Anyone a coder?

[LearningtoCode]

Wasn't sure where to put this so hopefully there are some of you in here.

I've recently started to learn Swift via a coding website (it came highly recommended via other coders) and wanted to know if there are any coders/developers on MN?!

I learnt HTML when I was about 11 and was really quick at picking it up. However, I'm seriously struggling to pick up some of the terms and language used in Swift. Admittedly I'm not as sharp as I was at 11 and have been working in a creative industry for the last 6 years.

If you are a coder of any kind how did you learn? Would you say you have a mathematical mind (as I don't!)? What do you think are the key skills or traits needed to learn code?

Thanks!

[OrangeSunset]

I'm really interested in the response to this, hope you get some!

Considering retraining in this area

[FlaviaAlbia]

I am, Java mostly. Practice scenarios and looking and debugging through existing code really helps.

For Java anyway, it's really rare that you do anything new from scratch, you're usually thrown into to an existing project and asked to add or fix it so you see the solutions people have created. Some good, some bad but you learn from both.

In school my maths was fairly rubbish, I managed a B at GCSE, but my languages were good.

I'd say I learnt some basics of coding in school and uni but it wasn't until I started working that I really learnt anything.

[taheera77]

Hi there, you might find this link of use, developer.apple.com/education/

I've found what makes a great coder is the ability to persist and repeated practice.

Best of luck!

[Banchu]

I'm a web developer, I learnt mostly using treehouse and freecodecamp, treehouse has some swift stuff FCC doesn't. I think the best advice is just to keep building projects and you'll come across problems, how to solve them etc, it's so much easier to learn that way rather then just learning the theoretical iyswim. I haven't got a mathematical mind, and got my first job from showing my portfolio of projects, they didn't mind I didn't have a degree in it

[gahBloodyThesis]

I'm a partly self-taught coder, part taught (mostly Java but lots of hacks in other languages). I'd say understanding object orientation (basically how to divide stuff up into discrete parts to code them) was the key thing that came more naturally to me and other faster-learning coders than people that found it less nautral. I did do A level maths, and liked doing logic puzzles as a hobby I know, I know, tiny bit sad but find coding v v creative.

If you saw Sherlock talking about a "mind palace", that's what good coding feels like. You essentially build up this whole representative structure of something in your mind expressing it through code and boom you've built something.

So I wouldn't worry too much about the specifics of whatever programming language you choose - a good IDE means you don't have to remember them, but understanding the complexities of how you translate real-world objects into specific little classes you can type out is key. It is indeed a conceptual jump from HTML which is basically fancy formatting.

If Swift's too much of a jump, try Processing (which is an IDE that aims to get creative people coding very quickly, with really good interactive tutorials) or maybe Python (good for fast manipulation of data), or if you're a visual learner, App Inventor (drag and drop coding for Android, good tutorials).

I also found that trying to solve a (small) real-world problem or proejct of my own was more motivating than following tutorials, once I'd learned enough to go off by myself.

Have fun, hope that helps!