How To Start Coding: Beginner’s Guide

If you’re searching for “how to start coding,” it might be because you want to advance your career or develop other skills in the computer programming world. Or maybe you just have a passion for it.

Whichever it is, coding is one of the most valuable skills you can build. And the good news is, with time, dedication, and internet access, anyone can learn to code.

However, just because anyone can learn to code, that doesn’t mean everyone learns the right way. One way many people start learning to code is by picking a popular programming language and jumping in head first with no direction. This could take the form of an online coding course, a tutorial project, or a random book purchase on a specific topic.

Rarely do prospective developers start with a roadmap – a bird’s eye view of the coding world that outlines a set of relevant programming concepts, languages, and tools that almost 100% of developers use every day.

What is coding?

Coding is the process of using programming languages to give instructions to a computer. These instructions power the websites, software, and applications people use every day.

Computer programming languages, developed through a series of numerical or alphabetic codes, instruct machines to complete specific actions. Coding functions much like a manual.

A programmer or developer writes instructions describing the information and tasks needed to create a visual or to perform a task. Computers scan extensive coded manuals very quickly, executing the tasks that create and run a successful website or application. Displaying an image or section of text, changing font styles, and opening emails all require instructions included in the coded manual.

Users interact with websites and apps with the help of these coded instructions. The code itself does not show up on the screen. Instead, people see the words and images a developer or programmer asks the computer to display.

Coding tells a machine which actions to perform and how to complete tasks. Programming languages provide the rules for building websites, apps, and other computer-based technologies. Each programming language helps humans accurately communicate with machines.

Binary code comprises a series of zeros and ones, used to communicate instructions. This code is a low-level programming language. Each digit in a coded sequence connects to a switch in your computer. Each switch connects to an action, and together thousands of switches operate a device.

High-level code, a computer communication process that works much like human language, allows programmers to operate entire systems simultaneously. High-level programming languages convert human language from programmers into binary code that computers understand.

Coding can be a rewarding venture for everyone — from hobbyists to aspiring computer programmers.

What is coding used for?

Developers use a variety of programming languages to build websites and applications. Front-end developers typically use HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code to create website layouts and design functions.

Websites with user accounts, like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, require back-end developers to write computer code that connects websites to databases. Back-end developers often write code using languages such as SQL, Java, and Python.

Developers use other languages like Python, Objective-C, C#, Swift, or Ruby on Rails to create apps for cell phones and computer software.

Below is a list of popular programming languages and their most common uses:

C: Used for developing software operating systems and databases
Python: Used for building websites and software programs and performing data analysis
HTML: Used for creating the structures of a webpage, like paragraphs, links, and tables
Ruby on Rails: Used for developing websites and applications and performing data analysis
C++: Used for creating and developing games
C#: Used for creating desktop applications and web services
Scala: Used for data engineering, data processing, and web development support
Perl: Used for text manipulation, web development, and network programming
PHP: Used for managing databases and creating dynamic web pages
SQL: Used for communicating with databases and managing and organizing data
JavaScript: Used for creating webpages and supporting front-end and back-end development
Swift: Used for creating apps, most commonly for Apple platforms
Objective-C: Used for writing software for Apple products

How to Start Coding

Know why you want to learn to code

It is tempting to jump right in when you start coding. But if you don’t have an end goal, you may become frustrated and stop learning before you get to the fun.

So, before you start studying, think about why you want to know how to code. Think about the projects you want to complete, why this skill excites you, and what resources you have available.

For example, say you want to become a developer to earn more income for your family. Do you know where you want to work and what projects they need developers for? Are you ready to put in the time to learn to code, learn the right programming languages, and build projects that show you have what it takes?

Setting a broad goal like that is important but can be overwhelming. Instead, start with smaller, more specific goals. For example, say you want to build a mobile app for your friend who is training for a half-marathon one year from now.

This goal will:

Give you a sense of which programming language to start with.
Help you build the skills you need.
Set a deadline so you can manage your time while learning.

Familiarize yourself with computer architecture and data basics

One of the wonderful things about modern programming languages is that they enable us to create fancy applications without worrying about the nitty-gritty details of the hardware behind the scenes (for the most part).

This is called abstraction – the ability to work with higher-level tools (in this case programming languages) that simplify and narrow down the required scope of our understanding and skills.

However, that doesn’t mean it is useless to know the basics of the metal that your code is executing on. At the very least, being aware of a few tidbits will help you navigate workplace conversations about high CPU and memory usage.

