Why you should learn programming?

I've been learning programming since 1994. Here I want to share some tips based on my personal experience. I hope you will be able to avoid some of the mistakes I made and learn from it. In this blog I use coding and programming interchangeably.

Even a basic skill level will have a huge impact in the long run

With a basic level of programming you can start making your computer do the things you want. You can automate a lot of tasks, increase your productivity. So even if you don't end up building software commercially, it will help your productivity. Let's imagine that you have a 10% level of programming skills, whatever that might mean. I am assuming that you can write programs that increases your productivity by 10% by essentially automating things. Multiply that by 30 years. You can save so much time in your life by using your basic level of programming skills.

Let me give an example. To increase my own productivity I wrote a simple tool called Tizachar. It's a simple shortcut system. Instead of going to my desktop and clicking a shortcut or using my operating system's menus I use a simple window which shows my most frequently used shortcuts. I create shortcuts and access them fast using this system. I use it everyday and I can't imagine not using it because I know that it is faster than my previous method of accessing files and launching programs.

It will help you find a job

Programming is a means to an end. You write code to achieve some non-coding objective. Therefore, you need to focus on a specific area of programming that interests you, such as web development, mobile app development, or data science. It is important to choose a business domain.

What do you want to write code for? Do you want to develop games, write educational apps, or create websites where people sell and buy things? You need to choose a domain where you would like to work. Working in a particular domain will help you remain motivated, because you will see how your code or other people's code is being used by real people. It is also important because it will help you find a job in the future. I am assuming that you want to learn programming to find a job or establish a company yourself. So acquiring domain expertise is an important part of becoming a good programmer.

In my own experience, there were two problem areas that attracted my interest. I needed a good online dictionary for my native language Turkmen and it did not exist. The fact that it did not exist meant that other people also needed it. This was an interesting problem. It had practical application. It was first of all useful to me. But once created it could be useful to other people as well.

So when you choose an area of interest you can think of what you need yourself. In the beginning, you can write useful tools for yourself. And if you continuously develop and improve your software, you can share with other people. Even a simple program is very hard to develop so it will be a good learning experience. On the other hand, even a simple program can be

It’s important to be patient and persistent, as programming can be challenging to learn. However, with dedication and the wealth of learning materials available, it’s entirely possible to become proficient in programming on your own. Remember, the key is to start with the basics, build a solid foundation, and continuously challenge yourself with new problems to solve.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are a couple of very good reasons for you to learn programming. Because it will be useful to you personally. If you manage to earn money beyond your personal use, that's even better.