discussion Learning how to code

[hanini]

Heyy recently I've been wanting to learn how to code since i feel like learning more about tech and computers is a must these days. I did make a few html pages on neocities in the past but i would like to learn something more complex. After looking around, i landed on learning python as my first language.

do you guys have any tips or ideas of small projects for a complete beginner like me ;-;


also, on an unrelated note, i draw a lot and recently I've been into pixel art a lot recently. I have a game engine for pixel games and would love to make a pixel game. The engine doesn't require coding but I'm sure that for the future coding will be a great improvement.

sorry for my english i am not an english speaker `=`

 

[Paradigminant]

Heyy recently I've been wanting to learn how to code since i feel like learning more about tech and computers is a must these days. I did make a few html pages on neocities in the past but i would like to learn something more complex. After looking around, i landed on learning python as my first language.

do you guys have any tips or ideas of small projects for a complete beginner like me ;-;


also, on an unrelated note, i draw a lot and recently I've been into pixel art a lot recently. I have a game engine for pixel games and would love to make a pixel game. The engine doesn't require coding but I'm sure that for the future coding will be a great improvement.

sorry for my english i am not an english speaker `=`

Until you mentioned it, I never would've thought you weren't a native speaker. And once I knew, I still couldn't find anything that stood out as strange.

 

[hanini]

Until you mentioned it, I never would've thought you weren't a native speaker. And once I knew, I still couldn't find anything that stood out as strange.

haha thx, it's just that i feel like some of my sentences might be a bit awkward to read.
I did have english classes at school but i mostly learnt english by playing online video games growing up.

 

[Paradigminant]

haha thx, it's just that i feel like some of my sentences might be a bit awkward to read.
I did have english classes at school but i mostly learnt english by playing online video games growing up.

Well those games did the job lol

 

[hanini]

Well those games did the job lol

amen. I remember have google translate always open on a tab and having to exit games to translate what people were saying to me. It took forever to do but it payed off haha.
I've always wanted to learn german too and i did take a class for it but i've had trouble finding a way for me to keep practicing or to end up doing something similar as back when i learnt english.

 

[Paradigminant]

amen. I remember have google translate always open on a tab and having to exit games to translate what people were saying to me. It took forever to do but it payed off haha.
I've always wanted to learn german too and i did take a class for it but i've had trouble finding a way for me to keep practicing or to end up doing something similar as back when i learnt english.

It's just generally harder to add things to your life as you get older and have more responsibilities. But I wish you luck in your pursuits!

 

[atlas.000.000.]

Python and C++ in my opinion are good versatile languages to know. I'm new to coding, learning python now. It really depends on the purpose of your code though.

 

[Hazbo]

If you have no idea what you want to build in Python but still want to learn it, I would check out sites like FreeCodeCamp, CodeSignal, or any others similar to them. I'll talk about these two, as those are the ones that I've been personally using.

With CodeSignal, there's a variety of different courses with their own little sub-courses going over a wide variety of things relating to a certain programming language, including both the basics and more niche topics; however, you're limited to only 5 code checks per day, unless you buy their subscription. If you get stuck, you have to ask the AI, which also uses up one of your 5 checks, and the AI doesn't always give the best answer. In terms of he structure, there's usually a theory portion at the beginning of each section of about 5-6 coding exercises, where you'll usually just be coding or fixing little bits of code based on the theory portion

With FreeCodeCamp, it's just one main course, but it's split into smaller sub-courses. Also, as the name somewhat implies, it's free to use, and you can do as much or as little as you want in a day. If you need help, there's a forum on the site where you can ask people for help. In terms of the structure, there are theory sections where you learn about concepts and then answer questions about what you just read, workshops where you walk through building something step by step, labs where you build something based on a given set of parameters, and certification projects, which are basically just more advanced labs.

Personally, I would recommend FreeCodeCamp, given that it has no limits, the learning curve on things is a bit easier, the way things are structured is better, and you can ask real people for help if you're stuck instead of an AI that might run you in circles. Also, while you need an account to access CodeSignal, you don't need one to start with FreeCodeCamp, and you only need to create one if you want to track your progress and post in the forum for help. Building projects on either site could also give you inspiration for your own projects.

 

[Muskratato]

If you have no idea what you want to build in Python but still want to learn it, I would check out sites like FreeCodeCamp, CodeSignal, or any others similar to them. I'll talk about these two, as those are the ones that I've been personally using.

With CodeSignal, there's a variety of different courses with their own little sub-courses going over a wide variety of things relating to a certain programming language, including both the basics and more niche topics; however, you're limited to only 5 code checks per day, unless you buy their subscription. If you get stuck, you have to ask the AI, which also uses up one of your 5 checks, and the AI doesn't always give the best answer. In terms of he structure, there's usually a theory portion at the beginning of each section of about 5-6 coding exercises, where you'll usually just be coding or fixing little bits of code based on the theory portion

With FreeCodeCamp, it's just one main course, but it's split into smaller sub-courses. Also, as the name somewhat implies, it's free to use, and you can do as much or as little as you want in a day. If you need help, there's a forum on the site where you can ask people for help. In terms of the structure, there are theory sections where you learn about concepts and then answer questions about what you just read, workshops where you walk through building something step by step, labs where you build something based on a given set of parameters, and certification projects, which are basically just more advanced labs.

Personally, I would recommend FreeCodeCamp, given that it has no limits, the learning curve on things is a bit easier, the way things are structured is better, and you can ask real people for help if you're stuck instead of an AI that might run you in circles. Also, while you need an account to access CodeSignal, you don't need one to start with FreeCodeCamp, and you only need to create one if you want to track your progress and post in the forum for help. Building projects on either site could also give you inspiration for your own projects.

-I can second FreeCodeCamp. It's great. Especially with their rework.

 

[larlarlar]

when i intially learned to code python i used codecademy, though i cant vouch for the quality as its a lot of years since i used it. I think its just a matter of getting the basics leared. Use AI as little as possible to learn as much as possible. If you are stuck ask AI the question like you would ask a TA in university or teacher in scool, and try to avoid having it give you the solution.

 

[Thalyon]

I mainly learned through youtube and by getting help from other people in coding forums whenever I get stuck in a problem.

Do some small basic coding exercises and then try to do a fun project. Maybe try doing a text based game. One of the ones I did when I was learning was a text based trading game. You can also do text based adventure games, or simple text rpg's. You could probably try recreating real turn based games too like chess or checkers.

Don't give up, have fun while you learn. You're gonna want to learn more languages eventually based on the needs of whatever project you make (You might want to check out different programming paradigms) . Also, it becomes significantly easier to learn a new language after your first.