How to Become a Programmer

wikihow.com/Become-a-Programmer

Co-authored by Gene Linetsky, MS

Last Updated: November 5, 2020 Approved

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Becoming a programmer is a cumulative process that builds up your skills day after day
and year after year, and programming can be fun and rewarding (mentally, spiritually and
financially). This guide does not promise to give a magically easy way to becoming a
programmer, and the ordering of the steps is not sacred, but you'll get a general outline of
how to become a programmer in one of the modern programming fields.

Steps

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1.

Take an introductory course in one (or all of them) of the following

disciplines:
Logic
Discrete mathematics
Programming language (take a part into the different programming paradigms,
starting from sequential/procedural to object oriented, after functional and
logical programming. Preferable Ruby/ Python/Pascal for beginners and after
some good understanding go deeper into C++/C#/Java )
EXPERT TIP

Gene Linetsky, MS

Startup Founder & Engineering Director

Gene Linetsky is a startup founder and software engineer in the San Francisco Bay
Area. He has worked in the tech industry for over 30 years and is currently the
Director of Engineering at Poynt, a technology company building smart Point-of-
Sale terminals for businesses.

Gene Linetsky, MS
Startup Founder & Engineering Director

Don't feel like you have to earn a coding degree. While taking courses in a
programming language can be helpful, Gene Linetsky, a software engineer and
startup founder, says: "It's actually debatable whether a degree hurts or helps.

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 Instead, think of programming as an apprenticeship—it's mostly about learning from
your mistakes."

2.

Learn database concepts such as tables, views/queries and procedures. You

can use any simple database package to do this, such as:
MS Access
DB V
Fox Pro
Paradox
MySQL is a good database to learn because it’s free, commonly used, and
databases are commonly accessed with SQL queries

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3.

Decide what type of programmer you want to be. Programmers generally fall
under one of the following categories:
Web programmer
Desktop application programmer
Operating system (OS) oriented programmer(tied to a single operating
system or set of operating systems)
Platform-independent programmer
Distributed applications programmer
Library/platform/framework/core programmer
System programmer
Kernel programmer
Driver programmer
Compiler programmer
Programming scientist

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 4.

Learn the technologies and programming languages related to your

programming field of choice. The following sections break down the tasks for
different types of programming.

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Method 1 of 6:

Web Programming

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1.

Know what Web programming entails. Web applications are software

components designed to work on top of the internet architecture. This means that
the applications are accessed through a web browser software such as Firefox or
Internet Explorer. Being built on top of the Internet architecture does not necessarily
require an active connection to the internet. It means that Web applications are built
on top of standard web technologies such as:

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2.

Browse many diverse websites to learn about how they usually look. (Right
click, then click View Source or press F12.) Look for diversity in the type/content of
the website, not the quantity of websites visited. Generally, you will need to visit at
least one of each of the following types of websites:
Corporate presence sites (commercial corporations, not-for-profit
corporate/organizations, governmental organizations)
Web indexing engines (search engines, meta search sites, specialized search
engines, directories)
Data mining sites
Personal sites
Informational/encyclopedic pages (wikis, data sheets, technical specifications,
and manuals listing directories, blogs and journals, news and news agencies
sites, yellow pages, etc.)
Social sites (social portals, bookmarking sites, note-taking sites)
Collaborative sites (this includes other categories mentioned above, such as
wikis and blogs)

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3.

Learn at least one brainstorming technique/method and a software that is

used to implement that method. For example: brainstorming diagrams and MS
Visio.

4.

Get familiar with website structuring. This is creating conceptual web diagrams,
site-maps, and navigation structures.

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5.

Take a crash course on graphics design. Try to learn at least one graphics
editing/manipulation software package (optional, but strongly recommended)

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6.

Learn the basics of the internet infrastructure. This includes getting a basic idea
about:
Base Web services protocols (HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and POP3 or IMAP4)
Web server software (preferably, one for the platform you will be working on
mostly)
Web browsing software.
Email server and client software

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7.

Learn the HTML and CSS languages. You might also want to get the "What You
See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG)" software package for editing HTML.

8.

Learn XML and XML related technologies, such as XSL and XPath (optional
but recommended).

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 9.

