What is Programming?

A
Handbook for Beginners
Estefania Cassingena Navone
Welcome to the amazing world of
programming. This is one of the most
useful and powerful skills that you can learn
and use to make your visions come true.
 In this handbook, we will dive into why programming is
important, its applications, its basic concepts, and the
skills you need to become a successful programmer.

You will learn:

 What programming is and why it is important.
 What a programming language is and why it is
important.
 How programming is related to binary numbers.
 Real-world applications of programming.
 Skills you need to succeed as a programmer.
 Tips for learning how to code.
 Basic programming concepts.
 Types of programming languages.
 How to contribute to open source projects.
 And more...
Are you ready? Let's begin! ✨

🔹 What is Programming?
Programming is essential for our everyday lives.
Did you know that computer programming is already a
fundamental part of your everyday lives? Let's see why.
I'm sure that you will be greatly surprised.
Every time you turn on your smartphone, laptop, tablet,
smart TV, or any other electronic device, you are
running code that was planned, developed, and written
by developers. This code creates the final and
interactive result that you can see on your screen.

That is exactly what programming is all about. It is the

process of writing code to solve a particular problem or
to implement a particular task.
Programming is what allows your computer to run the
programs you use every day and your smartphone to
run the apps that you love. It is an essential part of our
world as we know it.

Whenever you check your calendar, attend virtual

conferences, browse the web, or edit a document, you
are using code that has been written by developers.
"And what is code?" you may ask.

Code is a sequence of instructions that a programmer

writes to tell a device (like a computer) what to do.
The device cannot know by itself how to handle a
particular situation or how to perform a task. So
developers are in charge of analyzing the situation and
writing explicit instructions to implement what is
needed.

To do this, they follow a particular syntax (a set of rules

for writing the code).

A developer (or programmer) is the person who

analyzes a problem and implements a solution in code.
Sounds amazing, right? It's very powerful and you can
be part this wonderful world too by learning how to
code. Let's see how.
You, as a developer.
Let's put you in a developer's shoes for a moment.
Imagine that you are developing a mobile app, like the
ones that you probably have installed on your
smartphone right now.

What is the first thing that you would do?

Think about this for a moment.

The answer is...

Analyzing the problem. What are you trying to build?

As a developer, you would start by designing the layout

of the app, how it will work, its different screens and
functionality, and all the small details that will make
your app an awesome tool for users around the world.

Only after you have everything carefully planned out,

you can start to write your code. To do that, you will
need to choose a programming language to work
with. Let's see what a programming language is and
why they are super important.
🔸 What is a Programing Language?
Logos of popular programming languages.
A programming language is a language that
computers can understand.
We cannot just write English words in our program like
this:
"Computer, solve this task!"
and hope that our computer can understand what we
mean. We need to follow certain rules to write the
instructions.

Every programming language has its own set of rules

that determine if a line of code is valid or not. Because
of this, the code you write in one programming
language will be slightly different from others.

💡 Tip: Some programming languages are more complex

than others but most of them share core concepts and
functionality. If you learn how to code in one
programming language, you will likely be able to learn
another one faster.
Before you can start writing awesome programs and
apps, you need to learn the basic rules of the
programming language you chose for the task.

💡 Tip: a program is a set of instructions written in a

programming language for the computer to execute.
We usually write the code for our program in one or
multiple files.
For example, this is a line of code in Python (a very
popular programming language) that shows the
message "Hello, World!":
print("Hello, World!")
But if we write the same line of code in JavaScript (a
programming language mainly used for web
development), we will get an error because it will not be
valid.
To do something very similar in JavaScript, we would
write this line of code instead:

console.log("Hello, World!");
Visually, they look very different, right? This is because
Python and JavaScript have a different syntax and a
different set of built-in functions.
💡 Tip: built-in functions are basically tasks that are
already defined in the programming language. This lets
us use them directly in our code by writing their names
and by specifying the values they need.
In our examples, **print()** is a built-in function in
Python while **console.log()** is a function that we can
use in JavaScript to see the message in the console (an
interactive tool) if we run our code in the browser.
Examples of programming languages include Python,
JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C, C#, C++, PHP, Go, Swift,
SQL, and R. There are many programming languages
and most of them can be used for many different
purposes.

💡 Tip: These were the most popular programming

languages on the Stack Overflow Developer Survey
2022:
The 14 most popular programming languages among
all respondents of the StackOverflow Developer Survey
2022. It's a yearly survey that collects information
about popular technologies and trends in the developer
community.
There are many other programming languages
(hundreds or even thousands!) but usually, you will
learn and work with some of the most popular ones.
Some of them have broader applications like Python
and JavaScript while others (like R) have more specific
(and even scientific) purposes.