Choose a coding language

If you’re trying to figure out which programming language to start with, think about your long-term goals. Are you coding for fun or to advance at work? Do you have a flexible timeline, or do you need to finish a project in a hurry?

As a beginner, you may want to start with a language that doesn’t use data structures or algorithms. If that is the case, HTML or CSS are great places to start. But languages like Java and Python are also great for beginners, and they have a wide range of applications.

It can sometimes take months to learn a programming language, so take some time to make this decision to make sure that your time is well spent.

Take online courses

Learning to code no longer requires a classroom setting. Today, there are thousands of online programming courses that cover everything from basic HTML to data structures to complex algorithms.

Your first course should introduce the basics of a language and contain interactive modules and assignments to guide your learning.

Courses create a structure for learning, which is essential as concepts in computer science build on each other. An organized course keeps everything digestible and ensures you’re learning things in the correct order.

Popular free course providers include:

freeCodeCamp
W3Schools
Scaler Topics
Harvard’s acclaimed Introduction to Computer Science course on edX and the CS50 YouTube channel

These options are great for determining early on whether you’re ready to invest the time to learn a particular language. Plenty of paid courses are available for a fraction of what in-person classes will cost you.

These choices cover a wide range of beginner, intermediate, and advanced CS topics:

Some paid services offer free courses or trials if you want to get a feel for their teaching before you commit.

Read books on how to start coding

There are loads of books out there on how to start coding. Reading a book can really help you get to grips with programming theory. However, beware of books that claim to teach you in 24 hours. Coding takes time. You won’t learn a language in a day. Instead, look for books with a more realistic time frame.

One particularly good series is the Sams Teach Yourself books by Bradley L. Jones.

The main downside, though, is that if you get stuck, it’s hard to ask a book for help. They’re great for broad ideas and concepts, or learning while you’re away from the computer. But without constant practice, you might become disheartened.

Watch video tutorials

When it comes to how to start coding on your own, there are quite a few tutorials on YouTube. These can often be more entertaining than reading a book, but are usually a bit more top-level. Here are a couple of good places to start.

Crash Course Computer Science
Tom Scott’s The Basics

Both cover broader topics in computing.

While online courses are your best bet for hands-on experience, online videos can supplement your learning and occupy your curiosity.

Listen to coding podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to learn while you’re traveling or away from the computer. Though you won’t learn specific syntax, they’ll help you wrap your head around the theory.

Here are a few to get you started:

CodeNewbie: If you’re looking for inspiration, this podcast talks through stories of people who got into programming, what they did, and how they did it.
Learn to Code: Laurence Bradford interviews and goes on her own journey to learn to code. You can follow along and learn with her as she does.
Coding Blocks: A more advanced podcast where a group of programmers talk about the intricacies of how to code.

Run through a coding tutorial

There are quite a few apps and websites to guide you through how to program. These are really useful if you’re still wondering which language to choose. You’ll learn the difference between a variable and a function, and start putting together really simple programs.

Do be wary, they can tend to fall a little short once you start wanting to create your own program, or anything particularly unique. You won’t have anybody to talk to, and they can feel quite limited in scope.

Codecademy is a great place to start. It is free, and you can learn the basics of a variety of languages to see which one suits you best.

Take a coding boot camp

When it comes to how to start coding, nothing can beat an actual teacher. In a coding boot camp, you’ll be put in an immersive learning environment that takes you from a coding pupil to a self-sufficient programmer in 14 weeks (or more depending on your schedule).

Coding boot camps are built for people who have decided that they want to make tech a career and want to gain the essential hard skills to be hired for jobs like full-stack developer and software engineer ASAP. They are not designed for anyone who wants to dabble in programming.

Join communities focused on how to start coding

Now you know the basics, it’s time to get into the details. There are plenty of places online to ask questions, get help with sticky problems and learn best practices. Joining a community can really help encourage you to continue coding and give you a bit of direction when you feel lost.

Naturally, computer programmers have carved out plenty of spaces on the internet that provide help to coders of all experience levels.

Here are four good ways to get involved:

Reddit’s /r/learnprogramming: An essential resource that brings together everything you might need to learn your language.
Stack Overflow: Whenever you have a problem, it’s extremely likely someone else has already solved it. Stack Overflow is one of the best forums for finding those solutions.
Meetup: Don’t underestimate how helpful it can be to know people in real life who code.
Hackathons: These events bring people together to quickly create programs, usually over a weekend. You can find plenty online, but try starting out with Major League Hacking.

