How can you learn to program in 2019?

In the way of a programmer it is always time to learn. Already starting a new year I set some goals, and within them, I had in mind to learn some new technologies that I found interesting.

After making my long list (hoping to achieve at least half: D), I stopped to think, what would be the methodology, the resources and the time it will take to learn them. A large percentage of what I know today I have learned in a self-taught way (which is not bad), but once you do you find the real challenge.

Get good material and learn it effectively

As a result, it occurred to me to make some recommendations for those who have just started in the world of programming and who wish to learn independently.

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1 - Search for your learning path

The first thing to do when we want to achieve something is to be clear about what we want to achieve. To be a programmer is to speak in a generic way, since there are many paths within the career. There are several items such as: Web (Front-End or Back-end), Mobile (iOS or Android), IoT (Internet of Things), Machine Learning, Block-chain and others.

As a programmer you can focus on different areas (and in certain ways they are related), but to have a focus on what we want to learn, it would be a good way to have a clear path.

Here I leave one of many examples. Click here!.

2 - Learn the basics

"There is no single way to do things."

Most likely, you already saw several learning paths and began to see a lot of different things. Before you start buying books, looking for resources and buying offers in Udemy, in this step I would recommend learning the most basic of Computer Science. Learn concepts such as: ** Algorithms, Data Structure, Object Oriented Programming, Functional Programming ** etc.

You could take a look: Learn with PseudoCode.

3 - Search for a community

Programming bootcamp work well for this, since it makes you part of a community of people, going through the same experience, at the same time as you.

But this is not the only way. You can find Latin American communities that are full of new programmers, and that allow you to have a free approach, either through their articles or your YouTube videos.

Platzi, KeepCoding, Dev.to have online communities. Having other people to work with to solve problems really helps.

Other alternatives would be to do it completely online using community tools such as Slack or Gitter. You can also gather your own group in your local area or online.

4 - Set your goals

Now that you have started, you need to find out what you want to achieve in the end. There really is never an end point to learn to program (*see Dan Abramov's post on “all the things he doesn't know yet.” Dan works for Facebook at React.js *). If you want to become a full time programmer, there are some options. What works for you depends entirely on what your lifestyle can support (savings, dependents, location).

5 - Go with everything!

In my opinion, the fastest way to achieve something is not to waste time. Start organizing your time and setting small goals to track your progress.

So far this is it, I would love to hear your opinion.