This sounds very interesting, right? And we are only

starting to talk about programming languages. There is
a lot to learn about them and I promise you that if you
dive deeper into programming, your time and effort will
be totally worth it.

Awesome! Now that you know what programming is

and what programming languages are all about, let's
see how programming is related to binary numbers.

🔹 Programming and Binary Numbers

When you think about programming, perhaps the first
thing that comes to your mind is something like the
below image, right? A sequence of 0s and 1s on your
computer.
Binary numbers are 0 and 1.
Programming is indeed related to binary numbers
( 0 and 1) but in an indirect way. Developers do not
actually write their code using zeros and ones.
 We usually write programs in a high-level programming
language, a programming language with a syntax that
recognizes specific words (called keywords), symbols,
and values of different data types.

Basically, we write code in a way that humans can

understand.

For example, these are the keywords that we can use in

Python:

False class from or

None continue global pass
True def if raise
and del import return
as elif in try
assert else is while
async except lambda with
await finally nonlocal yield
break for not
Every programming language has its own set of
keywords (words written in English). These keywords
are part of the syntax and core functionality of the
programming language.

But keywords are just common words in English, almost

like the ones that we would find in a book.

That leads us to two very important questions:

 How does the computer understand and interpret what

we are trying to say?
 Where does the binary number system come into play
here?
The computer does not understand these words,
symbols, or values directly.
When a program runs, the code that we write in a high-
level programming language that humans can
understand is automatically transformed into binary
code that the computer can understand.
Process of transforming a program into binary code.
This transformation of source code that humans can
understand into binary code that the computer can
understand is called compilation.
According to Britannica, a compiler is defined as:
Computer software that translates (compiles) source
code written in a high-level language (e.g., C++) into a
set of machine-language instructions that can be
understood by a digital computer’s CPU.
Britannica also mentions that:

The term compiler was coined by American computer

scientist Grace Hopper, who designed one of the first
compilers in the early 1950s.
Some programming languages can be classified
as compiled programming languages while others can
be classified as interpreted programming languages
based on how to they are transformed into machine-
language instructions.
However, they all have to go through a process that
converts them into instructions that the computer can
understand.

Awesome. Now you know why binary code is so

important for computer science. Without it, basically
programming would not exist because computers would
not be able to understand our instructions.

Now let's dive into the applications of programming and

the different areas that you can explore.

🔸 Real-World Applications of Programming

Programming has many real-world applications in
basically every industry that you can imagine.
Programming has many different applications in many
different industries. This is truly amazing because you
can apply your knowledge in virtually any industry that
you are interested in.

From engineering to farming, from game development

to physics, the possibilities are endless if you learn how
to code.

Let's see some of them. (I promise you. They are

amazing! ⭐) .

Front-End Web Development

Front-End Web Developers develop the parts of
websites and web applications that users can see and
interact with.
If you learn how to code, you can use your
programming skills to design and develop websites and
online platforms. Front-End Web Developers create the
parts of the websites that users can see and interact
with directly.

For example, right now you are reading an article

on freeCodeCamp's publication. The publication looks
like this and it works like this thanks to code that front-
end web developers wrote line by line.
💡 Tip: If you learn front-end web development, you can
do this too.
 The HTML and CSS code for freeCodeCamp's Home
Page (This is a preview of the code in Chrome
Developer Tools).
Front-End Web Developers use HTML and CSS to create
the structure of the website (these are markup
languages, which are used to present information) and
they write JavaScript code to add functionality and
interactivity.

If you are interested in learning front-end web

development, you can learn HTML and CSS with these
free courses on freeCodeCamp's YouTube Channel:

 Learn HTML5 and CSS3 From Scratch - Full Course

 Learn HTML & CSS – Full Course for Beginners
 Frontend Web Development Bootcamp Course
(JavaScript, HTML, CSS)
 Introduction To Responsive Web Design - HTML & CSS
Tutorial
You can also learn JavaScript for free with these free
online courses:

 Learn JavaScript - Full Course for Beginners

 JavaScript Programming - Full Course
 JavaScript DOM Manipulation – Full Course for Beginners
 Learn JavaScript by Building 7 Games - Full Course
💡 Tip: You can also earn a Responsive Web Design
Certification while you learn with interactive exercises
on freeCodeCamp.
Back-End Web Development
Back-End Web Developers develop servers and
databases to handle everything that runs behind the
scenes to make more complex web applications work
correctly.
More complex and dynamic web applications that work
with user data also require a server. This is a computer
program that receives requests and sends appropriate
responses. They also need a database, a collection of
values stored in a structured way.
Back-End Web Developers are in charge of developing
the code for these servers. They decide how to handle
the different requests, how to send appropriate
resources, how to store the information, and basically
how to make everything that runs behind the scenes
work smoothly and efficiently.

