As junior software developers, my generation always seeks better and more appropriate guidance on Programming manners and ways to improve them. However, today’s generation has much more well-educated people and no lack of resources to get started with any work. There is always a full guide on how to start anything. But the guidance of a well-skilled and experienced person affects more than learning from any other resources.

Here I am talking about junior developers who face many problems while programming but due to a lack of good networking with an experienced person, they could not do as well as they can. In this article, proper detailed guidance is provided to solve all the difficulties one junior developer faces while programming.

Professional Benefits of Learning a Programming Language?

Before becoming a developer in the IT industry, the first question arises: why learn to program? What are the benefits of learning any programming language to serve the IT platform? So here are some professional reasons to learn a programming language.

• It gives assurance of a job: Without having any knowledge, no one will hire you for their job or business, so if you are a skilled programmer then the chance of your job will be enhanced to 90% and you don’t have to worry about your future.
• You can get Work from home: Programming enables the developer to work from remote locations and you don’t need any specific company or organization to work with. You can get your specific job like freelancing and can work straight from your comfort zone.
• High-Income Potential: This offers you highly paid jobs and tasks to work on and you can make a really good budget out of it. All the applications, websites, software, operating systems, and technology need coding. Since the demand is high, you can earn well from coding.
• Develop problem-solving skills: The more code, the more you will get to learn the problem-solving approaches. It will transform your mindset into a very professional solver of any complex error in any domain.
• Open your own business: Once you have developed a command of programming, you can become self-employed and think of starting your own business with your idea and planning. You don’t need to mess with other companies and organizations.
• You can understand the strategies of how the software works:  If you are a curious person then programming will help you to understand all the algorithms and strategies behind the digital platform. It will help you to grasp the functionalities of new technologies and tools very easily.

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The Most Common Approach to Start Programming for Beginners

If you are a beginner and want to get into development by learning to program, then you have visited the right article. Here is the most common approach you should follow to learn more systematically and most easily.

1. Choose the Suitable Programming  Language

There is not only one language in the software industry, so choosing the appropriate language to get into the specific field of development is quite challenging for beginners. So firstly get clear with your vision whether you wanted to be a full stack developer, back-end developer, or front-end developer.

Full-stack developers should know HTML, CSS, Javascript, and python with all its frameworks while the backend only needs knowledge of HTML, Javascript, and CSS. So research it well, and choose it.

2. Start with the Fundamentals Concept

Most of the over-excited beginners skip the fundamentals and jump straight to the tools and technologies. But you don’t have to make this mistake. Firstly, get clear with all the basics of the programming language which will help you to solve the problems much faster and easier.

And for making the programming language easy and clearing all the fundamentals of algorithms, problem-solving concepts, and approaches, C++ is the best-known programming language for basic concepts. So here are some fundamentals one should know:

• Datatype
• Variable
• Array
• Operators
• If statements
• Conditional statements
• Objects and Classes
• Exception handling
• Trees, maps, etc.

3. Start learning algorithms and Data Structure

Data structure and algorithms are the main components of the programming language. Without these, the programming will not exist. So building the concept of data structures and algorithms is the most important thing. To solve any problem firstly you will need to implement the algorithm for that problem step by step. And then you should choose the correct data structure to solve the problem.

And will only come by practice more and more every day. You can’t leave the problem-solving approaches otherwise you will not be able to develop any project, even a mini one. Try to solve the problems and implement the algorithm by yourself first and then go to the references if you are facing any problems.

Here are some data structures you should go with:

• Array
• Binary Tree
• Graph
• Heap
• Stack
• Queue
• Hashing
• Linked List

Start Working on Projects

The project will define your level of programming, and approaches to problem-solving and will help you with feedback on your programming skill. So don’t skip this most beneficial part of the programming. Start making mini projects based on some ideas like online shopping, map, calculator, etc. This will lead you to learn some google tools, editors, and debuggers which will when added to your project, enhance the features.

Once you will learn the basic approach of error solving, implementing algorithms, selecting data structure, and everything, you will start enjoying the coding. Then you can head to big projects based on your idea. You can mention these projects in your resume to get a better and more advanced job in the developing field of IT. Here are some simple projects ideas to build

• Calculators
• Puzzle
• Game
• Online shopping website
• Medical websites
• Hotel management apps
• Tic-tac-toe puzzle

5. Start Participating in a Coding Contest or Any Coding Platform

This step will enhance your coding level and polish your programming skill. Participate in some coding contests that host online for the students to get a better version of your programmer. Once you will start participating, this will boost your confidence and you can do much better. Search your errors online, and work on them.

