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Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

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Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#21

Post by japherwocky »

I'm teaching a dozen people or so how to build "websites" with HTML/CSS/Javascript/python. There's four intro lessons that take about an hour-ish, and then we review code once a week or so.

The idea is to give you the absolute minimum exposure you need to build what you want to build, show you how to look up the rest, and introduce you to some of the more abstract principles by correcting your code as you go.

Definitely still in Beta / Guinea Pig mode, but send me an email if you'd like to try it out: japherwocky [at] pearachute.com

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#22

Post by endtime »

greglockwood wrote: post #20

I was in the same position as you a few months ago. I had an idea for YComb!, and I didn't know any technical guys well enough to be a technical co-founder, so I decided I was going to be the technical co-founder. I would recommend picking up SAMS Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours: http://www.amazon.com/Sams-Teach-Yourself-Hours-Coverage/dp/... and O'Reilly's Learning PHP, MySQL, and Javascript: http://www.amaz…

>I didn't know any technical guys well enough to be a technical co-founder, so I decided I was going to be the technical co-founder.

The world needs more people like you.

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#23

Post by japherwocky »

nozepas wrote: post #2

It shouldn't take long. You should be able to do it in weeks time. Just search the internet for something like 'ruby tutorial'

I think it would be constructive if one of you downvoters left some sort of comment on why you've downvoted poor nozepas into graydom. :(

I, for one, think if you were persistent and started with a ruby tutorial, you could indeed make an MVP in a few weeks effort!

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#24

Post by phamilton »

http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/

This will get you a very good understanding of basic programming. After that, try http://railstutorial.org/ if you want to learn rails. (while ruby is a different language, Think Python teaches concepts that apply is all languages. Python is just the transport.)

Good luck

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#25

Post by nozepas »

nozepas wrote: post #2

It shouldn't take long. You should be able to do it in weeks time. Just search the internet for something like 'ruby tutorial'

Maybe my advice was too short. I was just willing to encourage him to try. Obviously it takes very long to feel really comfortable with a language, but it should not take very long to be able to develop some simple application as he is asking for. Sure that app won't be programatically and algorithmically perfect but it may work as a first start.

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#26

Post by ze_dude »

This says it much better than I can: How to Build a Web Site from Scratch with No Experience (http://lifehacker.com/5336113/how-to-build-a-web-site-from-s...)

It details how the author built mixtape.me starting with basically zero experience, and is quite worth your while.

The advice below uses Rails as the framework, but will work whichever one you choose. The steps stay the same: build a basic app with help (from a book, tutorial, etc.) to understand the framework/language, start building what you want to create and learn at the same time.

What I'd suggest is to obtain a copy of "Agile Web Development with Rails (4th edition)" (http://pragprog.com/titles/rails4/agile-web-development-with...). Side note: it's not published yet, so make sure you get the beta version (an e-book version, and you'll be notified of updates as content is modified/added).

Then read through the book while building the example application in the book (a basic shopping website). This approach is great, because you learn by doing and you also get to glance at agile methodologies.

Once you've gone through the toy app and understood it, you'll be quite proud of yourself and will be able to build simple things already.

At this point, you should start to work on your own idea, it's much more motivating and you'll always learn the most when working on a "real" project.

To be noted: the Rails book does assume you have passing familiarity with Ruby (or at least a programing language), HTML, etc. If you need/want to learn programming first, you should probably also get an appropriate book on the subject, such as "Learn to Program (2nd edition)" (http://pragprog.com/titles/ltp2/learn-to-program) or, if you're more advanced, the Pickaxe (http://pragprog.com/titles/ruby3/programming-ruby-1-9).

Oh, and the reason I mention PragProg books isn't because I'm affiliated with them (I'm not), but because I have yet to get one of their books that doesn't live up to my expectations.

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#27

Post by leif »

At a university.

I can't tell you how sick I am of laypeople thinking they can just pick up one or two programming languages in a couple hours a week and get a job. These people end up with a very small skillset and no knowledge of what things they don't know or where they might learn those things, and therefore they're of negative worth to a programming team. You need the experience and breadth of at least topical expertise before you'll be of any use to anyone.

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#28

Post by rezrovs »

leif wrote: post #27

At a university. I can't tell you how sick I am of laypeople thinking they can just pick up one or two programming languages in a couple hours a week and get a job. These people end up with a very small skillset and no knowledge of what things they don't know or where they might learn those things, and therefore they're of negative worth to a programming team. You need the experience and breadth of at least topical e…

University will teach you the underlying principles of computing and give you the foundation and knowledge to be a better programmer, but it won't necessarily teach you how to be a programmer.

It doesn't teach you a variety of languages or the language that you hope to work with professionally. It doesn't teach you about version control or how to work with legacy code.

I decided to get a degree because it would make be a better programmer and hopefully that has happened. But it wasn't going to a university that taught me how to get stuff done in a language I like.

For reference: I have been in the programming industry for seven years and only this year will I finish my degree (been studying part time).

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#29

Post by leif »

rezrovs wrote: post #28
leif wrote: post #27

At a university. I can't tell you how sick I am of laypeople thinking they can just pick up one or two programming languages in a couple hours a week and get a job. These people end up with a very small skillset and no knowledge of what things they don't know or where they might learn those things, and therefore they're of negative worth to a programming team. You need the experience and breadth of at least topical e…

University will teach you the underlying principles of computing and give you the foundation and knowledge to be a better programmer, but it won't necessarily teach you how to be a programmer. It doesn't teach you a variety of languages or the language that you hope to work with professionally. It doesn't teach you about version control or how to work with legacy code. I decided to get a degree because it would make…

At a good university, with the intent of putting in lots of extra effort on your own and going beyond the scope of the classes.

I contest that the vast majority cannot program effectively without the foundation you get at a university, nor without learning what knowledge is out there that you don't have yet.

Also, my university had a class all about version control, legacy code, and portability. [so, suck it, other universities ;-)]

Re: Ask HN: Zero programming experience and badly want to learn. Where to start?

#30

Post by smutticus »

I'm a believer that in order to learn programming you first need to find a problem you want to solve. Then solve it. It really, really helps if there is someone who you can ask questions of. But it's not absolutely necessary.

Which language you pick is less relevant than finding the right problem to give you the motivation to want to learn.

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