You Don’t Have To Be A Genius To Code
It’s easier than you think
Some myths go with learning to code and being proficient with it, one of those myths is that you need to be a genius to be a programmer. This isn’t exactly true.
I remember the first time I typed in my first command into the code editor and saw the HELLO WORLD display in the terminal. It was amazing, and quite interesting, fast forward a few months later, my siblings playing a game I made with Python, at that moment in time you couldn’t tell me I wouldn’t be the next Mark Zuckerberg. But that wasn’t exactly what happened, was it?
But then what happened? I loved to code, a lot, but I also loved doing other things, I loved reading, singing, listening to music, and watching movies, as a result of all these hobbies I didn’t put in the time to learn and be proficient with programming or its concepts, this made me feel like I wasn’t enough and I couldn’t be one of those hotshot programmers.
But how did I get to the level where I am proficient with not one, two, or three programming languages, but able to learn any programming language with ease in a short period?
I Enjoy Solving Problems.
I always saw problems as a means towards a better world, I saw it as an opportunity to make life easier for others, so I sought out and solved as many problems I could get my hands on. This is what makes an effective programmer, the burning desire to solve problems in the modern world and improve upon existing ones. This is what puts the program in a programmer.
Ironically, this is a decidedly non-tech-centric skill. It doesn’t require tons of time and research, but rather a creative approach and a willingness to experiment. I believe all humans have this capacity and propensity, which is why I so frequently tell people that anyone can code.
Most Projects Don’t Require a “Wiz”.
Programming problems faced in projects aren’t new peculiar to that project. They have been around for quite a while, and even if that’s not necessarily true, someone must have faced similar problems and came up with a quite efficient way to solve them, ways you can leverage to solve your problem as well.
It is not uncommon to find out that an API can easily do what your 200–1000 lines of code are struggling to do. Programming is as much of knowing where to look for solutions to problems as how to solve them.
I Build Pretty Cool Stuff.
Building amazing things was something I enjoyed doing, it was thrilling seeing my work. You don’t always have to build the next big thing, the most important thing about programming is building something that solves a problem, and solves it efficiently.
I have worked before for various clients. Not a single one has asked me why the load time takes so long, or if my program is using the programming best practices, all they want is their problem solved, I do that for them, and that’s enough.
Anyone Can Code.
Absolutely anyone can code, it’s not some special gift people are born with, it’s simply something you can do once you put in the time to learn and learn it well.
Although starting programming can be hard and daunting, it is something one can do if you put in the time to learn what you don’t already know. There are numerous resources for you to learn anything you want online. These resources and the massive community behind programming can help you to become a competent programmer who approaches problems and is not intimidated by his/her ability to solve them immediately.
Remember great programmers can understand problems clearly, break them down into hypotheses, and propose solutions coherently. They understand concepts quickly or ask the right questions to help make them clear.
That’s all it takes to be a programmer. I believe anyone can be a programmer today. Even You.
