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Trying to learn programming
Hello, I'm a freshman and I'm trying to get into computer programming. The problem for me is that I can't seem to memorize any of the codes themselves and only the very basic ones. If anyone has any tips on this subject please tell me, it'll be greatly appreciated!
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david’s Answer
Hi, Brandon,
Learning a computer language is like learning other languages; it takes practice. Writing a short program won't do it. Take a larger sample program to write and do all of it. Writing code for several hours does wonders on memorization. Don't expert to memorize everything, as some features in a language may be those that are rarely used. That's where you want to have a book or good website for reference. Rebecca gave you excellent advice. Just do it. You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you will learn. All the best to you.
Learning a computer language is like learning other languages; it takes practice. Writing a short program won't do it. Take a larger sample program to write and do all of it. Writing code for several hours does wonders on memorization. Don't expert to memorize everything, as some features in a language may be those that are rarely used. That's where you want to have a book or good website for reference. Rebecca gave you excellent advice. Just do it. You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you will learn. All the best to you.
Thanks for the encouragement! Yeah practice makes perfect in engraving that knowledge into you!
Brandon
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for the questions. I don’t think you really need to memorise a of things doing programming.
Below are my suggestions:
1. Start with some simple programming languages first, eg python, scratch, etc
2. Find out the syntax and structure of that programming language. There are plenty of languages online
3. Start doing some simple programming. Practice makes perfect
4. You can try to use the language doing some simple projects, eg control a toy car, robot, etc
5. After you familiarise with one l language, you can try another one
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Below are my suggestions:
1. Start with some simple programming languages first, eg python, scratch, etc
2. Find out the syntax and structure of that programming language. There are plenty of languages online
3. Start doing some simple programming. Practice makes perfect
4. You can try to use the language doing some simple projects, eg control a toy car, robot, etc
5. After you familiarise with one l language, you can try another one
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Thanks for the advice!
Brandon
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hello Brandon,
Just as others have said, learning programming simply takes practice. You should not focus on memorizing code, but rather learn the syntax of the language. All good programming relies on a good understanding of how a particular language works. For a good beginner language, I would recommend something like Python, as it is a powerful language and has an easy to understand structure. If you are looking for resources on how to learn a language, there are tons of free resources online, and even some coding games to help give you practice.
Just as others have said, learning programming simply takes practice. You should not focus on memorizing code, but rather learn the syntax of the language. All good programming relies on a good understanding of how a particular language works. For a good beginner language, I would recommend something like Python, as it is a powerful language and has an easy to understand structure. If you are looking for resources on how to learn a language, there are tons of free resources online, and even some coding games to help give you practice.
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Josue’s Answer
I am experiencing a similar problem and I suggest trying freecodecamp.org as a starting point for learning programming. It is like learning a language. Creating small projects based on your knowledge will help memorize based on what you learn. Rather than only watching tutorials, write the code in a notebook and practice using a code editor such as Vscode or Replit. Consistent review and practice will help in slowly learning and memorizing the concepts.
- Hope this helps! Good Luck!
- Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Updated
T.J.’s Answer
Hello, Brandon!
Memorizing programming languages can be tricky. Regardless, there are ways you can work around this.
First of all... there's something Albert Einstein said that you can keep in mind:
“Never memorize what you can look up in books.”
You may not need to memorize everything.
Programming contains So. Much. Information. The field grows every single day. Even if you were to memorize everything, you'd still need to learn more ideas later!
Since we have access to the Internet, you can look up anything to fill up your gaps in knowledge. There are many developers and coders that don't know specific things by memory. So, I wouldn't stress too much about it.
Instead: Focus on understanding documentation and how concepts work.
I recommend listening to the videos by Web Dev Simplified (1) and Traversy Media (2) on the topic of memorizing for coding:
1. https://youtu.be/vP2MNhC_Igw
2. https://youtu.be/askbjJx-BQg
Also, there's a excellent website that provides roadmaps for learning programming. The site will help you know which concepts to learn + in what sequence!
https://roadmap.sh/
Sending you motivation and support as you learn how to code :)
Memorizing programming languages can be tricky. Regardless, there are ways you can work around this.
First of all... there's something Albert Einstein said that you can keep in mind:
“Never memorize what you can look up in books.”
You may not need to memorize everything.
Programming contains So. Much. Information. The field grows every single day. Even if you were to memorize everything, you'd still need to learn more ideas later!
Since we have access to the Internet, you can look up anything to fill up your gaps in knowledge. There are many developers and coders that don't know specific things by memory. So, I wouldn't stress too much about it.
Instead: Focus on understanding documentation and how concepts work.
I recommend listening to the videos by Web Dev Simplified (1) and Traversy Media (2) on the topic of memorizing for coding:
1. https://youtu.be/vP2MNhC_Igw
2. https://youtu.be/askbjJx-BQg
Also, there's a excellent website that provides roadmaps for learning programming. The site will help you know which concepts to learn + in what sequence!
https://roadmap.sh/
Sending you motivation and support as you learn how to code :)
Oh thanks so much! This will definitely be helpful to start out learning coding. I've been having some trouble getting a footing in this field and this along with the other suggestions will do me great!
Brandon
You're very welcome! I'm super glad that these will help you!
T.J. Worthy
Updated
Fred’s Answer
I'm not sure what you mean by "memorize the codes". I've been programming for 25 years, and I have never tried to memorize much of anything.
Coding is about problem analysis. What is the problem I'm trying to solve? How can I break that down into smaller pieces? How do I break down those pieces into even smaller pieces? and then break THOSE down?
There are general concepts you need to learn. For example, you should have a basic idea of what data structures are. Not like "a linked list has THESE methods and a HashMap has THOSE methods". Instead, you want to learn that there ARE different kinds of data structure, know where to look up what the common ones are, and be able to understand the differences/advantages/disadvantages of each. You don't ever have to write one yourself (unless it's a homework problem), but should be able to use an exiting library to implement it.
You want to understand concepts like objects, methods, and variables. You want to understand different branching techniques (if/else, case statement), loops, method calls and returns...etc.
Learn good programming habits - good variable and method names, proper formatting, no monolithic methods. Learn to write good test cases for the code you write.
Practice writing code and sharing it with others for review. You may think your code is perfect, but until someone else looks at it and reads it, you can't be sure how clear it is.
Coding is about problem analysis. What is the problem I'm trying to solve? How can I break that down into smaller pieces? How do I break down those pieces into even smaller pieces? and then break THOSE down?
There are general concepts you need to learn. For example, you should have a basic idea of what data structures are. Not like "a linked list has THESE methods and a HashMap has THOSE methods". Instead, you want to learn that there ARE different kinds of data structure, know where to look up what the common ones are, and be able to understand the differences/advantages/disadvantages of each. You don't ever have to write one yourself (unless it's a homework problem), but should be able to use an exiting library to implement it.
You want to understand concepts like objects, methods, and variables. You want to understand different branching techniques (if/else, case statement), loops, method calls and returns...etc.
Learn good programming habits - good variable and method names, proper formatting, no monolithic methods. Learn to write good test cases for the code you write.
Practice writing code and sharing it with others for review. You may think your code is perfect, but until someone else looks at it and reads it, you can't be sure how clear it is.