Many people who start studying programming don’t assess their skills properly. They don’t understand different parts of the field and often need help with tasks other than “writing my lab report.” Therefore, you have to read this article before taking such a major step and know yourself if you can be a programmer.
Quarantine is good for learning, and if you study, you select a promising job that can help you avoid losing a job in hard times. One profession that can guarantee jobs even in a crisis is the programmer. Some could believe it’s a stereotype. However, the reality reveals that it’s a profession that you may feel secure in.
Fears
Let’s talk about people’s fears about becoming programmers.
I am an adult
First of all, there is the Fear that is called “I am an adult.” An “adult” of this kind can be 25 or 50 years old—this assessment is completely subjective. However, old age is unimportant, and most programmers are old enough.
The profession often becomes older every day, which is normal. Certain people think that the older you become, the slower you think, but that isn’t always: if you have a flexible, fast-witted brain and understand that you can solve several issues and make some decisions, it’s up to your schedule. Such skills in life are, after all, not lost. So you don’t have to worry about your age.
A 20—or even 30-year-old junior developer is all right. There are several examples of persons under 40 working with young people in a team. Certain people might have a psychological barrier if their boss is much younger than them.
Still, programming is a career where skills and what you are as a professional are most valued. Therefore, you won’t have any issues if you grow effectively as a programmer. On the contrary, you can move your career faster with the experience you have gained.
I don’t know math well.
A common fear of “I don’t know mathematics well” is that they talk of it. However, it would be dishonest to ignore the importance of mathematics in programming. In many fields, deep knowledge of many subjects is required. For example, physics is a field that involves the construction of sophisticated games. There are places where serious mathematics is needed, but basic programming in general, particularly Web programming, requires very minimal expertise for creating and configuring sites and web applications.
Suppose you are saying that mathematics is essential for programming. In that case, knowing it as such does not mean knowing particular disciplines and mathematical apparatus—it means knowing mathematics as the method of creating thought and personality.
Math is perfect for your brain structure and thinking on a different level, improving your abstract thinking and doing more. Knowledge of math never hurts, therefore. They often begin to learn it together with the programming, and this is the correct approach.
At the same time, mathematical ignorance should not become an opportunity not to program, but if you have begun to do so, it can be improved, at least on some basic levels. Then, when you need it when you do calculations or work with algorithms, you will feel yourself. Many sites, like Coursera, allow you to access a large university and basic courses to improve your math skills.
I’m too dumb/stupid
The third place is fear, called “I’m too dumb or dumb.” This Fear is often seen in those who want to become programmers who effectively work in this profession. Based on these acquaintances, they sometimes seem to be stupid only because they use specific terms and are more knowledgeable in some matters.
This Fear is most often not warranted, and it has an intriguing effect, as seen in practice: beginners and experienced developers have a similar feature—they underestimate themselves. But this is also true for salaries, knowledge, and skills.
However, often with the ordinary developers who overestimate themselves, the situation is somewhat different. Therefore, perhaps you are already quite professional if you underestimate yourself.
What you need
Let’s talk about the things still needed by any novice programmer.
Desire
It would help if you had a lot of desire, as it is not as simple to learn programming as the first look.
Time
The time it takes to master this profession is very individual. However, you do require preparation time because it is not an easy discipline.
Get rid of your worries and take that step – start programming. Choose your route: study, complete courses, or even become self-educated. It’s sufficient to have a desire and time to be a programmer.