I recall what kind of article I wished I had read when I first thought about becoming a programmer. I imitate real writers, who always start from the real needs of their readers to make themselves better at what they do, and I want to learn from them.
Is there any special "background" required to be a writer?
Sorry, I didn't find an answer. Also, there are no "special requirements" to be a programmer . I'm not telling you it's easy, because it's not that easy. But the good news is that these so-called requirements are actually small goals that everyone can step on their feet to achieve.
You have to be willing to work hard, actually learn a lot, and keep your knowledge and action as one. You need to persevere when the going gets tough, when you feel like you have a breath left, convince yourself to go on in a moment of desperation, that's all it takes. Anyone can do this with a little practice.
I started with no relevant computer background;
I did not pay for expensive course knowledge;
If I have a busy day, I can't squeeze in a whole period of continuous study;
And I'm almost middle-aged...
Everyone's situation is different, but I believe that if you find your own path and stick with it, you can do it.
Do I need a background to learn programming?
I had never been exposed to any programming until I wrote my first line of code. My early career was in the restaurant business, then I got a degree in music arts and worked as an ESL teacher in Spain for ten years. I'm not even familiar with Latest Mailing Database computers, but I'm always excited about the latest technological innovations, and I think programmers are modern superheroes.
(Translation refers to Zen Notes: ESL is the most common world-class authoritative English training course in European and American language schools, and is aimed at international students whose native language is not English)
I never thought I'd do it myself, though, in part because I thought programming was some sort of elite activity for gifted people graduating from top (and expensive) colleges.
While such programmers do exist, the reality is that most programmers aren't the Hollywood hacker type, and it's easier to get started with programmers than we think.
origin of the story
It all started with a conversation with my partner who was exploring the reasons for the low number of women on corporate teams, especially technical teams. She decided to become a programmer, finding out why in her own hands. She started learning programming and wanted to be a role model for the young girls in our family.
This got me excited quickly because we realized that there were enough network resources available. This is not some dark witchcraft, but a skill worth learning and mastering. By the way, she finally jumped out of the human resources department, and actually got the programmer's offer a month earlier than me.
So, one day, we found a children's programming book in the science library. We got home, opened Notepad, wrote <h1>Hello World</h1>, changed color: red, opened it in the browser, and we screamed in excitement, what magic is that!
I'm hooked, I want to make things with code, I want the computer to do what I want! I feel like this is a new phase in my life, I have a new vision and a new future.
Next, let's break down the whole goal and break down the programming path step by step.
The road to programming
getting Started
First, I started reading and watching YouTube videos on programming to get an idea of where to start. Then I started playing with HTML and CSS. I followed the tutorial and wrote some basic web pages.
It makes me feel like this is something I really want to get into.
set a goal
I reached out to two friends who work in the field for guidance and advice. Those guiding words that encouraged me to focus on moving forward on a clear goal were crucial.
I needed to make a quick career change and take some time to sort through all the feasible options and set realistic goals that worked for me. Since I have no other asset income, this means that I have to maintain my old salary income until I complete the career change.
I think front-end development is the easiest and most popular option to get started with. I narrowed the learning further by focusing on the skills the company actually needed rather than the freelance route.
Then I set a deadline, and I don't want the goal to be on my to-do list beyond that date. It was the spring of 2017, and I promised myself that this semester's schedule would be my last as a teacher. I don't have the naive idea of pretending that at the teacher stage I have the capital of everything clear and controllable. In making such a risky career change, uncertainty is everywhere. There were all sorts of misgivings at every point and throughout the process.