A real-world example of back-end web development is

what happens when you create an account on
freeCodeCamp and complete a challenge. Your
information is stored on a database and you can access
it later when you sign in with your email and password.
 A freeCodeCamp interactive challenge.
This amazing interactive functionality was implemented
by back-end web developers.

💡 Tip: Full-stack Web Developers are in charge of both

Front-End and Back-End Web Development. They have
specialized knowledge on both areas.
All the complex platforms that you use every day, like
social media platforms, online shopping platforms, and
educational platforms, use servers and back-end web
development to power their amazing functionality.

Python is an example of a powerful programming

language used for this purpose. This is one of the most
popular programming languages out there, and its
popularity continues to rise every year. This is partly
because it is simple and easy to learn and yet powerful
and versatile enough to be used in real-world
applications.

💡 Tip: if you are curious about the specific applications

of Python, this is an article I wrote on this topic.
JavaScript can also be used for back-end web
development thanks to Node.js.

Other programming languages used to develop web

servers are PHP, Ruby, C#, and Java.

If you would like to learn Back-End Web Development,

these are free courses on freeCodeCamp's YouTube
channel:

 Python Backend Web Development Course (with

Django)
 Node.js and Express.js - Full Course
 Full Stack Web Development for Beginners (Full Course
on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, MongoDB)
 Node.js / Express Course - Build 4 Projects
💡 Tip: freeCodeCamp also has a free Back End
Development and APIs certification.
Mobile App Development
Mobile app developers design and develop the mobile
apps we use every day.
Mobile apps have become part of our everyday lives.
I'm sure that you could not imagine life without them.
Think about your favorite mobile app. What do you love
about it?

Our favorite apps help us with our daily tasks, they

entertain us, they solve a problem, and they help us to
achieve our goals. They are always there for us.

That is the power of mobile apps and you can be part of

this amazing world too if you learn mobile app
development.

Developers focused on mobile app development are in

charge of planning, designing, and developing the user
interface and functionality of these apps. They identify
a gap in the existing apps and they try to create a
working product to make people's lives better.

💡 Tip: regardless of the field you choose, your goal as a

developer should always be making people's lives
better. Apps are not just apps, they have the potential
to change our lives. You should always remember this
when you are planning your projects. Your code can
make someone's life better and that is a very important
responsibility.
Mobile app developers use programming languages like
JavaScript, Java, Swift, Kotlin, and Dart. Frameworks
like Flutter and React Native are super helpful to build
cross-platform mobile apps (that is, apps that run
smoothly on multiple different operating systems like
Android and iOS).
According to Flutter's official documentation:
Flutter is an open source framework by Google for
building beautiful, natively compiled, multi-platform
applications from a single codebase.
 If you would like to learn mobile app development,
these are free courses that you can take on
freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel:

 Flutter Course for Beginners – 37-hour Cross Platform

App Development Tutorial
 Flutter Course - Full Tutorial for Beginners (Build iOS
and Android Apps)
 React Native - Intro Course for Beginners
 Learn React Native Gestures and Animations - Tutorial
Game Development
Games create long-lasting memories. I'm sure that you
still remember your favorite games and why you love
(or loved) them so much. Being a game developer
 means having the opportunity of bringing joy and
entertainment to players around the world.

Game developers envision, design, plan, and implement

the functionality of a game. They also need to find or
create assets such as characters, obstacles,
backgrounds, music, sound effects, and more.

💡 Tip: if you learn how to code, you can create your

own games. Imagine creating an awesome and
engaging game that users around the world will love.
That is what I personally love about programming. You
only need your computer, your knowledge, and some
basic tools to create something amazing.
Popular programming languages used for game
development include JavaScript, C++, Python, and C#.

If you are interested in learning game development,

you can take these free courses on freeCodeCamp's
YouTube channel:

 JavaScript Game Development Course for Beginners

 Learn JavaScript by Building 7 Games - Full Course
 Learn Unity - Beginner's Game Development Tutorial
 Learn Python by Building Five Games - Full Course
 Code a 2D Game Using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS (w/
Free Game Assets) – Tutorial
 2D Game Development with GDevelop - Crash Course
 Pokémon Coding Tutorial - CS50's Intro to Game
Development
Biology, Physics, and Chemistry
Programming can be applied in every scientific field
that you can imagine, including biology, physics,
chemistry, and even astronomy. Yes! Scientists use
 programming all the time to collect and analyze data.
They can even run simulations to test hypotheses.