Create simple static websites until you are familiar with and comfortable
around HTML.

10.

10

Learn a client-side scripting language. Most users learn JavaScript. Some learn
VBScript, but this isn't compatible with most browsers.

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11.

11

Familiarize yourself with the client-side scripting language you learned. Try to
reach your potential using only that language. Only go to the next step after you've
at least become familiar with your client-side scripting language.

12.

12

Learn at least one server-side programming language. If you choose to restrict

yourself to one server software, learn one of the programming languages supported
by that software. If not, learn at least one programming language on each server
software.

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 13.

13

Create a pilot project for yourself after you finish learning the server-side
programming language.

14.

14

Obtain your own website and start experimenting online within your own
page.
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Method 2 of 6:

Desktop Application Programming

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1.

Know what you're getting into with desktop application programming. Most
desktop programmers write code for business solutions, so getting an idea about
businesses, their organizational and financial structure will be a big time-saver.

2.

Learn about the different computer hardware architectures. An introductory

level course in digital circuits design and another in computer architecture is useful;
however, some see it as being advanced for a starting point, so reading two or three
tutorial articles (such as this one and this one) might suffice. Then you can go back
to this step later, after you learn your first programming language.

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3.

Learn an entry-level (kids') programming language. Don't be shy to learn such a

language just because you're older than being called a "kid". An example of these
programming languages can be Scratch. These programming languages can ease
up the pain in learning your first programming language tremendously. However,
this step is optional. It can also be done before the preceding step.

4.

Get an introduction to the procedural, object oriented, and functional

programming paradigms.

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5.

Take an introductory course in one of the procedural programming

languages. No matter what language you choose later to be your language of
choice, it will require procedural programming at some level. Also, procedural
programming is reported by most programmers to be the easiest to use as a
starting point to get the idea of programming in general.

6.

Learn at least one advanced modeling technique such as UML or ORM.

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7.

Start writing some small console or console-like applications. You can make
use of common small exercises in programming languages books. For this, choose
a tool for writing programs in the programming language you are writing in.

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8.

Take a more advanced course in your chosen programming language. Make

sure you understand the following concepts well and that you can apply them with
relative ease before going forward:
Inputting and outputting information to users of a program.
The logical flow and the execution flow of programs in procedural languages.
Declaring, assigning and comparing variables.
Branching programming constructs such as if..then..else and
select/switch..case.
Looping constructs such as while..do, do..while/until, for..next.
Your programming language syntax for creating and calling procedures and
functions.
Data types and manipulating them.
User defined data types (records/structs/units) and their use.
If your language supports overloading functions, understand it.
The memory accessing methods of your language of choice (pointers,
peeking, etc.)
If your language supports operators overloading, understand it.
If your language supports delegates/function pointers, understand it.

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9.

Apply the advanced techniques you've learned.

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10.

10

Take an introductory course in at least one more programming language in

another programming paradigm. It is recommended to learn one programming
language of each paradigm, and most advanced programmers do, however, you
usually start with one, work for a while applying your knowledge and practicing it,
then learn the other later on, after you already had a real-life experience in
programming. Try one of the following language areas:
Logic programming paradigm.
Functional programming paradigm.
Object-oriented paradigm.

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11.

11

Try to compare the two programming languages you learned so far. Evaluate
the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Usually this is done by:
Taking simple samples of your early work in the first programming language
and re-write it using the second programming language.
Creating a new project and try implementing it using both languages.
Sometimes, depending on your choice of project and languages, you might
not be able to implement the project in one of the languages!
Writing a cheat-sheet or summary-table comparisons between similar
constructs in the two languages and features unique to each of the languages.
Try finding ways to mimic features that is unique to one of the two languages
using the other language.

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12.

12

Learn visual programming concepts using one of the languages you learned.
Almost all programming languages have versions/libraries that support visual
programming and others supporting console or console-like programming. This can
be accomplished by:
Get an introduction to event-driven programming. Most visual programming
relies in some level on events and events handling (using the programming
language you choose).
Try as much desktop software as you can and understand what the software
does. Most software development companies offer beta-testing versions of
their products which you can use to test the software. Keep up-to-date on user
interface advancements.
Read some articles or tutorials on graphical user interfaces.

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13.

13

Start applying your knowledge on small software projects you design. Try
applying your programming expertise on problems you face in your day-to-day life.
For example, write programs that rename files in mass, compares text files visually,
copies the names of files in a directory to memory/text file, and things like that.
Keep it simple at first.

14.

14

Create a virtual graduation project. Complete this to the end, applying the
techniques of visual programming you learned so far.

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15.

15

Widen your understanding of the visual framework/library/package you

learned before by taking advanced courses, paying extra attention to detail
and learning more tips and tricks for your framework from online resources.

16.

16

Search for other packages/libraries of visual elements for your programming

languages and learn them.

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17.

17

Take a course in graphics (not graphics design). It will be very helpful for
programmers wanting to write appealing user-interface elements.

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 18.

18

Consider becoming a games programmer (optional). Game programming is

considered, in most of its parts, desktop programming. If you intend to become a
games programmer, you will need to learn more about game programming after you
finish these steps. A graphics course is a must for game programmers and the
second language of choice in the preceding steps should be a logic/functional
programming language (preferably Prolog or Lisp).
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Method 3 of 6:

Distributed Applications Programming

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1.

Tackle distributed applications programming. Distributed application

programming is considered by many to be one of the hardest to learn and requires
diverse knowledge in computer and communication technologies.

2.

Take a speed introduction to telephony systems and their hardware. This step
is optional. However, it is very useful in understanding network topologies.

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3.

Familiarize yourself with networking hardware architectures and devices such

as hubs, switches and routers.

4.

Take a course in networking protocols and essentials. You need a good

understanding of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, Ethernet, IP, TCP,
UDP and HTTP before you start programming distributed applications.

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5.

Learn the XML language and familiarize yourself with it.

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6.

Start by learning a shell scripting language. For Windows-based programming,

that would be any script that works with Windows Scripting Host. For Linux-based
programming, Bash scripts and Perl will be sufficient. JavaScript is strongly
recommended for this in both platforms for the following reasons:
It is supported by almost any scripting host in any operating system (Windows
Scripting Host supports JavaScript by default, most Linux distributions has a
package for JavaScript scripting console support).
It is considered to be easier to learn by many developers.
It has an ALGOL derived syntax which familiarizes you with much more other
programming languages when you need to choose a second programming
language (C, C++, C#, Java and J# all have ALGOL derived syntax).
By learning JavaScript, you familiarize yourself with client-side scripting of
web pages which is a bonus side-effect!

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7.

Apply only procedural programming using your scripting language of choice

at first. Later, you can use more advanced programming techniques and paradigms
according to your scripting language and what it supports. All scripting languages
have some procedural programming aspects at some level.

8.

Use the scripting language you learned to write scripts that perform
communications between machines. Learn what is necessary for doing that.
Simple communications will suffice.

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9.

Make a transfer to a desktop scripting/programming language. Preferably, one

that is a multi-paradigm language such as Python. Take a simple introduction to that
second language. Java is considered by most programmers to be the language of
choice for many reasons. However, C# is gaining momentum fast in this field. Java
and C# are preferred for the following reasons:
They are object oriented programming languages which shields programmers
in large teams from implementation details as they both supports components
(units of code, pre-compiled, that perform a certain task and can be used in
other programs).
They support event-driven programming, as well as OO and procedural
programming at some level.
The framework that the language is built upon is distributed by nature (in the
case of Java).
The availability of many ready-made packages that deal with networking, both
as open-source code and framework built-in packages; this makes it easier for
programmers to build upon the work of others.

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10.

10

Concentrate more on the core features of the language, especially those

supporting networking. Pay less attention to user-interface elements such as
outputting, window design and techniques, and user-interface elements.

11.

11

Take a course on distributed applications design and architectures. This can

be done using books, online tutorials or academic courses. However, understanding
the architecture of distributed applications and its concepts is necessary.

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12.

12

Learn about building serviced components and services using your

programming language of choice.

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 13.

13

Learn one or more of the following technologies. It is recommended that you get
at least an introduction to all of them. Most distributed application programmers do
not stop at one or two programming languages, but learn at least one programming
language on each operating system. That is because if you want your application to
be "distributed", you should provide a version of it at least for each major operating
system.
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX)
Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM)
.NET Remoting
XML Web Services
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Method 4 of 6:

Library/Platform/Framework/Core Programming

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1.

