What advice would you give to someone thinking of spending 9 months learning programming full time.
Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
1–10 of 14 posts
Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#2First off, good luck! I would pick a language like Python or Javascript, and start reading code. diveintopython is very good.
Once you are familiar with little bits of code, pick something big that you want to make. My first big program was a metasearch engine (given a search query, issue queries to several search engines, parse the results, and combine them into one set).
Once you are happy with it, maybe 5-6 months in, write the same program in another language, say Ruby or Javascript. This is now called a "kata", I think. I wrote the same metasearcher in 5 different languages over the course of about 14 months. Attacking the same problem gives you a good vantage point from which to compare languages and techniques.
Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#3Spend 9 months working on something and learn via the work. Don't spend 9 months simply studying programming information. ( Bonus points if you are getting paid by someone else while you are learning... but be clear about that upfront. )
Pick a problem, a tool set and get experienced. You will not gain as much if you simply read across multiple applications and disciplines.
For a focus on the academics, and not the practical, I would not suggest going it alone unless you are really that strange type of person that gets math intuitively.
Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#4First off, good luck! I would pick a language like Python or Javascript, and start reading code. diveintopython is very good. Once you are familiar with little bits of code, pick something big that you want to make. My first big program was a metasearch engine (given a search query, issue queries to several search engines, parse the results, and combine them into one set). Once you are happy with it, maybe 5-6 months…
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Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#5First off, good luck! I would pick a language like Python or Javascript, and start reading code. diveintopython is very good. Once you are familiar with little bits of code, pick something big that you want to make. My first big program was a metasearch engine (given a search query, issue queries to several search engines, parse the results, and combine them into one set). Once you are happy with it, maybe 5-6 months…
I am planning on focusing on CSS/Javascript and I have a simple browser extension that I want to make at some point and will be focusing on learning the skills necessary to make the add on.
I will definitely take a look at other languages as well and I already know some basic Java but in the beginning I plan on focusing on Javascript.
Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#6Spend 9 months working on something and learn via the work. Don't spend 9 months simply studying programming information. ( Bonus points if you are getting paid by someone else while you are learning... but be clear about that upfront. ) Pick a problem, a tool set and get experienced. You will not gain as much if you simply read across multiple applications and disciplines. For a focus on the academics, and not the p…
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Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#7Spend 9 months working on something and learn via the work. Don't spend 9 months simply studying programming information. ( Bonus points if you are getting paid by someone else while you are learning... but be clear about that upfront. ) Pick a problem, a tool set and get experienced. You will not gain as much if you simply read across multiple applications and disciplines. For a focus on the academics, and not the p…
Thanks for the advice. I completely agree on picking a problem and a toolset.
I really want to focus on the practical aspects of "web development"
Do you have any advice on what type of "environment would be ideal for learning programming?
Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#8You need to read this essay by Peter Norvig: http://norvig.com/21-days.html
Its very easy to learn the syntax of any language, you can probably do 5-10 a day. But to really learn a language, you must use it. Try to solve problems and try reinventing the wheel a couple of times.
Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#9First off, good luck! I would pick a language like Python or Javascript, and start reading code. diveintopython is very good. Once you are familiar with little bits of code, pick something big that you want to make. My first big program was a metasearch engine (given a search query, issue queries to several search engines, parse the results, and combine them into one set). Once you are happy with it, maybe 5-6 months…
It's probably good to note there are some differing opinions on diveintopython, (well, mostly zed shaw's opinion).
Here is his rant about it: http://oppugn.us/posts/1272050135.html
Here is the hn discussion of his rant: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1289186
Re: Ask YC: How to learn the most programming possible in 9 months?
#10Make sure whatever you work on is something you are passionate about. Something you think is the coolest thing ever. Doesn't matter if it is useful or if it is something people will pay for. It could also be something really ambitious; don't limit yourself by what you think you can do.
If you don't pick a project you really really care about then learning programming and finishing your project is going to be twice as difficult.
Good luck! Check back in in a couple months to let us know how it went!