It’s easy to start learning how to code right away. Here are five easy steps you can take today to learn a new, in-demand, skill.
Sign-up for Codecademy.com
Codecademy is an interactive online learning platform designed especially for code-newbies. Their software provides an introduction to popular languages and allows you to write code alongside their instruction.
Codecademy requires the user to input correct code before they progress to the next step, ensuring that you understand the material. Codecademy has classes in HTML, CSS, Python, Ruby and more.
Sign up for Coderbyte
While Codecademy provides a great introduction to syntax, Coderbyte will train you to start thinking about how to solve real problems using code. Their website features hundreds of coding challenges ranging from beginner to advance difficulty.
If you really want to know what it takes to become a professional developer, check out their Interview Cake section which features sample interview questions used by employers to separate the good coders from the bad.
Buy a book
Believe it or not, software engineering requires reading. A lot of reading. Every day.
Not sure what to buy? We’d recommend HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett, JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford, and Java: A Beginner’s Guide by Herbert Schildt.
Download a text editor
With all you’ve learned online and in print, you’ll probably want to start building some projects on your own. The first thing you’ll need is a text editor to write your code.
There are many free and powerful options, including Atom, Notepad++, and Vim. Zip Code Wilmington students use Sublime Text, a text editor that with lots of great features that’s super easy for beginners to learn.
Join a Meetup
Coding is better in community, and there’s a lot of communities to plug into. You can meet professional developers and Delaware startup leaders through the Delaware Tech Meetup, learn how to program hardware through the Barrel of Makers Meetup, and connect with Women In Tech at Girl Develop It Wilmington.
Plus, chat with us about your coding goals at CodeCouch hosted by our Zip Code Wilmington Meetup.
There’s no time like the present. Get started on your journey to becoming a professional software developer today.
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Ready to go from novice to pro? Check out our curriculum and apply today!
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