Where to start

[Nick980]

I left my previous career in retail a few years ago due to some mental health issues and have been unemployed since. I did a 3 week coding course (HTML, CCS, JavaScript) in 2020 just before the pandemic hit and the company I did it with was struggling to find apprenticeships for those who completed the course. Fast forward and now things seem to be more stable and I'm feeling better in myself I want to pursue coding further, hopefully as a career but also as a hobby. My only problem is where do I start?

 

What languages are useful/in demand?
Where are some good resources for a beginner?
Are there free courses online/YouTube that I can follow along with?

 

Any direction or help would be gratefully received. 

[Space646]

1 hour ago, Nick980 said:

What languages are useful/in demand?

I would start with Python, other languages (that aren't compiled) are simmilar. And it is very easy to learn. After you learn Python good, I would learn C++ (now I am learning Python, the C++), also, I tried Swift (the programming language for Apple devices, and it is very simmilar to Python, but is a Compiled language. I think HTML/CSS won't be as useful as they were, because now people are using some website creator websites, like SquareSpace. So, I recommend starting with Python, then C++

[Chris Pratt]

I'm biased, but I'd suggest giving C# a whirl. Microsoft has done a ton of work in cross platform development for .NET and is heavily invested in that future. With C# alone, you can build apps for Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, website backends, APIs, and even frontend development with Blazor as an alternative to JavaScript. It's incredibly versatile.

 

As far as training goes, there's tons of videos on YouTube you can reference, but it's a bit of a minefield with a lot of bad info out there too. That probably applies to any language, honestly. It's even worse now that YouTube has removed the dislike counter, as you can't even necessarily tell if the video is bad.

 

I would personally start with more formal training. It's not free ($29/mo with 10 day free trial), but PluralSight has excellent videos on a wide range of topics, and I can highly recommend their content.

 

Once you get some knowledge under your belt, you'll be able to more easily discern what other sources are good or bad, like various YouTube videos.

[Dat Guy]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:12 PM, Nick980 said:

What languages are useful demand?

Currently, C (low-level, you'll need to learn a few things about memory management), Go (rather easy, it borrowed a few things from ALGOL and Smalltalk) and Rust (rather complicated). I warmly recommend to also look at Perl which is a superb allround scripting language.

 

I, personally, make my money with C#/.NET (web development) and Kotlin (Android development), but you should try to be interested in the programming hobby at all before you choose a language that is not fun.

 

On 1/9/2022 at 12:12 PM, Nick980 said:

Where are some good resources for a beginner?

It really depends on the language.

 

C -> https://www.learn-c.org/en/ (but there are many good books on it)

Go -> https://go.dev/doc/tutorial/getting-started

Rust -> https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/

Perl -> https://www.perltutorial.org

 

On 1/9/2022 at 12:12 PM, Nick980 said:

Are there free courses online/YouTube that I can follow along with?

In my opinion, YouTube tutorials don't make much sense for programming as you can't copy code off them.

 

On 1/9/2022 at 1:25 PM, Space646 said:

I would start with Python, other languages (that aren't compiled) are simmilar.

No language is similar to Python, and it is very slow and - YMMV - ugly. You won't learn anything about other languages by wasting your time in Python.

[Franck]

On 1/9/2022 at 6:12 AM, Nick980 said:

What languages are useful/in demand?

Depend from region to region. You do need to check your job offering around you. 

[Space646]

2 hours ago, Dat Guy said:

On 1/9/2022 at 1:25 PM, Space646 said:

I would start with Python, other languages (that aren't compiled) are simmilar.

No language is similar to Python, and it is very slow and - YMMV - ugly. You won't learn anything about other languages by wasting your time in Python

Swift is very simmilar to Python, and yes, Python is very slow but also very easy

[Dat Guy]

1 minute ago, Space646 said:

Swift is very simmilar to Python

Swift is very similar to Kotlin.

 

2 minutes ago, Space646 said:

Python is very slow but also very easy

Many languages are very easy - and less ugly.

[Space646]

1 minute ago, Dat Guy said:

Swift is very similar to Kotlin.

 

Many languages are very easy - and less ugly.

OK, I don’t think Python is ugly, and Python is easier than C

[Franck]

18 hours ago, Space646 said:

OK, I don’t think Python is ugly, and Python is easier than C

Pretty sure he didn't meant "it's the ugliest language of all" I'm certain he played with Javascript before.

[ganstanootnoot]

https://github.com/ossu/computer-science

Lots of good online courses and resources to simulate a computer science bachelors degree. 

I highly recommend the courses under core programming. It teaches you how to be a good problem solver and not just how to program.

Also start reading textbooks on topics you are interested in. 

Start doing leetcode for those whiteboard interview questions, and make projects you are interested in to put on your resume. 

If you don't know what to make, look at past hackathons and recreate the ideas that you like. Start simple and small, you don't have to make a mind blowing project.

Or even better, go to the hackathons yourself. Make connections while you are there and talk to the sponsors and guests.

If you want to go to school, look into local trade schools, they might offer programming programs that are geared toward the industry rather then learning theories in universities. 

Another good way of finding comp sci topics and textbooks is to look at the syllabus for courses that sound interesting at universities.

 

[HarleyTorrisi]

Come join the Microsoft Multiverse

In all seriousness.. It looks like Web Development is what your already leaning towards. Go for Next.JS or Blazor. More on that below. 

Not intentionally being narcissistic here, but how bout I tell you what I am doing, how I got there, what I liked and didn't like. 

** Story Time **
Like you, half way through life I was looking for a career change. So I decided to go to UNI and start a degree in Game Development.

• Game Design | with Unity and C# (University Only)
  I started here because I was worries that I would eventually get bored of any other kind of programming role. Little did I know at the time I was wrong.
  In short, I got out because I had a child and needed to work. But I am so glad I did. Other roles gave better job opportunities, and better pay. And I was wrong, it never got boring   
• Windows Application | C#, WinForms, UWP, WPF
  I kinda fell into this. I got an IT job after Uni, but there was always spare time and I saw the chance to write apps for my work.
  This started out small, little phonebook app, all the way to an all in one user management app that communicated with Active Directory and Office 365
  What I can say about desktop apps, is they can be fun. But its always the same stuff, kinda what I feared when I chose game dev initially. When I het web, shit got real XD 
• Web APP | MVC
  Got promoted to an official developer at my IT role. They needed someone to work an an MVC project. 
  All I can say is its dead tech haha. But great experience. Would not recommend learning these days. 
• Web APP | React(Next.JS)
  This is where things got really fun. In MVC, html, java and css felt like a chore. Something I had to learn while working with my beloved C#.
  But React really is the KING of web design. And Next.JS is amazing. I love pushing the limits with SASS, and really getting the most out of web development.
  Worth noting I gave React a go with WebPack. I don't like it one bit. I only like it because of the amazing work Next.JS did with it. 
• Web APP | Blazor
  Now this one I haven't worked on in a job. Its still too new to be relevant, and has a little way to go till it can dish a punch out to React.
  What I can say about it, is if this was a stock investment, it would have my life spending's plunged into it
  If this takes off the way I think it will, your looking at the new KING of Web development. Something you wont get any current JS lover to agree on. This ones for the up and coming.