Where Do I Start Programming?

So you know what programming is, and why you might want to become a programmer. But you’ve never written a line of code (or maybe you have, but not since you were in high school or college). I’m a self-taught programmer, but I also earned a degree in Computer Engineering, so I’ve seen both sides of the coin. Learning programming from a book teaches you the practical side of how to write code. Learning it in college teaches you the theory of why we do it the way we do. With that in mind, if I were getting started today, I would follow these steps:

• 1. Buy Beginning ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB and read it cover to cover, doing all of the programming exercises inside. When you are done you will have a good handle on how to build a basic ASP.NET web application. 
• 2. Pick a small project and build it for yourself. Examples include: an online replacement for a thumb drive, a web-based contact manager, or a time tracking application. Don’t worry about how it looks, for now worry about how it functions. Code it up and test it out.
•  3. Once it’s complete go back and work on how it looks. 
• 4. Upload it to a hosting account and make it “live” on the internet. You now have .NET programming experience with an application that’s live on the internet and a showpiece for potential employers.

This is one of thousands of paths you could follow to gain programming experience. I chose .NET because there is a huge demand for .NET developers. If you think you would prefer to develop in PHP, buy an introductory PHP book like Beginning PHP and MySQL: From Novice to Professional and follow the same steps. Variations of the above hold for game programmers or desktop programmers; the steps stay static, but the book and sample project vary. The above steps accomplish a number of things:

• 1. They get you writing code. Nothing is more worthless than reading about coding for 6 months. You have to start writing it as soon as possible. 
• 2. You will learn a marketable language. Real applications are built using ASP.NET and PHP. You will be learning a language that will probably get you a job in a few months. 
• 3. You will create a portfolio piece. It won’t be the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen, but it will be an application you can demo to a potential employer, and will include sample code you can show them.
• 4. By the end of step 2, you will know if you like programming. Most programmers I know would not be able to put the book down, and would think about the sample project day and night until it was completed. If you find yourself dreading sitting down at the computer and spending the time it takes to build your project…it’s possible that programming is not for you. Of course, try to separate your tiredness from work or lack of time as possibly de-motivating factors.