Know what core programming is. Core programmers are merely advanced
programmers who made the transfer from programming applications to
programming code units to be used by other programmers.

2.

Learn a programming language that supports building reusable

components/packages, if you have not done so already.

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3.

Take an advanced course in UML and ORM. Most library developers use one or
both of them.

4.

Take a course in software engineering.

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5.

Learn at least modular, component-based, object-oriented, and event-driven

programming techniques and concepts. The more programming paradigms and
languages you cover, the more successful you become as a library/package
programmer.

6.

Learn more about the different operating systems and programming

frameworks supported by these operating systems.

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7.

Focus your learning efforts on platform-independent frameworks,

programming languages and technologies.

8.

If the programming languages you learned so far have ANSI/ISO/IEEE/W3C

standard versions, master the standards. Try to use standard code whenever
possible.

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9.

Try to mimic simple, already established libraries, especially open-source

ones. This is useful during the early phase of becoming a library/package
programmer. Start with simple packages like units conversion and intermediate
scientific calculations packages. If you are a college student, make use of your non-
programming courses by trying to implement their equations and scientific core as
libraries.

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10.

10

Search for and try open-source packages in your field of programming. First
download binaries/executables of the package. Try to use it and find its strong and
weak points. After you've done that, download the source and try to figure out how it
was done. Try to recreate those libraries or parts of them. At first, do that after
you've seen the code and later before you see the code. At later phases, try
improving those libraries.

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 11.

11

Learn the different approaches used to distribute and deploy components to

programmers.
Usually, library/package programmers tend to think recursively and/or
iteratively of all problems they are presented with. Try to think of each problem
as a collection of smaller problems (a sequence of simpler tasks) or as a
repeated process of reducing the problem's scope to smaller scopes and then
piling those scopes upon each other.
Library/package programmers tend to generalize. That is, when presented
with a simple specific problem, they usually think of a more general problem
and try to solve that general problem which will automatically solve the smaller
one.
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Method 5 of 6:

System Programming

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1.

Understand what system programming entails. System Programmers deal with

the science of programming not the specific implementations of it. Do not tie
yourself to a specific platform.

2.

Follow the first three steps for Desktop Applications Programmers.

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3.

Take an introductory course in Linear Algebra.

4.

Take a course in Calculus.

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5.

Take a course in Logic and/or Discrete Mathematics.

6.

Introduce yourself to different bare operating systems. This can be done by:
Getting an idea on how operating systems are installed.
Learning how to install different operating systems on one PC (optional, but
recommended).
Installing more than one operating system. Do not install any helping
packages on the systems; instead, use the bare functionalities provided by the
operating systems.

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7.

Take a course (or alternatively, read books) on computer hardware

architecture.

8.

Develop an understanding of the different computer hardware platforms.

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 9.

Get an introductory familiarization with the assembly language of the

hardware platform/operating system of choice. You will later learn the assembly
of other platforms/systems.

10.

10

Learn the ANSI C and C++ languages, along with the concepts of procedural
programming.

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11.

11

Understand and practice C/C++ standard libraries on the platform of choice.

Pay particular attention to Standard Template Library (STL) and maybe Active
Template Library (ATL).

12.

12

Search online resources, books and courses to get an understanding of the

C-flavor of your specific platform.

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13.

13

Practice creating advanced code with C and C++.

14.

14

Learn more advanced Assembly.

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15.

15

Take a course in operating systems design.

16.

16

Find and read documentations of your specific platform of choice. This will be
easier if you choose a Unix-based operating system. Understand the system you
will be working with later very well.

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17.

17

Practice your acquired knowledge. First create small system utilities. It is usually
useful to:
Trying to recreate small tools that are already there on your system.
Trying to port utilities available in other operating systems to yours.

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 18.

