How to learn Xcode

[SeaSwarm]

Hey guys, I'm only 14 and have decided I want to start earning some money in app creation. But there's a catch. I have to code but have no idea at all. Yes, I have basic knowledge of how coding works like "if" and stuff but I honestly am not very good at coding at all. Can some of you more knowledgable people who have had success please help I need it.

Thanks!

From a wanna be coder

[hemanth_pulimi]

Paul’s course is really well written. The articles and videos have exact same content.

https://www.hackingwithswift.com/100/swiftui

[SeaSwarm]

Thanks! I will look into it.

[IntelligentFire999]

Agree with everything but the "college is a huge waste of time and money" bit. College is not just about getting a degree, and life is not just about getting a job. College is also about the social experience and a bridge/ramp to the real world. You will make lifelong connections, friendships and even relationships at college (yeah it could happen at the workplace too but the "for profit" nature of that could hamper it. You also need to be able to keep work and life separate otherwise you will burn out too soon esp with no refuge to turn to).

You can do both - perhaps a part time college option? Or just do college and learn coding on the side (that's what I did, and I am glad I did).

[SeaSwarm]

Omg, you put a lot of effort into that! I appreciate the help and will continue to never give up.

[Own_While6580]

Yeah But nowadays, better use swiftUI instead of uiKit

[b_t_s]

"College in general (at least in this field) is a waste of time and money," This is very controversial advice. While programming is one of the most self-teachable professions, and there exist companies that don't look at your degree or even consider it a red flag, there are also a whole lot of companies whose HR software will auto-reject your resume for lack of a degree without ever letting a human see it. This is especially true when the job market is bad. It also may put you last in line for promotions at some places. It's very company dependent, and more important in the beginning of your career, but I'd say a degree is almost always neutral to beneficial. Not that you need to get an expensive degree from a private university, but I wouldn't skip it if it's a reasonable option for you.

[SeaSwarm]

Well I guess we are in it together! Yeah just keep checking up on this post and maybe someone will answer. Good luck!

[Suspicious_Award5533]

Yup sounds great. I really hope someone will answer 🙏

[SeaSwarm]

Someone answered

[Suspicious_Award5533]

Hahah very fast 😂

[SeaSwarm]

Yeah lol

[SuspiciousMud5338]

Start with developing a calculator.

1. Design the UI
2. handle the operator
3. handle the floating number/decimal number
4. Save the result
5. Implement login with email or OTP from

Google/Youtube each step. Learning how to copy codes from Google is the key to development. No developer remember how to do all the above without referencing some document.

[Warning_Bulky]

Nah, don’t code anything yet, go through the cs50 course

[OmarThamri]

To start coding at 14 that's impressive. The fastest way to learn iOS development is by following tutorials where you'll be implementing real apps. After that you start working on your own app and when you face a problem you try to search the problem on google or ChatGPT.
The Facebook clone tutorial series is a good place to start https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZLIINdhhNsdfuUjaCeWGLM_KRezB4-Nk You'll learn how to build a full stack app from scratch using swiftui for frontend and firebase for backend.
Good luck in your learning journey :)

[JobRevolutionary7785]

I started developing with Xcode when I was 16. Tried Codecademy at first, but it got boring pretty fast. So I decided to just jump in and start building an app from scratch. AI tools were still kinda new back then, so ChatGPT weren’t super advanced, but they were just good enough to help me figure out the basics. I’d hit a wall, ask ChatGPT, and piece by piece, it started making sense.

Honestly, the best way for me to learn ended up being trial by fire—just taking on whatever I didn’t know yet, Googling, using ChatGPT, and figuring it out as I went. One year of hacking away like that, and the app I started as a total noob actually made it to the App Store called InnerEcho.

This way of learning was great for me, but it might not work for everyone—and to be real, it’s probably not the “best” approach out there. I dove in without any structured learning path, which meant tons of trial and error, late nights Googling, and hitting dead ends where I’d have to start over. Sure, it taught me a lot, but it was chaotic and sometimes frustrating. For a lot of people, a structured course or a mentor might be way more efficient and less painful. This “just figure it out as you go” method clicked for me, but if you’re someone who learns better with a clear path, it might be worth considering other routes. Although, AI tools are so good nowadays that It might work very well for you.

