT, and the University of Washington.
Alternatively, udemy has some amazing courses by top instructors. udemy is well regarded in the industry for beginners to learn and is a great resource when you’re just starting out.
Whatever resource you decide to learn with is up to you. If you want to learn to code for free, it is totally possible. I did it. However, paid courses are certainly generally easier.
Just remember that there are a ton of courses out there competing for your hard-earned money. Make sure to read reviews and do your own research when choosing what resources you use.
Choosing a high-quality course can help you learn how to code fast. A low-quality course will likely just be a waste of your time.
6. Get A Mentor Who Codes Well
If you’re one of the lucky few who knows someone who can code well, try to get them to mentor you! Most programmers are pretty proud of their knowledge and more than willing to share if you ask them.
One major hurdle that I faced when learning how to code was dealing with self-doubt about my learning methodologies. It would have been very helpful if I had someone to look up to or ask questions to during my journey.
If you don’t know anyone personally, you can always turn to youtube videos or online pen pals to help you out. I’m sure you would have no trouble finding someone who can help guide you on Reddit with enough persistence. However, it can be hard to tell who is an actual good programmer and who is just egotistical.
Either way, if you can find someone who codes well and they’re willing to help you, this can be a great way to learn how to code fast.
7. Read Good Code!
Finally, you should be investing some of your time into finding and reading good, high-quality source code.
In your day-to-day job, you are going to need to know how to navigate a foreign codebase in a language that may or may not be familiar to you.
Reading good code helps you learn how to code fast in two ways.
One, you get to see how good code should be written. Two, you gain practice in combing through code and figuring out how it works.
So, how do you find good code to read? Great question.
I highly recommend going to GitHub and finding code written by large tech companies. This code will have followed strict methodologies and been reviewed by multiple people before being released.
A great example you could look into is the Kubernetes Github repo. Kubernetes is a very popular tool in the industry and is used by many companies. Google has made the codebase open source and anyone can go in and look at the code. So, if you’ve ever wanted to see the kind of code quality used at google, it’s right here.
Wrapping Up
So that is pretty much it. If you want to know how to learn how to code fast, this is the way.
Through understanding the fundamentals, independent learning, sticking to a schedule, actually coding, finding the right resources, getting a good mentor and reading good code.
If you do all 7 of these things, you will be an expert programmer in no time.
If you want to check out some courses that can help take you from beginner to pro in no time, check out this.
Want to learn how to code for free? check out my free guide.
Have any questions? Feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will answer them as soon as possible.
As always, happy coding!