Try to add more features to your projects according to your increasing knowledge. Explore more tools. If you are facing any issue regarding your programming or project development, you can publish it on online forums like StackOverflow, Reddit’s programming subreddit, GitHub, etc.

11 Things I Always Tell My Juniors to Keep in Mind While Programming

While coding, some small mistakes make the programmer irritated and frustrated which leads to low confidence and negative thinking regarding stopping coding and switching to any other career. And if you are also someone who do very mistakes while coding and gets exhausted, then here are a few tips to avoid mistakes:

1. Write the Comments While Coding:

Commenting on the code will help you to understand that block of code again on revisiting it. Commenting makes the code more understandable and simple. Most programmers skip this method in the rush of coding. Also, they think that it will look more ugly or complicated but this same comment clears the issue and complications later. The comments quickly remind me of the entire reason why the specific code is written.

2. Debugger

The debugger is like the life saviour while coding. Most of the languages already have a debugger with some Graphical interfaces and breakpoints settings in the IDE. The debugger provides the result of the program so that the coder can inspect line by line to solve the error like variable names, values, loops, missing data structure, etc.

It tells some breakpoints of code that can be improved without wasting time.

3. Repetitive Code

 Repeating the same code again and again just by copying and pasting code from other platforms is a very simple trap for the less experienced coder to fall into. this should not happen. There are various web frameworks you can use to avoid this repetition of code and this repeated code is called DRY code.

4. Bad Variable Names

Variables are the mandatory part of the coding, without variables you cannot store the names and other entities. The Variable name should be understandable so that it clears the code on revisiting. Although the variable name choice is up to you it should be based on the rules of selecting the variable names. Try to make the variable name related to the code that will enable you to stay focused and easy to understand the concept to others as well.

5. Not Backing up Code

The very bad habit of not keeping your code protected and safe bothers most programmers. It should be done constantly while coding because you can lose your code anytime due to incidents like a technical failure or anything. And then you need to write the code again and it will lead to a loss of time and effort. So don’t make this mistake while programming. Always keep a backup of your code and learn how to manage your coding files on GitHub. 

6. Complicated Code

Complicated coding means the unnecessary use of variables, loops, containers, objects, and many other things in the coding. There are numerous approaches to solving a single problem, so try to go with the simple one. Simple coding is easy to maintain, understand and debug. It doesn’t mean you should use shortcuts in your coding because this will lower your skill as well as not help in your coding practice. However, Pseudocodes help in this problem. Try to use it.

7. Not Searching Your Errors

Errors are the most essential part of becoming a better developer. Not searching and exploring your errors are the worst part of coding. Most of the coders ignore the errors and leave them to solve later. The good thing you can do to become a skilled developer is to ask questions about your error, search for it and find the solution. Also, keep track of the newest occurring errors in the coding which the best developer should know. 

8. N in Advance

Making a good plan and design before starting your project helps to boost enthusiasm and confidence. Also, it reduces the chance of error in the coding. Making plans will enable you to clear your vision of your project as well as help you know what you wanted to accomplish actually in practice. 

9. Not Taking Breaks

According to psychological research, it is proof that a human can only concentrate on something for a maximum of 1 hour. So taking breaks in the meanwhile will help to reduce the mental effort, relax your eyes, and boost your focus for getting back to the work. So don’t be very hard on yourself and take breaks for time and fresh and up to be more productive.

10. Running Behind Multiple Platforms of Coding

Just stay stuck to one platform for learning and writing both. If you are running behind in numerous tutorials then it will have a bad effect on your problem-solving approaches and grab the concept in detail. And for writing, if you are trying to code on a different IDE (Integrated Development Environment) after a very less time duration, then this is not a good habit. This will complicate the concept and fundamentals and take more time to get better at one thing. 

11. Inconsistency

This is the most underrating mistake that most programmers make. You should not skip your coding schedule and keep practising daily. Inconsistency will never make you a better coder because programming demands practices that too in a consistent manner. Inconsistent coding will make you lose command of basic concepts due to which you can’t go ahead on big projects or tasks. So never be inconsistencies in coding. 

Conclusion

Now after this useful article, I hope that you get proper guidance for your programming journey and you will implement these tips while coding to get better in your performance. Mistakes are a part of life but we can use these mistakes as an opportunity to emerge in a better way. Programming seems very easy when you have the tips and strategies to work on. Keep the above points in mind while coding to reduce the chance of error and your effort.

Author Bio

Meravath Raju is a Digital Marketer, and a passionate writer, who is working with MindMajix, a top global online training provider. He also holds in-depth knowledge of IT and demanding technologies such as Business Intelligence, Salesforce, Cybersecurity, Software Testing, QA, Data Analytics, Project Management and ERP tools, etc.