self-learning

<< Read the previous post from this series The Journey of One Thousand Lines of Code. So that about wraps it up then. It has been quite an adventure discovering the world of computer programming and learning a new skill which I can take on into the future. I am sure that there are parts I could have done better and more efficiently, and I have a whole new respect for dedicated learners who are trying to change their paths in life by learning new skills outside their comfort zone. It is hard, it takes incredible discipline (which has been one of the biggest problems I have had) to dedic

Adaptive Python << Read the previous post from the series    Read the next post in this series>> Now comes the really fun part, putting all the things that have been learned over the past 5 months into practice. It should be a nice final finish to the process of learning how to program as we can see what we know and test out what we have learned, but also see where there are still gaps in our knowledge which we can work on in the future. My final challenge then is to take the Adaptive Python Course which runs with PyCharm Edu and the online learning platform Stepik and finish up

Problem-solving strategies << Read the previous post from the series     Read the next post in the series >> So we are really now starting to embark on a whole new discipline that comes with programming. Logic and problem-solving. We now have enough of how and what we can do with with the code behind us that we can work out how to use the code, what different things do in the code, or if we don’t know them off by heart yet, we at least know how to look up answers and adapt and improve the results. But it is time to really stand on our own two feet and work through problems from s

CS50 review part II << Read the previous post from this series        Read the next post in this series >> Finally! I have finished the CS50 course. The future is there for the taking. I won't lie this was a big undertaking. I think though overall this was a really good course to get through as it covers a lot of computer science principles, helps you to get familiar with some of the most useful developer technologies and makes you think harder about computer programing and computers and what is happening under-the-hood. There are a lot of directions to go from here and things

CS50 review part I << Read the previous post from this series  See the next post in the series>> The Harvard University computer science course CS50 This course has been highlighted by a lot of resources as a great jump off point for programming and I have to give it its due, this fame is well deserved. If you are coming to programming with no prior background it will take you through the concepts of computer science and familiarize you with the most important aspects. The lectures move fast, especially if you watch them in 1.5x speed as I did, as they are pretty bloody long

A-Z of technical coding terms <<Read the previous post from this series       Read the next post in this series >> After 12 weeks of computer programming, you come to get to know some common lingo which you can use to impress your Nan with over breakfast. Here is an A-Z of some terms to get you through the day. If you are wondering how the studying CS50 is going... it is hard, interesting, fun, and repeat. A - Algorithm The specific instructions used to achieve a specific task. In the workflow, it would go: Input > Algorithm > Output. There are better algorith

I am too old for this Git <<Read the previous post in this series     Read the next post in this series>> Git. No, not the guy who pushed in front of you at the checkout, and then paid in pennies which he counted out one-by-one losing count halfway through, but the Version Control System (VCS) which has become pretty much used by everyone in the open source development world https://github.com/. It is getting to the point now where knowing how to use this is probably going to be pretty helpful, especially down the line.  My current version control system of commenting out the

The foundations to build on <<<Read the previous post in the series   Read the next post in this series>> I am now on post 8 which for reference is about 8 weeks in, and it is time to do a quick review and check that we are still on course. My original study plan looked something like this: Monday: 2 hours Adaptive Python Tuesday: 3 hours Headfirst Learn how to program Wednesday: 4 hours theory CS50 Thursday: 4 hours Adaptive Python Friday: Rest day Saturday: Rest day Sunday: 4 hours Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python   In theory great.

How to pseudocode problem solve like a boss << Read the previous post in this series    Read the next post in the series>>> Before starting to put together any new program it is best to think it all through and make sure that the problems you might come upon have been mitigated in advance. Without putting in all the code and making sure it works as it should there is a far simpler way of tackling the problem in the first place, one which I am starting to learn and quickly realizing the benefits of. If you want to make things from scratch this is probably the best method of hi

Playing around <<Read the previous post in the series     Read the next post in the series >> 42 and the meaning of life. So a couple of posts ago, I shared with you a small, albeit incredibly awesome, program I made “what is the meaning of life” which asked you to guess the meaning of life. It wanted the number 42. Anyone who is familiar with Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy will know that this is the answer the computer Deep Thought gave as the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Douglas Adams was known to be a bit of a computer geek, so it would be nice to theoriz

Head First Programming book review << Read the previous post in this series    Read the next post in the series>> Over the last few weeks, I have been concentrating on just one source of learning to program. I’m hoping that focusing on a single course will actually make it much easier to make progress with the learning. The book I have been using was Head First Programming by Paul Barry & David Griffiths. First and foremost it is worth mentioning, there is absolutely no affiliation program going on here, I don’t get paid by them, interact with them or anything. The Head Fi

Habits << Read the previous post in the series.         Read the next post in this series >> Even with all the theory and planning on the best way to learn how to program in place, I am not going to lie to you, it is incredibly hard to stay on track, and there have been several times when I fell off the wagon. Life has a way of throwing hurdles into even the best-laid plans. And so it is important to realize theory doesn't always match reality, and how you can come back from this and still try and achieve your goals. There have been a few events which have knocked me off cours