It can be challenging to determine what kind of programmer you want to become. I mean, there are so many different routes to choose from. If you decide to receive a formal education, you will be introduced to many aspects of programming. You can’t rely on a formal education, to morph you into a programmer because you should have that desire. If you are a student pursuing a degree, engineer personal projects or contribute to an open source project. Programming should not be just an academic exercise, but a hobby. You can’t learn programming with just artificial projects, you need real experience. If you can’t find a job or an internship, create your own experience. I am not discrediting a college education, but you need to have practical skills, and not rely just on theory.
To be an effective programmer, you should like solving problems. Before exploring different paradigms, figure out what kind of problems you like to solve. For instance, you like thinking of ways to implement different mobile applications. If you are enlightened by mobile applications, you should choose a platform to develop for Android, Apple…etc. Reading books, magazines, and news articles are imperative because you have to constantly face an array of problems. Most of your time will be engulfed with exploring what I call, “Alternative Knowledge”. Alternative Knowledge is when you are seeking information beyond the scope to enhance your thinking.
When you choose a specific paradigm, start analyzing how you want to implement the application. In most cases, programs are written using Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Before you start the developing process, you should write down what you want to accomplish, and determine your external entities. Once that is established, you have to design the interface or database (if necessary). Then, write psuedocode of the program, and decide what language you want to engineer the application.
Choosing a language can be difficult because there are so many different languages to choose. My advice is you should choose a language that you are comfortable with, and suited for your requirements. Don’t program in a language just because it is the latest trend. You don’t want to program in a language that is diametrically opposed to your requirements.
Programming is not just about typing thousands of line of code. The amount of time spent on programming varies depending on the developer. If you decide to pursue a career in programing, prepare for you mind to explore different dimensions of life.