Biology
In biology, computer programs can simulate population
genetics and population dynamics. There is even an
entire field called bioinformatics.
According to this article.) "Bioinformatics" by Ardeshir
Bayat, member of the Centre for Integrated Genomic
Medical Research at the University of Manchester:
Bioinformatics is defined as the application of tools of
computation and analysis to the capture and
interpretation of biological data.
Dr. Bayat mentions that bioinformatics can be used for
genome sequencing. He also mentions that its
discoveries may lead to drug discoveries and
individualized therapies.

Frequently used programming languages for

bioinformatics include Python, R, PHP, PERL, and Java.

💡 Tip: R is a programming "language and environment

for statistical computing and graphics" (source).
An example of a great tool that scientists can use for
biology is Biopython. This is a Python framework with
"freely available tools for biological computation."
If you would like to learn more about how you can apply
your programming skills in science, these are free
courses that you can take on freeCodeCamp's YouTube
channel:

 Python for Bioinformatics - Drug Discovery Using

Machine Learning and Data Analysis
 R Programming Tutorial - Learn the Basics of Statistical
Computing
 Learn Python - Full Course for Beginners [Tutorial]
Physics
Physics requires running many simulations and
programming is perfect for doing exactly that. With
programming, scientists can program and run
simulations based on specific scenarios that would be
hard to replicate in real life. This is much more efficient.

Programming languages that are commonly used for

physics simulations include C, Java, Python, MATLAB,
and JavaScript.

Chemistry
Chemistry also relies on simulations and data analysis,
so it's a field where programming can be a very helpful
tool.

In this scientific article by Dr. Ivar Ugi and his

colleagues from Organisch-chemisches Institut der
Technischen Universität München, they mention that:
The design of entirely new syntheses, and the
classification and documentation of structures,
substructures, and reactons are examples of new
applications of computers to chemistry.
Scientific experiments also generate detailed data and
results that can be analyzed with computer programs
developed by scientists.

Think about it: writing a program to generate a box plot

or a scatter plot or any other type of plot to visualize
trends in thousands of measurements can save
researchers a lot of time and effort. This lets them focus
on the most important part of their work: analyzing the
results.

Example of data visualizations that you can create

with Seaborn, a Python data visualization library. This is
be very helpful to analyze data, right?
💡 Tips: if you are interested in diving deeper into this,
this is a list of chemistry simulations by the American
Chemical Society. These simulations were programmed
by developers and they are helping thousands of
students and teachers around the world.
Think about it...You could build the next great
simulation. If you are interested in a scientific field, I
totally recommend learning how to code. Your work will
be much more productive and your results will be easier
to analyze.
 If you are interested in learning programming for
scientific applications, these are free courses on
freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel:

 Python for Bioinformatics - Drug Discovery Using

Machine Learning and Data Analysis
 Python for Data Science - Course for Beginners (Learn
Python, Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib)
Data Science and Engineering
Talking about data...programming is also essential for a
field called Data Science. If you are interested in
answering questions through data and statistics, this
field might be exactly what you are looking for and
having programming skills will help you to achieve your
goals.
Data scientists collect and analyze data in order to
answer questions in many different fields. According to
UC Berkeley in the article "What is Data Science?":
Effective data scientists are able to identify relevant
questions, collect data from a multitude of different
data sources, organize the information, translate results
into solutions, and communicate their findings in a way
that positively affects business decisions.
There are many powerful programming languages for
analyzing and visualizing data, but perhaps one of the
most frequently used ones for this purpose is Python.

This is an example of the type of data visualizations

that you can create with Python. They are very helpful
to analyze data visually and you can customize them to
your fit needs.
 Sample data visualizations from the
[Seaborn](https://matplotlib.org/">Matplotlib and <a
href="https://seaborn.pydata.org/examples/index.html)
galleries
If you are interested in learning programming for data
science, these are free courses on freeCodeCamp's
YouTube channel:

 Learn Data Science Tutorial - Full Course for Beginners

 Intro to Data Science - Crash Course for Beginners
 Python for Data Science - Course for Beginners (Learn
Python, Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib)
 Build 12 Data Science Apps with Python and Streamlit -
Full Course
 Data Analysis with Python - Full Course for Beginners
(Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn)
💡 Tip: you can also earn these free certifications on
freeCodeCamp:
 Data Visualization
 Data Analysis with Python
Engineering
Engineering is another field where programming can
help you to succeed. Being able to write your own
computer programs can make your work much more
efficient.

There are many tools created specifically for engineers.