18

Learn languages in the most helpful order. This is the only place where the first
programming language matters. Learn ANSI C first, not C++, not C#, not Java and
not D. Then learn C++.
Restricting the first language to C and C alone is because systems
programming requires that the programmer be familiar with the following
concepts:
Real and full compilation of source code.
Low-level object output files.
Linking binaries.
Low-level machine-language/assembly programming. The C language is
said to be a disguised/easier to learn assembly by some. It also supports
inserting assembly language code in code whenever you please and it is
only procedural (like assembly).
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Method 6 of 6:

Programming Science

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1.

Know what a programming scientist does. Programming scientists are very

advanced programmers who, instead of working on developing applications, work
on developing computing technologies such as encryption, programming languages
and data mining algorithms. This level is seldom achieved without academic study
and dedication.

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2.

Accumulate the scientific knowledge equivalent to a four-year degree in

computer science. This can be done either by:
Taking an actual academic degree (which is what usually happens).
Getting the courses' outlines for such a degree from one of the modern
universities and taking the courses either by self-study or as separate
courses. This could be achieved theoretically, but the recommended path is
the first.

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3.

Decide a field of specialty. The more specific, the better. This depends on your
preferences. However, here is a list of some of the major topics in computer
programming science:
Algorithm design (searching, sorting, encryption, decryption and error
detection in communications are some examples)
Programming languages/compiler design/optimization
Artificial intelligence fields (pattern recognition, speech recognition, natural
language processing, neural networks)
Robotics
Scientific programming
Super computing
Computer aided design/modeling (CAD/CAM)
Virtual reality
Computer graphics (Computer graphics is usually wrongly confused with
graphical design or graphical user interface design. Computer graphics is the
field of studying how to represent and manipulate graphics in computer
systems.)

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 4.

Consider getting a higher academic degree. You might wish to pursue a master's
degree or a doctorate.

5.

Learn the technologies and programming languages related to your

programming field of choice.

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Community Q&A

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Search

Add New Question

Question

Are there any videos and/or books for beginners on how to became a computer
programmer?

Kristian818

Community Answer

There are a lot of books and videos on the subject. You just need to find out what
language you want to learn. Most books cost money, but there are a few free online.
Your library might have some books on the subject as well.

Question

Can I be both a web developer and a desktop application developer?

Community Answer

Absolutely. It'll require additional classes, but diversifying your talents can be worth
it in the long-run.

Question

How can I become a programmer without college?

Community Answer

Well, most businesses want that piece of paper that says you can do it, but you can
learn coding languages from free online courses and if you get stuck there are
plenty of forums out there which can help. if you have no preexisting coding skills, I
would recommend you learn HTML first.

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Question

Are there theories/notes that I can access before learning hands on programming?

Community Answer

Unfortunately, there are no theories--unless someone is able to create a simple

programing system. This has yet to happen, however.

Question

Where can I get the books to start learning programming?

Community Answer

You can ask for help at your nearby library, or you buy them online or at a local
bookstore. Go to Amazon and search for the programming language you would like
to learn and browse some titles.

Question

How old do you need to be to study programming?

Community Answer

It does not matter how old you are. You just need to be a good problem solver and
critical thinker.

Question

How do I download Java?

KommaH

Top Answerer

Take a look at this article: Install the Java Software Development Kit.

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 Question

Is Python or Java better?

Community Answer

This really depends on your preferences and what you are trying to achieve using
these languages. Python, from my understanding, is the basic language for program
and software development (from scratch) and is fairly easy to learn. However, Java
gives you more functionality and can take you further in programming, but it might
be more difficult to learn.

Question

What are some languages that I should learn?

The_Noble_Jedi

Community Answer

Some good basic languages are Javascript, Java, and Ruby. If you want to take on
web development, try learning HTML and CSS.

Question

How many years does it take to become a professional programmer?

Community Answer

It depends on your seriousness and dedication, as well as how often you are
exposed to programming. I suggest you concentrate on each language yearly or
monthly.

See more answers

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Tips
No matter what type of programming you want to try or what level you want to be at,
consider taking classes at school or your local community college. Don't be
intimidated by terms such as "Computer Science." Any class you can get into
without any prerequisites should focus on teaching the fundamentals of
programming, but check with the instructor or a counselor beforehand to make sure
it is what you are looking for, as classes like "Computer Literacy" may focus more
on becoming familiar with office applications and the like.

Thanks!
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