What exactly is a programmer's job?
To become a successful programmer, you'll need to understand these core things:
Master one programming language first - pick one and learn it properly. You should aim for at least 10 debugged lines of code per hour. Don't jump to a new language every week - that leads nowhere. Remember: your goal is to learn programming, not just programming languages. Once you know one language well, others become much easier to learn.
Write clean, structured code - not just any code that works. Your code should be easy to understand and maintain. It should document itself through clarity.
OOP and design - while other programming paradigms are growing popular, object-oriented programming remains essential. You need to understand it well.
Algorithms and data structures - this is fundamental knowledge for solving complex problems and passing big company interviews. Ignore anyone who says you won't use these in real work. Those people either spend their careers churning out basic forms, or they don't understand how these topics strengthen your programming brain (or both).
Specialize in one development field - pick your platform (web, mobile, desktop) and stick to it. You can't master everything; life's too short to become great at every type of development.
Learn one framework thoroughly - master it along with its full technology stack (like MEAN or LAMP) for building complete applications.
Understand databases - both SQL and NoSQL. This isn't optional - your applications' performance largely depends on how well you handle data and understand data modeling.
Know cloud basics - while not the most crucial skill, you need to understand cloud platforms and services.
Master version control - especially git. You can't work in teams or manage projects properly without it.
Learn deployment - understand how to get code into production (CI/CD). Pure DevOps roles are dying; good programmers need to know how to deploy their own code.
Testing - learn to write unit tests and understand different testing approaches.
Debugging - develop strong skills in finding and fixing bugs.
Know development methods - understand both waterfall and agile basics.
This list looks huge, and it is. Don't panic - you'll learn these skills gradually. Think of this as your ultimate roadmap for the journey into profession ahead.
This guidebook won't cover everything in depth. It's a reference showing you what's important to learn if you want to land a real programming job.
The key point? Start with the basics.
That's exactly what we'll do in this plan. You'll focus on becoming a solid software engineer at your core, not just learning applied stuff.
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