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Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - Kalvaxas - Mar 24, 2024

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Representing Blacklisted and COINED

Good Evening, HF!


I've got some tools and tips that I'd like to mention and/or talk about. These tools and tips are aimed at aspiring programmers and people that have either very little experience, or just don't know where to start. These tips and tools are meant to synergize with a couple threads I have previously created, which I'll link accordingly throughout this thread. Until then, let's get started with some tools that you'll need!



Text Editor:


You absolutely need to have a good text editor to write your code in. Start with something simple like Notepad++ or Sublime Text. They're lightweight and easy to use. The reason to start with a lightweight text editor is simple. When you start learning how to code, you'll only be using one file. Full on integrated development environments can be very confusing because it has a bunch of already made files, and a plethora of options to customize the IDE right down to the very hair of how you want it. This is all fine and dandy, but isn't needed for newbies. It'll probably only scare you away. Which brings me to..

Integrated Development Environment (IDE):


As you progress, you might want to step up your game with an IDE like Visual Studio Code or JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA. They come packed with features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and debugging tools. As I previously mentioned, most of these IDEs will have pre-made files already created for you to make the process much more seamless. Visual Studio Code I've personally adapted to much quicker than I thought I initially would. Plug-ins are absolutely necessary for VSC though. I'll talk briefly about those, later on. Which reminds me. You're going to need a place to share your files as well as keep track of edits that you make, as well as edits that your team makes. Which brings me to..

Version Control System (VCS):


Git is your best buddy here. It helps you keep track of changes in your code and collaborate with others efficiently. You'll need to get familiar with commands like commit, push, and pull. There's a lot that you can do with Git, but I won't talk much about this here, as this is just meant for general tips and tools. This next step might be your easiest step yet..

Web Browser:


You can't develop for the web without a browser! Chrome, Firefox, or Safari - take your pick. They'll be your testing ground for web applications. IDEs have a built in browser window that you can utilize as well, but you'll definitely need a main-stream browser to test out web apps, plug-ins, APIs, and more. This next step is super important as it will save you loads of time and headache, even though it may seem daunting at first..

Command Line Interface (CLI):


Don't be afraid of the command line, it's your friend! Learn basic commands for navigating directories, creating files, and running scripts. Start with the default terminal on your OS. If you're running Windows, then sooner or later, you're going to be using Windows Sub-System for Linux. Git also has something very much like this called Git Bash. As I said previously, the command line is super important, and a developers best friend. Once you learn how to use the command line properly and navigation... Programming will become so much more efficient for you. Which, in order to learn how to use the command line, this brings me to..

Documentation Resources:


Stack Overflow, MDN Web Docs, and W3Schools are your go-to places when you get stuck. Bookmark them, and don't hesitate to search for answers to your coding issues/errors. Believe it or not, a programmer spends a majority of their day troubleshooting. One of the most valuable skills you'll ever learn as a developer, is to become efficient in the art of Google Fu. I know what you may be thinking, and no.. It isn't frowned upon to google search any issues you may have, as well as finding the solution. Stack Overflow is the best for this, and is the go to for all developers. ChatGPT is okay to use, but all that's going to do is give your senior developer a headache. Trust me. Which brings me to..

Online Learning Platforms:


Platforms like Codecademy, Udemy (warez disallowed), and Coursera offer tons of courses to help you level up your skills. Take advantage of them to learn new languages and frameworks. freeCodeCamp is how I personally started learning Python. Udemy (warez disallowed) also has tons of course, and usually a lot of sales. You can get an entire course for as low as like 5-10 bucks. This is an unbeatable deal, and will usually give you a chance to start building your programming portfolio.. Which is the single most important key to have in your arsenal when applying for software engineering jobs. Believe it or not, a college degree is virtual meaningless. Your portfolio will do all of the speaking for you. Which reminds me... You'll always see companies posting college degrees as a requirement to apply. It's because they don't want a whole bunch of scrubs flooding them with applications. A degree isn't needed though.

Community:


Join online forums, subreddits, and Discord servers where programmers hang out. You'll learn a lot from discussions, sharing experiences, and asking for help. You should also be able to find areas where you can do pair programming. Pair programming is a crucial skill to have in your repertoire, as that'll essentially be what you're doing for your entire software engineering career, unless you do freelance work only.


This is one of my threads I mentioned earlier that synergizes very well with the core purpose of this thread.


Which programming language should you learn first?


This is the other thread that I mentioned, that synergizes very well with the core purpose of this thread.


Mindset and preparation for the programming lifestyle
☝️☝️☝️
This thread in particular, costs 10 bytes to unlock, just so you know before you click the link. It's because it's an eBook I created that took a really long time to make, and a lot of effort to make it look good.

RE: Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - Komodo - Mar 24, 2024

Looks good, everything is super clean.
Idk shit about programming but I’ve always been curious and this is a start.

Thanks for the HQ thread.

RE: Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - Kalvaxas - Mar 24, 2024

(Mar 24, 2024 07:27 PM)Komodo Wrote:  Looks good, everything is super clean.
Idk shit about programming but I’ve always been curious and this is a start.

Thanks for the HQ thread.

Thanks! I'm pretty sure I spent more time working on the layout than I did writing. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but certainly didn't feel like one. Lol

RE: Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - Komodo - Mar 24, 2024

(Mar 24, 2024 07:31 PM)Kalvaxas Wrote:  Thanks! I'm pretty sure I spent more time working on the layout than I did writing. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but certainly didn't feel like one. Lol

Trust me, from a guy that has made a ton of threads I get it.

The amount of times I’ve had to rewrite everything because I thought it looked like shit.

Yours looks great

RE: Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - Kalvaxas - Mar 24, 2024

(Mar 24, 2024 07:38 PM)Komodo Wrote:  Trust me, from a guy that has made a ton of threads I get it.

The amount of times I’ve had to rewrite everything because I thought it looked like shit.

Yours looks great

Much appreciated. If it weren't for drag and drop, I would have re-wrote the whole thing. I was able to drag and drop between bb code, but it still took forever. I'm also too picky for my own good, so there's that. It's nice to see it all come together in the end though. So satisfying.

RE: Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - newQuery - Mar 25, 2024

Please quote Github Copilot, this is a must have for any new developer as it is a tool you must learn to use at your advantage and will for sure be a requirement in most job positions

RE: Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - GenericSkid - Mar 25, 2024

Quote:You can get an entire course for as low as like 5-10 bucks. This is an unbeatable deal
Sure you can. Most of these courses are rehashes of public information. Especially the stuff aimed at beginners.

Quote:Believe it or not, a college degree is virtual meaningless.
Skill wise, ok. You can learn everything outside of college easily. Problem is a lot of higher paying jobs (gov contracting for instance) requires a degree, even some entry level positions.

Quote:Please quote Github Copilot, this is a must have for any new developer as it is a tool you must learn to use at your advantage and will for sure be a requirement in most job positions
If copilot is a "must have" for you, then you are low value. Nothing wrong with that, every experienced developer starts out knowing nothing.

But if its required for a job position, RUN. Only a retard would require you to use AI generated slop code. If those in charge hail the slop machine as a savior tool, they are not good leaders.

Quote:Mindset and preparation for the programming lifestyle
Just play Factorio lol. When you start to understand how you go from thrown together garbage to large scale operation (that isn't an unintelligible mess) you should have the ability to plan architecture ahead of time. A key thing for creating new programming projects.

RE: Must Read Advice And Tools For New Programmers - Kalvaxas - Mar 25, 2024

(Mar 25, 2024 12:51 PM)GenericSkid Wrote:  Sure you can. Most of these courses are rehashes of public information. Especially the stuff aimed at beginners.
In all fairness, everything you learn in schools, universities, online courses, boot camps, etc are all rehashed information that you can publicly find. The big difference is how that information is presented to you. Example, two teachers can teach the exact same syllabus, with the exact same group of kids, but if one teacher sucks with how they present that information, than the kids aren't going to learn as well as what they do with the teacher that presents the information in a way that the kids can follow along with really well. The problem today is people learning programming depend on tutorials to learn instead of actually dissecting public code and learning for themselves. Then they get stuck in tutorial hell. Not great. A good professor will help you avoid this.

Quote:Skill wise, ok. You can learn everything outside of college easily. Problem is a lot of higher paying jobs (gov contracting for instance) requires a degree, even some entry level positions.
On Indeed, LinkedIn, and even the government sites, yes. They all have a degree listed, or equivalent skills. If you ask any recruiter, they'll tell you that the only reason they add a degree on their recruiting site, is because they have to. Nobody is going to hire you just because you have a degree. What's even more so is, college degrees are 100% useless in the programming field. Even the computer science field. Everything you learn in college used to be relevant at some point, but is now outdated and unusable for the most part. This is because colleges are accredited and it takes 5 whole years to get a curriculum change approved. By then, that information is out of date. That's why recruiters don't care about a degree if you have the portfolio to back up your application.