For example, the R programming language is
specialized in statistical applications and Python is very
popular in this field too.

Another great tool for programming in engineering

is MATLAB. According to its official website:
MATLAB is a programming and numeric computing
platform used by millions of engineers and scientists to
analyze data, develop algorithms, and create models.
Really, the possibilities are endless.

You can learn MATLAB with this crash course on the

freeCodeCamp YouTube channel.
If you are interested in learning engineering tools
related to programming, this is a free course on
freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel that covers AutoCAD,
 a 2D and 3D computer-aided design software used by
engineers:

 AutoCAD for Beginners - Full University Course

Medicine and Pharmacology
Programming has helped scientists to develop new
medical techniques and devices.
Medicine and pharmacology are constantly evolving by
finding new treatments and procedures. Let's see how
you can apply your programming skills in these fields.
Medicine
Programming is really everywhere. If you are interested
in the field of medicine, learning how to code can be
very helpful for you too. Even if you would like to focus
on computer science and software development, you
can apply your knowledge in both fields.

Specialized developers are in charge of developing and

writing the code that powers and controls the devices
and machines that are used by modern medicine.

Think about it...all these machines and devices are

controlled by software and someone has to write that
software. Medical records are also stored and tracked
by specialized systems created by developers. That
could be you if you decide to follow this path. Sounds
exciting, right?

According to the scientific article Application of

Computer Techniques in Medicine:
Major uses of computers in medicine include hospital
information system, data analysis in medicine, medical
imaging laboratory computing, computer assisted
medical decision making, care of critically ill patients,
computer assisted therapy and so on.
Pharmacology
Programming and computer science can also be applied
to develop new drugs in the field of pharmacology.

A remarkable example of what you can achieve in this

field by learning how to code is presented in this
article by MIT News. It describes how an MIT senior,
Kristy Carpenter, was using computer science in 2019
 to develop "new, more affordable drugs." Kristy
mentions that:
Artificial intelligence, which can help compute the
combinations of compounds that would be better for a
particular drug, can reduce trial-and-error time and
ideally quicken the process of designing new medicines.
Another example of a real-world application of
programming in pharmacology is related to Python
(yes, Python has many applications!). Among
its success stories, we find that Python was selected by
AstraZeneca to develop techniques and programs that
can help scientists to discover new drugs faster and
more efficiently.
The documentation explains that:
To save time and money on laboratory work,
experimental chemists use computational models to
narrow the field of good drug candidates, while also
verifying that the candidates to be tested are not
simple variations of each other's basic chemical
structure.
If you are interested in learning programming for
medicine or health-related fields, this is a free course on
freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel on programming for
healthcare imaging:

 PyTorch and Monai for AI Healthcare Imaging - Python

Machine Learning Course
Education
Programming can be used to create tools that help
teachers and students to have a more productive and
engaging learning experience. Teaching students to
code also develops their problem-solving skills.
Have you ever thought that programming could be
helpful for education? Well, let me tell you that it is and
it is very important. Why? Because the digital learning
tools that students and teachers use nowadays are
programmed by developers.

Every time a student opens an educational app,

browses an educational platform like freeCodeCamp,
writes on a digital whiteboard, or attends a class
through an online meeting platform, programming is
making that possible.

As a programmer or as a teacher who knows how to

code, you can create the next great app that will
enhance the learning experience of students around the
world.

Perhaps it will be a note-taking app, an online learning

platform, a presentation app, an educational game, or
any other app that could be helpful for students.

The important thing is to create it with students in mind

if your goal is to make something amazing that will
create long-lasting memories.

If you envision it, then you can create it with code.

Teachers can also teach their students how to code to

develop their problem-solving skills and to teach them
important skills for their future.

💡 Tip: if you are teaching students how to

code, Scratch is a great programming language to
teach the basics of programming. It is particularly
 focused on teaching children how to code in an
interactive way.
According to the official Scratch website:
Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for
children and a coding language with a simple visual
interface that allows young people to create digital
stories, games, and animations.
If you are interested in learning how to code for
educational purposes, these are courses that you may
find helpful on freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel:

 Scratch Tutorial for Beginners - Make a Flappy Bird

Game
 Computational Thinking & Scratch - Intro to Computer
Science - Harvard's CS50 (2018)
 Android Development for Beginners - Full Course
 Flutter Course for Beginners – 37-hour Cross Platform
App Development Tutorial
 Learn Unity - Beginner's Game Development Tutorial
Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are very
popular nowadays because platforms can learn how
users engage with their content in order to suggest
them relevant information and products.
 Some of the most amazing fields that are directly
related to programming are Machine Learning, Artificial
Intelligence, and Robotics. Let's see why.

