I'm currently pursuing a Computer Science degree in the UK, but honestly, I'm feeling completely lost. In college, I focused on Physics, Maths, and Chemistry, and I've always loved STEM subjects. However, I wasn't sure what career path to take, and people kept suggesting computer science, saying I would excel at it. I thought so too, but my experience has been quite the opposite. Now that I'm nearing the end of my first year, I realize I barely know anything about coding. Most of my classes have revolved around basic math and writing essays on topics like security, which I found fairly easy. But recent assignments have made me painfully aware of how behind I am when it comes to essential coding skills.
I'm overwhelmed by all the information available and don't know what to focus on for a career path, nor do I understand the various programming languages like Python, JavaScript, Java, C, or C++. I just need help learning the basics of coding and any recommendations for resources, courses, or boot camps to learn these languages from the ground up.
2 Answers
To get started, find out which programming language you'll be using this year or next. Search for that language's official website—most have tutorials that guide you from the absolute beginning. It’s best to focus on just one language at first so you can really get comfortable with the concepts. Once you start, try some small projects like building a "Hello World" program and a simple task like reading from or writing to a file. Familiarizing yourself with data types and simple algorithms will really help solidify your understanding. Good luck!
You might want to start by improving your Googling skills. Being able to search for answers online is super important. Don’t know what JavaScript does? Google it. A lot of the gap between beginners and good junior developers comes down to how well they can find resources and answers.
Wait, they have official sites? This year I worked with CSS, HTML, and JS, and then Python too. Thanks for the tips!