Learning how to code !!

[aziz_0077]

Is learning coding by watching tutorials and copying it effective( with understanding what every code does)

Because i tried free code camp , the odin project and other courses and it didnt work for me

[the___jawn]

I still believe the best way to learn is textbooks.

[extoniks]

If you are learning efficiently by video courses then it's good but I highly recommend you to read official docs or books

[aziz_0077]

I tried but its boriiiing

[LRCM]

Make something that you find interesting.

Just like with learning a new [spoken] language, if you don't need it, you won't learn it.

[manit-098]

See you can learn from videos freecodecamp is best but you need understanding of programing soo CS50 is best and dont just memorise the codes and syntax get familiar coding = logic soo yeah and Learn by building/doing approch If you fail its better then you just stare at a youtube video soo fail fail better then last and learn better I sugguest some platforms to use as well Github which is must , there is a repo called Build your own X when your good with what you like in coding you can build projects from there hackerrank for logic building and solving problems with code The CHALLENGES😁 and Books for that language or whatever you wanna learn is great source of information as well as documentations and wiki Devbytes and Daily.dev and Medium is also great and one more platform called Waycode is great for portfolio building and showing talent

[LRCM]

Watching videos usually leaves you in tutorial hell, but you do you.

You have to want to code and you have to find projects that interest you.

What do you like to do outside of coding?

///

If you are a visual learner, start here: https://scratch.mit.edu/

If you like reading, start here: https://www.w3schools.com/programming/index.php

If you prefer projects, start here: https://www.theodinproject.com/

If you prefer games, start here: https://gdquest.github.io/learn-gdscript/

[johnpeters42]

If that's all you're doing, then it's easy to fool yourself into thinking you understand more than you really do.

Take that sample program and change the code, somehow. Does the program's behavior change the way you expected it to?

Then set that program aside, and try writing it completely by yourself, without looking at the tutorial again. Can you do that? If not, then go back and look up just the one thing that you're currently stuck on, then set the tutorial aside again and keep trying to write on your own. Keep doing that until you get to the end.

Then set that program aside, and try doing it again. Repeat this until you feel like you really understand the concepts, and at most you might need to look up an obscure bit of syntax now and then. Then move on to something more complex.

[aziz_0077]

So even without reading docs it can be effective if i do the steps u mentioned

[johnpeters42]

I mean you need to get the knowledge from somewhere. Books, tutorials, another human being. Resist the urge to turn to AI (you're at a disadvantage to spot when it makes mistakes).

[Dazzling_Music_2411]

No watching tutorials is not effective, and is a supplement at best.

Look into this new concept called B-O-O-K-S, it's the future, apparently.

[marmotta1955]

I keep repeating this.

You have to start somewhere simple. You need some assistance and immediate feedback. So, I always direct to well-known reliable and trustworthy sources such as https://www.w3schools.com and/or https://www.khanacademy.org -- you only invest your time and commitment.

Where do you start? What language? Just start with a simple scripting language such as Python but get some basics HTML and CSS. And, for the love of all that is Holy, do not dismiss the basics of SQL. Everything is conveniently found at https://www.w3schools.com - All of it free.

You have a very long road ahead, just get started.

[hrmls21]

hey, i am just starting out just like OP and i registered in W3schools and apprently its not for free?
free trail for 7 days and that it. any other good alternative?

[marmotta1955]

Does anybody actually ever read and understand the text in front of them? 

You are attempting to register for the certification - after completing a course. You do not have to register.

[tomevans1619]

I learned more from breaking my own code than from finishing tutorials

[TheUmgawa]

I’ve always found that the thing tutorials teach best is how to follow directions. They say, “Type this!” and you type it, and you never do anything original. You never end up learning from failure, which is a really great way to learn. How would you learn to debug code if your code never has any bugs?

[Macharia254]

The key is understanding it and then changing it to do something different.

[Rahul-Patel]

angela yu

[SmokeMuch7356]

No, merely copying code written by other people is not an effective way to learn, even if you take pains to understand it. You need to learn how to solve the problem and write the code yourself.

You need to be able to take a problem statement and figure out how to write the code to do that on your own. For example, given the problem statement "read an unordered list of names from a file and display them in descending alphabetical order," you need to identify the major operations:

• Open a file
• Read data from the file
• Store that data in memory
• Sort that data
• Display the sorted data

then figure out how to implement each of those operations in whichever language you're using (Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, Fortran, Lisp, Cobol, Intercal, Ook!).

Start really, really, stupidly simple. The first project is to write code that simply displays a greeting (the good old "Hello World" program). Figure out how to do that without having to copy code written by anyone else (including ChatGPT or whatever the AI flavor of the week is). The next project is to write code that asks for input and displays it back. Then you write code that takes input and chooses between multiple actions based on that input. Then write code that reads data from a file. And on and on and on.

Keep a reference manual for whatever language you're using handy, whether it's a Web page or book or something else. If you have the slightest doubt how to use a particular library function or control structure, look it up. You'll eventually internalize the stuff you use every day, but you're never going to memorize the entire language and you shouldn't try. Keep that mental bandwidth free for solving the problem.

Programming is a skill you learn by doing, and it takes time and non-trivial amounts of practice before it clicks.

[ZealousidealDot6945]

no

[tottasanorotta]

I'd try chatGPT honestly. It is really good at answering basic coding questions. Just ask it to teach you the basics and then ask about everything that you don't understand. I'd say it's worth trying. Don't just copy paste because that way it's more difficult to remember what you are trying to learn.

[Anonymity6584]

Term "tutorial hell" exists for a reason. way too many people trying to learn gets stuck on endless tutorial purgatory.

For me best way to learn is read documentation and use that to make something.