Artificial Intelligence is defined by Britannica as:

The project of developing systems endowed with the
intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as
the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, or
learn from past experience.
Machine learning is a branch or a subset of the field
of Artificial Intelligence in which systems can learn on
their own based on data. The goal of this learning
process is to predict the expected output. These models
continuously learn how to "think" and how to analyze
situations based on their previous training.
The most commonly used programming languages in
these fields are Python, C, C#, C++, and MATLAB.

Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning have

amazing applications in various industries, such as:

 Image and object detection.

 Making predictions based on patterns.
 Text recognition.
 Recommendation engines (like when an online
shopping platform shows you products that you may
like or when YouTube shows you videos that you may
like).
 Spam detection for emails.
 Fraud detection.
 Social media features like personalized feeds.
 Many more... there are literally millions of applications
in virtually every industry.
If you are interested in learning how to code for
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, these are
free courses on freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel:

 Machine Learning for Everybody – Full Course

 Machine Learning Course for Beginners
 PyTorch for Deep Learning & Machine Learning – Full
Course
 TensorFlow 2.0 Complete Course - Python Neural
Networks for Beginners Tutorial
 Self-Driving Car with JavaScript Course – Neural
Networks and Machine Learning
 Python TensorFlow for Machine Learning – Neural
Network Text Classification Tutorial
 Practical Deep Learning for Coders - Full Course from
fast.ai and Jeremy Howard
 Deep Learning Crash Course for Beginners
 Advanced Computer Vision with Python - Full Course
💡 Tip: you can also earn a Machine Learning with
Python Certification on freeCodeCamp.
Robotics
Programming is also very important for robotics. Yes,
robots are programmed too!

Robotics is defined by Britannica as the:

Design, construction, and use of machines (robots) to
perform tasks done traditionally by human beings.
Robots are just like computers. They do not know what
to do until you tell them what to do by writing
instructions in your programs. If you learn how to code,
 you can program robots and industrial machinery found
in manufacturing facilities.

If you are interested in learning how to code for

robotics, electronics, and related fields, this is a free
course on Arduino on freeCodeCamp's YouTube
channel:

 Arduino Course for Beginners - Open-Source Electronics

Platform
Other Applications
There are many other fascinating applications of
programming in almost every field. These are some
highlights:

 Agriculture: in this article by MIT News, a farmer

developed an autonomous tractor app after learning
how to code.
 Self-driving cars: autonomous cars rely on software
to analyze their surroundings and to make quick and
accurate decisions on the road. If you are interested in
this area, this is a course on this topic on
freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel.
 Finance: programming can also be helpful to develop
programs and models that predict financial indicators
and trends. For example, this is a course on algorithmic
trading on freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel.
The possibilities are endless. I hope that this section will
give you a notion of why learning how to code is so
important for your present and for your future. It will be
a valuable skill to have in any field you choose.
Awesome. Now let's dive into the soft skills that you
need to become a successful programmer.

🔹 Skills of a Successful Programmer

After going through the diverse range of applications of
programming, you must be curious to know what skills
are needed to succeed in this field.

Curiosity
A programmer should be curious. Whether you are just
starting to learn how to code or you already have 20
years of experience, coding projects will always present
you with new challenges and learning opportunities. If
you take these opportunities, you will continously
improve your skills and succeed.

Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is a key trait of a successful programmer
but this applies in general to any field if you want to
succeed. Enthusiasm will keep you happy and curious
about what you are creating and learning.

💡 Tip: If you ever feel like you are not as enthusiastic as

you used to be, it's time to find or learn something new
that can light the spark in you again and fill you with
hope and dreams.
Patience
A programmer must be patient because transforming
an initial idea into a working product can take time,
effort, and many different steps. Patience will keep you
focused on your final goal.

Resilience
Programming can be challenging. That is true. But what
defines you is not how many challenges you face, it's
how you face them. If you thrive despite these
challenges, you will become a better programmer and
 you could create something that could change the
world.

Creativity
Programmers must be creative because even though
every programming language has a particular set of
rules for writing the code, coding is like using LEGOs.
You have the building-blocks but you need to decide
what to create and how to create it. The process of
writing the code requires creativity while following the
established best practices.

Problem-solving and Analysis

Programming is basically analyzing and solving
problems with code. Depending on your field of choice,
those problems will be simpler or more complex but
they will all require some level of problem-solving skills
and a thorough analysis of the situation.

Questions like:

 What should I build?

 How can I build it?
 What is the best way to build this?
Are part of the everyday routine of a programmer.