While joining a community won’t teach you a language, it will help you see where you’ve gone wrong.

Try coding games

Use tools that make learning to code easier

While it’s great to know that you don’t need any special tools to write code, there are tools that can help.

Code Editor

Text editors include features to make coding easier like color coding, auto-complete, find-and-replace, and dark mode.

Most professionals use a code editor. This tool can help you write clean code faster. Code editors are like text editors, but they have extra features that help you manage and edit your code like:

Syntax highlighting
Code lookup
Built-in terminal environment

Notepad++, Sublime Text, and Emacs are popular editors for beginners. VS Code is also a great option.

Console

You’ll also want to get to know your computer a little better. When you start coding you should learn how to navigate the console (also called a terminal). This is the text-based interface for your operating system.

The console lets you find files and execute commands on them more quickly than the standard graphical user interface (GUI). Familiarize yourself with how to use it, including the basic UNIX commands, since you’ll be doing things that aren’t possible in the GUI.

Project Management

Many projects start simple but get more complicated as the project goes on. Using a project management tool, you can share files, update timelines, and break out separate parts of coding projects. This makes it easier to keep track of side projects and extra files while sticking to your timeline.

Troubleshooting

As you work on your coding projects, you may run into bugs, roadblocks, and other challenges. This can be super frustrating. Rubber Duck Debugging may sound silly, but it can help you simplify your problem and find useful solutions.

Complete coding projects.

You learn programming by doing — there’s no way around it. You can read up on all the concepts and syntax necessary to write functional code, but the ideas won’t fully materialize in your mind unless you put what you learn into practice. That’s where projects come in.

A project is any program (or website) built with your language of choice. When starting, keep projects short-term.

If you’re taking a course, you may be assigned projects designed to solidify a concept. There are also loads of beginner programming projects you can try independently. Some classic projects include:

A time converter, in which the user submits a number of seconds, and your program gives the equivalent in hours, minutes, days, etc.
A random number generator, which produces a random number between two values specified by the user.
A calculator, in which the user specifies their inputs and mathematical operation, and your program gives an output.
An address book, in which users can submit contact names, then search for contacts stored in your program.
An alphabetizer, in which the user offers a list of words, and your program sorts them in alphabetical order.
A hangman game, in which the user tries to guess a hidden word by inputting letters, and your game gives feedback for correct or incorrect guesses. When the user guesses all the letters to your word, they win.

A quick Google search will reveal even more mini-challenges that require applying your skills to real-world problems.

Coding games

Nothing beats practice. Once you have started wrapping your head around how to code and you have a few programs under your belt, it comes down to practice. This is where you can start looking for coding games.

These act as puzzles, which will challenge how you approach programming problems. They’re not for the complete beginner, but great for the intermediate.

Try out one of these:

Code Combat: These games walk you slowly through concepts, starting at computer science and getting steadily more complicated.
CodinGame: Once you have a bit more of an understanding, this game is about solving problems in specific languages.
Code Wars: Jump straight into programming problems and practice debugging your software.

Why you should learn how to start coding

On top of practicing concepts, coding projects offer other benefits to your learning.

First, they’ll keep you motivated. Projects help solidify the “why” behind your coding and set clear, tangible benchmarks for your progress. Each completed project means one more skill under your belt. As I was learning, this was very encouraging.

Second, coding projects, especially long-term ones, give you something to show for your work. It’s one thing to put “Python” on your resume — it’s another to show you built an entire website or application from scratch.

Projects are a must for entry-level programming jobs, as they prove competency in a given language.

Can I learn coding by myself?

Anyone can learn to code armed only with their ambition and curiosity. Coding is an open-source educational environment that offers free online classes and tutorials, educational videos, and even apps devoted to coding.

Of course, how-to coding manuals have been available for decades and still provide a valuable learning platform.

How long does it take to learn to code?

Though many people can learn the basics of a particular language within a few months, they’ll always be learning. Give yourself several months to become familiar with a language, especially if you’re starting from scratch. In a coding boot camp, 12 weeks of immersive full-time study will have you writing programs in HTML/CSS and JavaScript.

How can I learn to code for free?

Online coding resources are abundant and can include everything from tutorials to educational videos to sites with free coding courses. Finding these resources can require a bit of research, and sources should be scrutinized to ensure the information is current and relevant, but they make a fine starting point for coding beginners.

Table of Contents Hide

What is coding?

What is coding used for?

Below is a list of popular programming languages and their most common uses: