Are you a student who is looking to make it big in the coding community? You must have heard horror stories of how difficult it is to do so. Let me clear the myth and tell you that it’s not. At the same time, it’s not something you can achieve overnight. All it requires is perseverance, passion and patience on your part. There are many resources available both online and offline that will help you make your journey smoother.

But first, what does a computer programmer exactly do?

A programmer is someone who writes code in a programming language that gives the computer or any other device instructions pertaining to the task at hand. Simply put, a programmer commands a machine through its language.

So now I hope you have a clear understanding of the role of a computer programmer. If you find this career interesting and are looking to pursue it, here are the top 5 tips that will definitely help you-

Clearing Your Basics

One of the common mistakes that students often make is to skip that first chapter or first lesson. Herein, the basics of programming such as syntax, variable and data structures are taught. They may seem a bit dull at first but until and unless your basics are absolutely clear, you will not be able to do advanced programming. Students who get their basics right and do not rush through it, tend to do better later on.

Practice Till Perfection

Sometimes what beginners do is read up a lot on programming without ever practicing a single code. That is not how the practical world works. Only if you are practicing it everyday, will you get better at it. Otherwise anyone could mug up textbooks. When you practice writing the code, you get to play around with it, modify it and optimize it for better results. Never be afraid to experiment with different solutions. These will help you develop skills that will help you stand out in the job market.

Write Good and Understandable Code

When you are writing codes, keeping it short is important. Avoid getting into unnecessarily complex codes and replace them with short, logical and simple ones. Prioritize quality over quantity. You will be less likely to make mistakes and debugging your code would be much simpler. You will save a lot of time if you learn how to use a debugger or similar tools to rectify errors. The sooner you learn to use debugger and write logical code, the faster you’ll learn.

Share, Ask and Learn

Sharing your knowledge and discussing things with other programmers will help in honing your own skills. Don’t feel shy to share or ask your programming related queries. Even the experts in this field were once in the same shoes that you are in. When you are stuck on an immovable bug, sometimes all that’s needed is a fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective. Explore and contribute in popular online discussion forums such as GitHub.

Take Help From Online Resources

Don’t just stay confined to the resources provided by your course or class. Open the web and explore. There are tons of free resources out there related to programming and coding. You will always find a tutorial, blog or other study material related to what you were looking for. You can always look up platforms such as YouTube, Coursera and Udemy for both paid and unpaid resources. Many successful coders have taught themselves just by using the internet.

Remember that the key is to remain confident and optimistic. Coding can get challenging at times but with some experience and a logical bent of mind, you can overcome all hurdles. The 21st century we live in witnesses a lot of new frameworks and APIs each day but what remains constant is the concrete base of coding which you need to master. So, what are you waiting for? Go out there and enroll in a programming course of your choice! The job market for coders is hot right now and with the right set of skills, you can get your dream job.