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5 myths about learning programming

There are more and more people on the side of programming, because there is ample demand for developers and the average wage is not wrong. If you also plan to program but are put off by possible obstacles, here are five myths about the subject that cause people to drop out before they start.

Myth 1: I must be a prodigy to be able to program

People sometimes think that programmers are a special battle man, with a graphical calculator in the head. But in real life developers are 'ordinary' people who have a passion for programming. As with any profession, that talent helps you a little way, but labor discipline ultimately determines whether you are really successful with this direction.

Do not worry if you do not know anything about programming, because it is not as complicated as it seems. The essence is that communication has to be between two things: in this case a computer and a developer. The basis is therefore learning to transfer instructions to the computer, so that he builds something, for example a website.

To be able to talk to the computer, you have to learn a language. In a nutshell, programming is basically the same as writing very detailed instructions in a special language that only computers and programmers understand. That is actually everything. If you can communicate with others, you can also learn how to do that with a computer.

Myth 2: I have to study computer science to become a programmer

It is a sign that all of a sudden so many site like Coding Ninjas is popping up. This means that programming is becoming more popular and more accessible than ever before. It is clear that learning programming is not reserved for training institutes. This actually applies to almost all professions: if you are good at something, people will want to accept you , no matter how and where you picked up these skills.

Myth 3: I need a lot of mathematical skills

To become a developer you do not have to be able to produce an integral calculus of a quadratic function. You do not even have to know what this means. You only have to be able to count a bit, to be able to think logically and analytically and - most importantly - you have to be patient.

That does not mean that programmers do not use higher mathematics. If a project has to be able to carry out complex mathematical calculations, you must indeed get started with mathematics. But even then there are many plug-ins and libraries that take care of most of the calculations. All you have to do is know how to use this plug-in or library in your code.

Myth 4: I have to learn the 'best' language

Many beginners ask what is the best language to learn. That is a good question, but it is based on ignorance. No language is 'better' than another, in the same way that French is not 'better' than Spanish. With spoken languages you learn a language based on where and why you want to use it and the same applies to a programming language: it depends on the task you want to use for it.

A better question would therefore be: "Which language should I learn first?" If you want to be a good programmer, you need to master multiple languages. Point. It is therefore best to start with the basis. If you want to be a web developer, you must start with the basic languages online, such as HTML and CSS. But if you want to focus more on general computer programming, you can focus on languages that have a lot of documentation and tutorials. Do not worry about the 'best' language. When you get started, you automatically notice the plus and minus points of the different languages.

Myth 5: It is too late to learn how to program

It is never too late to learn and the people who come to courses, you see that they come from all age categories and with different backgrounds, from psychology to construction. Most of them have little to no programming knowledge. But the people who put in time quickly become successful in both the classroom and after the training. Even if you think you are very late in your career, you discover with the right discipline that you have enough in-house for success in the labor market.