Ability to Focus for Long Periods of Time

When you are working on a coding project, you will
need to focus on a task for long periods of time. From
creating the design, to planning and writing the code, to
testing the result, and to fixing bugs (issues with the
code), you will dedicate many hours to a particular task.
This is why it's essential to be able to focus and to keep
your final goal in mind.

Taking Detailed Notes

This skill is very important for programmers, particularly
when you are learning how to code. Taking detailed
notes can be help you to understand and remember the
concepts and tools you learn. This also applies for
experienced programmers, since being a programmer
involves life-long learning.

Communication
Initially, you might think that programming is a solitary
activity and imagine that a programmer spends
hundreds of hours alone sitting on a desk.

But the reality is that when you find your first job, you
will see that communication is super important to
coordinate tasks with other team members and to
exchange ideas and feedback.

Open to Feedback
In programming, there is usually more than one way to
implement the same functionality. Different alternatives
may work similarly, but some may be easier to read or
more efficient in terms of time or resource
consumption.

When you are learning how to code, you should always

take constructive feedback as a tool for learning.
Similarly, when you are working on a team, take your
colleagues' feedback positively and always try to
improve.
Life-long Learning
Programming equals life-long learning. If you are
interested in learning how to code, you must know that
you will always need to be learning new things as new
technologies emerge and existing technologies are
updated. Think about it... that is great because there is
always something interesting and new to learn!

Open to Trying New Things

Finally, an essential skill to be a successful programmer
is to be open to trying new things. Step out of your
comfort zone and be open to new technologies and
products. In the technology industry, things evolve very
quickly and adapting to change is essential.

🔸 Tips for Learning How to Code

Now that you know more about programming,
programming languages, and the skills you need to be a
successful programmer, let's see some tips for learning
how to code.
 💡 Tip: these tips are based on my personal experience
and opinions.
 Choose one programming language to learn
first. When you are learning how to code, it's easy to
feel overwhelmed with the number of options and entry
paths. My advice would be to focus on understanding
the essential computer science concepts and one
programming language first. Python and JavaScript are
great options to start learning the fundamentals.
 Take detailed notes. Note-taking skills are essential
to record and to analyze the topics you are learning.
You can add custom comments and annotations to
explain what you are learning.
 Practice constantly. You can only improve your
problem-solving skills by practicing and by learning new
techniques and tools. Try to practice every day.
💡 Tip: There is a challenge called
the #100DaysOfCode challenge that you can join to
practice every day.
 Always try again. If you can't solve a problem on your
first try, take a break and come back again and again
until you solve it. That is the only way to learn. Learn
from your mistakes and learn new approaches.
 Learn how to research and how to find
answers. Programming languages, libraries, and
frameworks usually have official documentations that
explain their built-in elements and tools and how you
can use them. This is a precious resource that you
should definitely refer to.
 Browse Stack Overflow. This is an amazing platform.
It is like an online encyclopedia of answers to common
programming questions. You can find answers to
 existing questions and ask new questions to get help
from the community.
 Set goals. Motivation is one of the most important
factors for success. Setting goals is very important to
keep you focused, motivated, and enthusiastic. Once
you reach your goals, set new ones that you find
challenging and exciting.
 Create projects. When you are learning how to code,
applying your skills will help you to expand your
knowledge and remember things better. Creating
projects is the perfect way to practice and to create a
portfolio that you can show to potential employers.
🔹 Basic Programming Concepts
Great. If reading this article has helped you confirm that
you want to learn programming, let's take your first
steps.
 These are some basic programming concepts that you
should know:

 Variable: a variable is a name that we assign to a

value in a computer program. When we define a
variable, we assign a value to a name and we allocate a
space in memory to store that value. The value of a
variable can be updated during the program.
 Constant: a constant is similar to a variable. It stores a
value but it cannot be modified. Once you assign a
value to a constant, you cannot change it during the
entire program.
 Conditional: a conditional is a programming structure
that lets developers choose what the computer should
do based on a condition. If the condition is True,
something will happen but if the condition is False,
something different can happen.
 Loop: a loop is a programming structure that let us run
a code block (a sequence of instructions) multiple
times. They are super helpful to avoid code repetition
and to implement more complex functionality.
 Function: a function helps us to avoid code repetition
and to reuse our code. It is like a code block to which
we assign a name but it also has some special
characteristics. We can write the name of the function
to run that sequence of instructions without writing
them again.
💡 Tip: Functions can communicate with main programs
and main programs can communicate with functions
through parameters, arguments,
and return statements.
 Class: a class is used as a blueprint to define the
characteristics and functionality of a type of object. Just
 like we have objects in our real world, we can represent
objects in our programs.
 Bug: a bug is an error in the logic or implementation of
a program that results in an unexpected or incorrect
output.
 Debugging: debugging is the process of finding and
fixing bugs in a program.
 IDE: this acronym stands for Integrated Development
Environment. It is a software development environment
that has the most helpful tools that you will need to
write computer programs such as a file editor, an
explorer, a terminal, and helpful menu options.
💡 Tip: a commonly used and free IDE is Visual Studio
Code, created by Microsoft.
Awesome! Now you know some of the fundamental
concepts in programming. Like you learned, each
programming language has a different syntax, but they
all share most of these programming structures and
concepts.