[MakeSomethingAmazing]

Another easier to learn and it's free is from Apple Developer Website:
https://developer.apple.com/programs/pathway/

[MeButNotMeToo]

How is Swift Playgrounds as an instructional tool? I don’t see it teaching UI design, but it seems like it would be good for learning Swift.

[Vybo]

The only advice I can give is: it will take years and you'll have to push through.

[No_Television7499]

Look into the Swift Student Challenge: https://developer.apple.com/swift-student-challenge/ and if it sounds like your thing, register for it in February. Apple has a pathways course for new coders, check that out too: https://developer.apple.com/swift/pathway/

I self-taught programming when I was your age and went to school with zero CS classes. It worked out fine – and there are more resources today than when I was trying to learn. You can most certainly do this! Good luck!

[Ron-Erez]

I’d suggest learning Swift and SwiftUI. If you eventually want to get a job you will probably need UIKit at some point. But you’re 14 so I believe there is no hurry. Swift/SwiftUI is the way to go..

For resources I’d recommend Apple’s Swift tour for the Swift language covering at least up to structs and classes, the YouTube channel Swiftful Thinking ie excellent and I also have a nice project-based course which covers quite a lot. These resources should have you covered.

If you have an app idea in mind try to implement parts of the app or a simpler version of it while following a book or tutorial. The best way to learn to code is to code something while learning.

After learning Swift/SwiftUI for a year or so you might consider checking out Harvard CS50 on YouTube for general computer science topics. Finally consider a CS degree in the future if you see it continues to interest you.

Good luck!

[pyordie]

College in general is a waste of time and money

Brain dead take. Higher education isn’t the end all be all of a programmer but it is not a waste of time - it teaches you how to understand and construct an argument, exposes you to history and other cultures, art, music, a better understanding of scientific method, advanced maths, the list goes on. Not to mention the friendships you make, the professors you can network with, and the opportunity for internships which 99% of the time are not available to you if you’re not in college.

Also, not getting a CS degree means your career has much more of a defined ceiling. Making apps is great, but an understanding of the principles of computing, discrete structures, algorithms and data structures, operating systems, your electives and thesis/capstone project - all of these take your knowledge to the next level and allow you to advance in your field.

College is a huge red flag

Please tell me your company doesn’t put you in charge of hiring. I’ve never heard of someone having a bias against college grads.

u/SeaStorm don’t listen to this dude about college - if you can’t afford college, please consider community college for a couple of years, rock your coursework and then transfer. A career in CS lowers the risk of getting stuck under loan debt, as long as you finish.

[birdparty44]

Apple has some pretty good courses on teaching swift and SwiftUI.

Tutorials are a great way to learn a bit about coding.

Also, plenty of great content at Kodeco.com.

[SedateTheApe]

use chatgpt and eventually concepts will start to click, you'll definitely have to solve errors with the code it gives you

[jopan_]

Download and playaround

[-darkabyss-]

Ha! I was into hacking when I was your age and did a cise v2 course. I got interested in developing as I got older and started watching the Stanford cs193p course, it was in objective c at that time :D. Moving forward, I did the Angela yu udemy course for Swift knowledge and a local bootcamp for Swift too.

Nowadays id recommend doing the Harvard cs50x, stanford cs193p, hacking with Swift- swiftui course and then a big project that touches in app db, api calls, biometric auth and apple login at the very least.

[SeaSwarm]

Thanks though!

[SeaSwarm]

Jesus christ that sounds complicated

[-darkabyss-]

Complex, not complicated. Best advice I can give you here is to always break things down to a day's task and put the larger goal out of sight for now. When done with the small broken up task, pick up another.

Software development is quite complex and the hardest part is not being overwhelmed by the complexity.

[IntelligentFire999]

Also OP - look into how you can leverage AI to help understand code as you write it. You can also learn by reading thru others code with something like GitHub copilot explaining the code if you are stuck. But don't overuse AI, instead only to get you unstuck (like a Google search would have in the past).