Hey everyone! I'm Mih Zol (real name Mihai), a teenager on the brink of starting high school. I'm excited about my new school—I've heard great things about the teachers and the environment. However, I've recently felt overwhelmed by the subjects I need to tackle for my future career, particularly math and informatics.
I had a pretty rough experience with informatics in middle school. We spent three years just repeating what our teacher did on Scratch, and then in the eighth grade, she introduced us to C++. It felt like we were just copying her moves again, without really understanding anything. This made me feel like programming is a completely foreign language to me.
When I look ahead, I see the potential of coding—especially since I dream of being a game developer someday. I love games like Hitman and God of War, and I admire the creativity behind them. However, I'm clueless about where to start!
I have a few questions that I hope some of you can help with:
1. Is there really a difference between being a developer and a programmer? Can I be both?
2. What's the best programming language to start with, like Python, Scratch, or JavaScript?
3. What are the common pitfalls to avoid while learning to code?
4. Are there things I should avoid as a developer or programmer?
5. When working on projects in Unity, do you write code inside Unity or use a separate program?
I know this forum is full of experienced folks, and I appreciate any advice you can share. I'm interested in starting my journey and would love to keep you updated on my progress!
2 Answers
Don't stress too much about the terms 'programmer' and 'developer'—they're basically the same! The key is to focus on learning coding logic first, so if your school starts with C++, embrace it. Just be careful not to make the common mistake of copying code without understanding it. As for Unity, you'll write C# scripts using an external editor rather than directly in Unity. Just keep practicing, and you'll see progress sooner than you think!
First off, definitely check out the FAQs! They can guide you on the best resources and practices. Start there and you'll find yourself learning a lot. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll be sure to look into those FAQs when I start high school.
Absolutely! It's all about getting the basics down, and building on that. Plus, breaking things down into small steps really helps, just like how you described that water-drinking example.