🔸 Types of Programming Languages

Programming languages can be classified based on
different criteria. If you want to learn how to code, it's
important for you to learn these basic classifications:
 Complexity
 High-level programming languages: they are
designed to be understood by humans and they have to
be converted into machine code before the computer
can understand them. They are the programming
languages that we commonly use. For example:
JavaScript, Python, Java, C#, C++, and Kotlin.
 Low-level programming languages: they are more
difficult to understand because they are not designed
for humans. They are designed to be understood and
processed efficiently by machines.
Conversion into Machine Code
 Compiled programming languages: programs
written with this type of programming language are
converted directly into machine code by a compiler.
Examples include C, C++, Haskell, and Go.
 Interpreted programming languages: programs
written with this type of programming language rely on
another program called the interpreter, which is in
charge of running the code line by line. Examples
include Python, JavaScript, PHP, and Ruby.
💡 Tip: according to this article on freeCodeCamp's
publication:
Most programming languages can have both compiled
and interpreted implementations – the language itself is
not necessarily compiled or interpreted. However, for
simplicity’s sake, they’re typically referred to as such.
There are other types of programming languages based
on different criteria, such as:

 Procedural programming languages

 Functional programming languages
 Object-oriented programming languages
 Scripting languages
 Logic programming languages
And the list of types of programming languages
continues. This is very interesting because you can
analyze the characteristics of a programming language
to help you choose the right one for your project.

🔹 How to Contribute to Open Source Projects

GitHub's Home Page.
Finally, you might think that coding implies sitting at a
desk for many hours looking at your code without any
human interaction. But let me tell you that this does not
have to be true at all. You can be part of a learning
community or a developer community.

Initially, when you are learning how to code, you can

participate in a learning community like freeCodeCamp.
This way, you will share your journey with others who
are learning how to code, just like you.

Then, when you have enough skills and confidence in

your knowledge, you can practice by contributing to
open source projects and join developer communities.

Open source software is defined by Opensource.com as:

Software with source code that anyone can inspect,
modify, and enhance.
GitHub is an online platform for hosting projects with
version control. There, you can find many open source
projects (like freeCodeCamp) that you can contribute to
and practice your skills.
💡 Tip: many open source projects welcome first-time
contributions and contributions from all skill levels.
These are great opportunities to practice your skills and
to contribute to real-world projects.
freeCodeCamp's GitHub repository.
Contributing to open source projects on GitHub is great
to acquire new experience working and communicating
with other developers. This is another important skill for
finding a job in this field.

GitHub tracks your [this GitHub

article](https://docs.github.com/en/account-and-
profile/setting-up-and-managing-your-github-profile/
managing-contribution-settings-on-your-profile/viewing-
contributions-on-your-profile">contributions and shows
them on your profile. These are shown as interactive
gray and green squares that represent days of the
current year. A darker shade of green means that more
contributions were made on that day. Image taken from
<a href="https://docs.github.com/en/account-and-
profile/setting-up-and-managing-your-github-profile/
 managing-contribution-settings-on-your-profile/viewing-
contributions-on-your-profile).
Working on a team is a great experience. I totally
recommend it once you feel comfortable enough with
your skills and knowledge.

You did it! You reached the end of this article. Great
work. Now you know what programming is all about.
Let's see a brief summary.

🔸 In Summary
 Programming is a very powerful skill. If you learn how to
code, you can make your vision come true.
 Programming has many different applications in many
different fields. You can find an application for
programming in basically any field you choose.
 Programming languages can be classified based on
different criteria and they share basic concepts such as
variables, conditionals, loops, and functions.
 Always set goals and take detailed notes. To succeed as
a programmer, you need to be enthusiastic and
consistent.
Thank you very much for reading my article. I
hope you liked it and found it helpful. Now you know
why you should learn how to code.
🔅 I invite you to follow me on Twitter (@EstefaniaCassN)
and YouTube (Coding with Estefania) to find coding
tutorials.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT