How to learn programming as a beginner: The Ultimate Guide

Understanding and using programming languages is becoming increasingly important in a time when technology is developing quickly and permeating every part of our life. No longer only a skill for computer scientists and software developers, programming is a skill for everyone. Instead, it has developed into a useful tool that improves people's professional and personal life in a variety of disciplines.

I'll provide advice and information on how a novice can learn to code for free in this article. I'll also recommend some free websites and tools for learning.More

What is Coding?
A set of instructions that direct a computer on what to perform is referred to as "code" by definition. Since computers cannot understand human language, people have gradually developed languages that they can. They can communicate with developers through those languages.

Among many more, coding language examples include HTML, GitHub Markdown, CSS, JavaScript, and Python.

You'll be able to create instructions for computers to follow once you learn to code. This enables you to create websites, programs, and software, among other wonderful things.

What is Programming?
Many developers consider programming to be a more sophisticated term than coding, but many others interchangeably use the two terms.

Writing instructions for the computer to follow is still part of programming, but data structures and algorithms are increasingly crucial. Algorithms and data structures aren't used much in some programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and Markdown, while they're highly used in others, like JavaScript, Python, Java, and C++.

This raises a distinction that plenty of programmers make. As HTML doesn't conduct any logic, many developers in the field of web development don't view it as a "programming language" in the strict sense. It merely establishes a website framework.Learn more

The distinction between coding and programming

Coding: Coding is just writing code to solve computer science problems. This you need as a prerequisite to learn how to program.

Programming: Programming is an act of code to make programs to solve real problems. You need to learn the fundamentals of coding to know how to program. Learn more

Where to start
There are various ways for a beginner to learn programming:
1. Determine your motivation for learning to code:

Understanding your motivation for learning programming is essential before you begin. This will support your motivation and goal-focused persistence. 

2. Select a programming language: 

There are a wide variety of programming languages available, but it is advised to start with one that is well-known, such as Python or JavaScript.

But C and C++ are by far the most useful languages to learn since most other programming languages are essentially just derivatives of those. Each new programming language essentially takes those and makes some specific tasks easier. Basically, all these languages share the same ancestor. So, clearly, you should start by learning those two languages, right? No, those languages are pretty intensive if you want to do anything useful or important. Also, it either requires a lot of code or uses a bunch of libraries that don't develop your basics. That brings me to my point: you need to do something useful, but not too useful for now at this beginner level. 

On the other end of the spectrum, the first thing most people want to learn is machine learning. Here's the thing: machine learning is super useful in real life, but it's all advanced math, so if you start with it, you are going to be learning one computer science basics, two Python, and three advanced math all at the same time. Unless you are literally a genius, you are going to come out of this not really knowing any of the trees. 

So, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, where you can do something useful with that and learn the basics. Yes, the easiest language to start with is probably Python. It's mostly like plain English. Even if you don't know how to code, you can sort of read it, and it's super easy to get started in. 

3. Recognize the fundamental ideas at the core:
You can use the steps below to learn the fundamental building blocks of any programming language:
  I. Declare a variable first: Declaring a variable to store data is the first step in programming. You must comprehend the facts and syntax. kinds used in the declaration of variables. 
  II. Acquire a basic understanding of syntax. Each programming language has its own syntax, which is a set of guidelines for how to write code. The fundamental syntax of the programming language you want to learn must be learned. 
 III. Recognize data types and structures: In a program, data is stored and organized using data types and structures. The various data types and structures utilized by the programming language you wish to learn must be understood.
 IV. Become familiar with flow control structures: These structures are used to manage the flow of programs. You must become familiar with the various flow control constructs utilized in the programming language you prefer, such as conditionals and loops.

4. Enroll in online courses: Beginners can learn programming through a variety of online courses. Freecode camp ,Sololearn, and Geeksforgeeks are a few well-liked websites. 
5. Practice coding: Learning programming requires a lot of practice. Start with simple tasks and work your way up to more complicated ones.

Best Coding Challenge Websites

• Beecrowd (Formerly URI) is perfect for those who have just started solving coding challenges and are looking for a beginner-friendly website. ...
• Hackerrank is one of the most popular coding practice websites out there. ...
• Codeforces
  
• Leetcode

I wish you the best of luck in your journey. Keep going. You got this.