#1 Thing to Learn to Become a Self-Taught Programmer

How do you land a job as a self-taught programmer? Since I've started working with people directly to help them change careers I've noticed there is one thing that makes a huge difference from those who continuously struggle and those who make it. In this video I'll share what that is.
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[@AndySterkowitz]

Did this video clarify some expectations you had about learning to code?

[@deonrich3149]

Thank you for all of your advice! I love your channel and all of your videos, im currently striving to become a self-taught web developer and you've greatly helped me along the way! Keep up the amazing content! 👍👌🤗😀❤️

[@Hrsk174]

You are awesome

[@PythonLearningChannel]

Love your channel! And you are so right... learning the WHAT is much different from the HOW. I think concentrating on *actually* doing projects, like building an app from scratch, from start-to-finish or constructing a game, things like that sound easy to do, but act-u-a-lly doing it is another ballgame. It takes time, effort, and a huge amount of perseverance to see a problem through. Because problems are inevitable-- it's how much you want to solve it is key. Too many people give up, maybe. I know *I've* been tempted at times...

[@frog42]

I love how you explain stuff

[@scurvofpcp]

One thing I was taught back in my electronics eng days, if you can quantize it, you can manipulate it, and as a rule I've found that is true in code.

[@jelmund]

Yesterday I landed my first web dev job after 6 months of teaching myself how to code! I still have to fully realize what I just achieved, but I am really happy about it!

[@gabrieladimabua]

Congrats brother, what language did you learn?

[@brunomillalaf8553]

Teach us how :)

[@MikaelMahsudjan]

How much hours per day? That is an amazing archievement

[@jelmund]

@@gabrieladimabua PHP and Laravel as BE and Vue as FE. They use Angular as their FE framework, so I will have to learn that!

[@jelmund]

@@brunomillalaf8553 I built a portfolio website on which I showed three projects. All of these projects used a BE and FE framework (Laravel & Vue) and showed that I could build CRUD functionality. Also API's are important. I also made sure that the styling of my website and my CV were the same and looking neat, which was actually why they gave me a chance to make their test.

[@InTheGlow135]

I’m in my late 40’s and want to make a change in my career. I’m legitimately interested in this. And this is the best explanation I’ve heard. This is the approach I’ve always followed without realizing it. Thank you!!

[@organisedme]

InTheGlow135 am in my early 40s l have started HTML n css seems interesting so you can do it .

[@rohankumarlal5472]

If you are interested in things in your late 40s. You are doing great

[@shapeeps]

I hope you're making that transition! Don't let yourself fall behind, you can do it!

[@jacquesvanwyk326]

I can so relate. I am 54 and just started a Python Bootcamp course. I liken to something like a stenographer records what she hears at lightning speed, while if I had to do it, I would take much longer, yet will still get the job done. Same with coding. I will employ a few coders, but I want to understand what they're doing and even write a line or two of code myself.

[@kingrhino11]

Im 25 and im giving programming another go after giving up in college. Good luck and work hard everyone!

[@MyReviews_karkan]

Logic is never an issue for me, my issue is how to turn that logic into actual code. You'd need to memorize a ton of syntax. You have to know what syntax to use for certain things. I've managed to eliminate some of that issue by searching the right way. There is an answer for everything, you just need to search it right.

[@ExTorvo]

Small chunks over time and then push forward to unknown things...

[@SL2797]

I think the key is knowing WHAT to search for.

[@Aj-zr8dz]

Search "best practices" in whatever language.

[@jayrenegade3009]

I usually write psudo code, it is basically steps to get the desired result I want, that always helps me break down a big application

[@SeriesTube01]

Exactly. In the web developer course from Andre Neagoie that I'm doing he gives several sites with resources, practices and for instance, lots of HTML tags and how to use them. You have to know about good sites like that. Andrei encourage students to research on their own, he always says "Remember: Google is your best friend".

[@zedzedder1426]

I think the most important thing to learn is to be able sell yourself and the promise that even if you don't know something, you can learn it quickly. At least in my personal experience.

[@istandaloneroronoazoro5188]

And how can I learn that? In my interviews I struggle to sell myself and I want to know how to if you don't mind

[@zedzedder1426]

@@istandaloneroronoazoro5188 I am not an expert in any way so I will tell you my last interview experience. 1. I was honest about my experience, and he asked the technical questions accordingly. 2. I was up until 3am the day before to try to squeeze more knowledge in my brain about the technologies they wanted. It did help in the interview. 3. I forced myself to become talkative. 4. I entered the room thinking that the other person is just human as well. I wasn't afraid of him. Like when you meet a teacher that you really liked in high school. You are friendly but still don't want to say something stupid. 5. I thanked him for taking the time to interview me and I told him that I know that he is probably tired of listening to bs all day. He said that he appreciated my effort of buying plane tickets to be there personally instead of skype. (I still think this was one of the major factors for hiring me) 6. I didn't expect to get the job and that took some weight off my shoulder. 7. I was genuinly interested in the company and the directions I could take if I would get the job. I believe that honesty was key, but I might have just been just very lucky. Either way, I am working hard to prove myself since then.

[@pessimistprime6318]

Zed Zedder Also a genuine interest in the company helps to with applying to places in general

[@darklen14]

After landing a programmer job, learning quickly is #1 thing. They hire you in and say you will be doing one thing then all of a sudden you are doing something else not in your scope.

[@aqeelrahman4788]

I guess that can be applied in general, not just programming right?

[@auctionmusic]

Your first app is always "hello world"

[@cosmics999]

Mine was print("Hello KZbin")

[@tomaguilar7974]

@@cosmics999 With any kind of language today the very first thing I've learned to do is figure out how to print "Hello World". After that, if you feel you have the capacity to instruct a computer then you start building on that. The more you do this the more you learn if this is what you want to do for the rest of your life.

[@StarlasAiko]

Tom Aguilar not necessarily. On the Commodore64, I was learning to code in Basic. I gave up when the lessons went into Peek and Poke and Data. With Ruby and other more modern languages, I fail even before getting to abstracts, I fail on the subject of Arrays...

[@guccigreatness4925]

The "hello world" app is the godfather app that is the the origin of all great software 😢😂

[@andremande2425]

True

[@aaronbono4688]

I have been programming, teaching and mentoring programmers for over two decades now and I have to say this is spot-on excellent advice. I have seen so many people come out of undergraduate and even PhD software engineering programs who can't code themselves out of a box and some of the best programmers I've had the opportunity to work with were self-taught and just learn to think like they're supposed to and don't get hung up on all the rules and semantics. As you say the syntax is important but you can always look things up on the internet, you need to learn to think like a programmer.

[@AndySterkowitz]

Cheers! Thanks Aaron!

[@kamilradzimowski140]

I have the same image (exact same frog) on my wardrobe

[@jopetsumcad]

Back in the day we were taught flowcharts to visually see the logic instead of just coding. When you are able to visually see the logic and practice flowcharting enough, you will visually see the logic in the code itself

[@mrfister1899]

I use logic to work out what I want to do, then I use Google to find the code I need to steal to do it.

[@jackjones3657]

Knowing is one thing, doing and applying the knowledge is another level.

[@akoritanehemiah1299]

Exactly, learning and applying is so different

[@kensei4237]

Insanely difficult for a beginner :,)

[@rogermarquezmedina8865]

As a 41-year-old dude just getting started with programming to expand my SEO capabilities and after watching dozens of different programming videos for beginners I can say without any doubt in my mind this is by far the best video tutorial I´ve ever watched on the topic. I am very happy to have found your channel and I am looking forward to diving into it. Thank you so much for taking the time to produce these videos, keep up the good work!

[@bazimtsweni5343]

Maaaaaan!!! I've been looking for this stepping stone for a while now.. thank you!!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@gymwebplatform]

This video is really well laid out. Appreciate you taking the time to break this topic down.

[@Cyber-Cameron]

I've had a million different things stopping me for years from doing coding. Whether it be tragic life events like both of my parents passing away, to just being lazy. But your videos mixed with being tired and exhausted from my current career (I do flooring. It sucks), I've finally sat down and started learning. So I just want to say thank you. I'm currently 23/almost 24. I'm hoping that by the time I'm 25 I will finally have a nice paying job in something I actually enjoy.

[@user-ll9uu6nz9t]

Hey Andy, Thanks for all the valuable info man! Always appreciate it

[@Jonathancabanyc]

I am very happy to find this video, I was never told to think this way about learning a programming language.

[@Scottyhutch1]

Thanks, bro. I love the stripped back chat style you have. It actually feels like your talking to us instead of the 'look at me! Look at my skills!' style the majority of people on KZbin have. Keep the vids coming and I'll keep listening and learning. Cheers!

[@smartwolf9045]

Thanks for that, you just confirmed what I thought. Have a great day man

[@igneriilla6712]

Hey I found you back in 2018 before I started my coding bootcamp and you were pretty accurate at what to keep in mind before I started. Great job!

[@michaelcarpenter1031]

Andy, you are an EXCELLENT teacher and you just earned my subscription.

[@armoredlumberjack1999]

Thank you! This is EXACTLY what i needed to hear.

[@ophirbucai]

1 year after this video was released, all your points hit right at home. Keep up the great content, Andy Sterkowitz!

[@code_kanga5390]

From experience there's a good argument to be made for not language hopping as a beginner. Stick with a language for long enough not to have to get caught up with the details of a language while you're learning the 'recipe' concepts.

[@tienshido]

Thank you. I’m starting from no computer skills, and this was helpful! Carrying logic and having understanding over knowledge is how I purpose to live life. Still learning what I need to learn about but everything I hear helps a lot! Hopefully I can start learning what I need to know to put my game ideas into a design so I can learn and have more understanding of how one can make all the different components of gameplay possible soon. I’ve watched probably 15-18 videos on this so far.

[@peli6043]

Awesome video. I just subscribed because of such real good context. I'm thinking of getting into program self teach. Thnx brotha!

[@williamkyorazo3521]

Thanks Andy for your advice, best regards from Brazil!

[@chriscruz429]

I love this video, I’m currently enrolled in college with a Computer Science major and this video definitely makes sense. Even the example on the instructions on how to get to a place is a great comparison to what the logic of writing an algorithm is like.

[@barbararoriz]

Thank you for this video, Since I started coding, and I always watch one of your videos before starting off, helps me focus on where I want to get, and to keep in mind the important aspects of coding, and not sweating off on the small things. Its been really helpful :)

[@christianantfeld3827]

Thanks Andy. This video helped me understand the "levels" to programming. Everyone else: don't give up!

[@dalhama]

great tips. Just found your channel and watched a few videos already, going to follow your tips and see where I will get in 6 months time.

[@Jasonrm92]

This was very good advice - subbed to you. Thanks!

[@037tube]

Extremely helpful and inspiring video, Andy. Thank you so much!

[@ghostfjdgcsusvsgsj]

Thanks for the great pieces of advice. Your video gave me a realistic view of what I need to learn to become a programmer.

[@koffworld7857]

Thank you! The video is really helpful!

[@Fawaduddin]

To be honest I couldnt ask for more, you covered up the most important topics for the guys who had these questions before getting started. I myself am giving it a go but felt like running blind. The topic in this video really creates that trajectory beginners are looking for. Well Done!

[@alanwimbish6819]

I’m just beginning to teach myself programming. Your video was extremely helpful and most importantly, thank you for getting straight to the point of the video

[@ademineshat]

Exactly what I needed! Thanks

[@AndySterkowitz]

You’re welcome Neshat!

[@Pankaj-Verma-]

Thank you so much for your kind help!

[@gsussb_]

Codewars is also great to practice this.

[@CostaKazistov]

Totally agree. Seeing how others solved the same Kata is very instructive. I learned a few useful tricks from Codewars. Amazing platform to level up coding skills.

[@vinnnnnny12345]

what about leetcode. which one is better

[@logixindie]

@@vinnnnnny12345 Everyone prefers different things. Try them yourself

[@gsussb_]

@@vinnnnnny12345 I haven't tried it out, so I can't say; try both and see what works for you the most.

[@RakibHasan-jt8hv]

Codewars gooddd

[@giocondaa4871]

I listened to many guys on youtube who worked at google or such big names, but you're the only one who actually is talking some sense, not just ("You have to this and this" but actually you're saying "Im not telling you what to do ,but let me tell how to think so you don't have to ask anybody". You really know the stuff

[@mohamadalbaker4760]

Very informative, thanks Andy.

[@swiftninjapro]

Good video, I usually don't watch "Learn to become a self-taught programmer" videos, because they don't seem to give the right advice. This video actually gives you good advice. I've actually started self-thought programming years ago, and learned on my own, the logic is the important part, like this video says. Over the years, it seems learning the syntax of a new language is easy, and you will eventually end up using multiple programming languages for one project. While you should learn the basic syntax, also put more focus on logic. Most every language follows a very similar syntax pattern. Don't worry about what language you start with, if you learned one, you probably also learned 10 other programming languages, because so many of them follow similar patterns. Its possible you will also already learned that new language that will be released in the year 2052. (posted this in 2020, will laugh if 32 years from now, a new language is released in that exact year).

[@kingsleydaniel9988]

You just spoke my mind. Thanks for this!!

[@NaderTaghinia]

One of the best presentation I have ever seen about getting better at programming for beginners. Very articulate and right to the point. What you explained _now I see_ is really the heart of the problem in the beginning! Thank you very much 👌

[@zezeandjr4110]

Great video, not that many of those online, there are tons of tech-teaching videos out there, very few of them feeds you the facts and the truth like the one you put out, Andy, keep it up...

[@AndySterkowitz]

Thanks Zeze 😊

[@mohammedomar6383]

Thank you Andy for your continues advices for community I wish all the best for you in this life and hereafter

[@derekgossett1134]

Good advice. Thank you Andy.

[@AndySterkowitz]

Glad to help Derek!

[@believemanasseh]

These videos keep doing the most. Nice one..

[@privacywanted434]

Thank you for this video! I've been working as a software engineer for 5 years. I'm trying to improve and this video has been helpful in that.

[@beamboyz4901]

Stay at it and beak your problem down in steps thanks man

[@TheBlvision]

Helpful indeed, thank you!

[@illuminivory]

As one of my unofficial mentors I really do appreciate your advice. You make programming seem like an adventure.

[@darktealglasses]

I like how humble you sound 😍

[@adarshtiwari7395]

Highly informative and interesting. All your videos provide great help to budding programmers. Thanks a lot. Keep up the creative work !!

[@TheOleHermit]

I'm a self taught programmer/maker for the past year. IMO: #1: Start with an inexpensive Raspberry Pi + starter kit (to avoid 'breaking' your primary computer). Those tutorials taught me the principles of Python programming, controlling hardware devices, and reading sensors via GPIO pins. That led to programming Arduino, ESP32/8266 microcontrollers, & IoT devices via micropython, Tkinter, MQTT, BLYNK, etc. #2: Create real world projects. You might think you can, but "been there, done that" speaks volumes, IOW, "The proof is in the pudding." Getting a stepper motor or device to work on a workbench is easy. Getting multiple devices to interact with an ideal GUI is on another level. I've spent the past year developing my 1st 'maker' project. It's a DIY high res security camera, with a stepper controlled (zoom, focus, & aperture) 50mm lens, a programmable x/y mount, and solar tracking dual 20 watt PV panels charging a 60 AH LiFePO4 battery pack. One thing makes this possible; #3: Research. Research. Research. Nearly everything you need to know is on the internet, but you need to keep searching, sometimes applying trial and error, until you find the best solution. This is very time consuming and sometimes overwhelming. But, that's only because you are beginning to understand what you don't already know. If developing apps were easy, everyone would be doing it, and those jobs would only pay minimum wage. #4 "Never give up." Sometimes a problem is only a (syntax) character away from success. Sometimes, it requires learning another programming language, such as JS, JSON, etc. This is very frustration, but these lessons can only be learned from practice and experience. Eventually, they become second nature. But, no one can go from learning 'ChopSticks' fundamentals to playing a Bach piano concerto overnight. Practice your 'art' everyday in order to become fluent. Stay safe & happy coding! 😎

[@theemillennial]

The Hermit what are you doing that you're breaking your computer?

[@justmy2centx632]

Very. Much. Spot. On. Kudos man.

[@edu-mq5yy]

Thank you so much Andy🙏💕

[@AndySterkowitz]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@brandondelacruz2933]

I needed this. Cheers!

[@elinadangol7394]

I usually don't subscribe to a content creator from just one video. But I did today. You seem so genuine and true. Not just trying to glamorize tech. This is real thing. Tech is tough. Thank you Andy. Looking forward to more such genuine contents. :) - new subscriber

[@JonathonTaylor29]

Thanks for sharing this was very helpful!

[@TheMasterNumberSeven]

This is one of the most interesting snd fascinating channels I've opened this year

[@braker37]

Basically practice. Keep working on it, keep being persistent, keep getting your mind blown. I started a year ago, struggling to grasp the logic behind a simple for loop. Now I'm about to finish my first full-stack website using .Net and Angular.

[@mai-content4you]

Yavor Daskaloff keep on doing brother! I was also struggling for many years now I work full time as a developer. Attitude and persistency is the key 🔑

[@Mallick7]

Yavor Daskaloff , thank you very much for sharing this. I am kind of going through the same. Your experience telling me that there will be light.

[@tech34ky]

Thank you so much for your video and super interesting information.

[@Eduardado]

You are so helpful Andy! thx !!!

[@fraoulmassresha6639]

Man ! i needed this... Andy Sterkowitz you the Man

[@Digitalgaming]

Awesome video man. Very straight forward explanation..... awesome!

[@brandinator1996]

This is fantastic and the PERFECT video for me to find right now. Thanks for all you do, man!

[@sarasands9678]

Another great video Andy! I have been digging into Tony Alicea’s Javascript Understanding the Weird Parts and he definitely preaches a similar approach. Loving it so far. Your adorable by the way 😉!

[@Eduship]

That's good

[@aakashverma8602]

Great advice !!!

[@monkeyjoint88]

Thank you - keep up the good work .

[@MyFukinBass]

A very good insight, thank you!

[@christophercarmonachriz]

This is the best video i have seemed on this topic. I have been breaking my head with this same topic. Thanks for the information. Excellent video🙌🙌🙌

[@minenhle1]

Thanks man you are really inspirational

[@TheArmchairrocker]

A couple of traits I found important for programming is patience and perseverance. Many beginning programmers give up when something isn't going right or they can't find the answer to a problem. Sometimes it takes stepping away from the problem for a little while before a solution will present itself. Some of the problems I've solved were solved away from the computer.

[@Nobel747]

Nice vid Andy’ thank you bro

[@michapawowski9646]

Thanks for that mate!

[@peli6043]

Seriously. This video is f$#k'n pure fire 🔥!!! Lov'in it!

[@damyandimitrov611]

Yesterday I lost my position as an intern in a company. This videos helps me organise my plan to self develop untill my next job. Thank you for the video! It was very well explained.

[@yoshreimi]

Keep it up. Youre already ahead of so many.. im starting to learn to code now. You have the experience I desire and you can make youself stronger. Meditate and work on your projects. Hope many blessings come your way

[@jackrushing8160]

Great advice! Self taught programmer from the 80's. started with MS BASIC, moved on to Assembly, then to C. After 30 years of chasing other dreams, I finally returned to programming as a hobby. I set a large project and a language, C# in this case, and commenced the learning. I have found the the large project is much easier if I select a function or class to implement, learn what is needed to make it work correctly, debug it, and move on.

[@stalker200368]

This is one of the first videos about programming that actually helped me understand what should i work on and that i dont need to know 100% of the language to become better. Thank you!

[@ayonmustafiz3804]

Amazing Video! Thank you. MINDSET is more important than Knowledge

[@mrfreeze2313]

Thanks andy great video

[@akhilgbs4815]

Thanks for the video bro this video made me realise something important.

[@godwinkachi5284]

Nice introduction I actually subscribed even before watching through the video.

[@fortnitegamingloot6135]

thanks for the knowledge ! I wanted to highlight and say that i agree with your philosophy we are programmers in real life. with our words. Your words can create a desired outcome in this reality.

[@madfreddie3233]

Thank you!!! I know I am late but this helps so much bro

[@pieterveldsman8551]

Ultimately understanding what you are doing in the moment is key to making any real progress! I think that a programmer MUST poses the Quality of acting Meticulously from the very outset of understanding coding/programming. Cultivate a Meticulous Outlook and push through until you solve the problem! Thanks for this informative video! Great stuff! don't miss a beat!!

[@leinie8828]

This is a cool talk. I think a lot of people think themselves ( like me ) as a logical person. They can argue and question things. But some times, people do exactly the opposite thing. Some times, we just forget what's our purpose. And thanks for the reminder.

[@gabbisacha]

Great information. Thank you.

[@stonemassiman]

hi Andy, I hope I will enjoy your teaching, well done in the advance.

[@mariaalejandraalfonzom.3886]

A very good initiative to make this video, it teaches an interesting technique, I will put it into practice.

[@Naz_scarface7]

Thanks for the advice

[@ripplesr5655]

Thank you very much man!

[@johnnyjohnston3210]

I wrote my first project yesterday! Numbers guessing game! Really liking it so far!

[@scorpion32]

This is so true , I used to struggle with sql problems, in the beginning, thinking my knowledge wasn't thorough enough. Turns out it's a matter of checking the steps.

[@rensaito9009]

Whats SQL

[@thecomedian4136]

Useful. Liked it.

[@obedodai3389]

This is an awesome information. Thank you Sir

[@MrTactics26]

Thanks for the info

[@rusrus7531]

Thanks Man!

[@EmileAI]

Its all about knowing how to turn your ideas into diagrams. Writing and drawing my logic problems on a sheet of paper for me was key, now I code faster because I can visualize it in my head efficiently. It's like a natural bridge between your logic and how to write it as code. Visualization, how to visualize for loops etc... it definitely helps a lots

[@jolimota]

Excellent advice, ✌️🖥️💻

[@shafinhaque2179]

Thanks a lot for sharing your thought. Can you please share you experience how you became a good programmer and get job ? How long it took and which tutorial you have followed? Thanks

[@EmileAI]

@@shafinhaque2179 I don't really know how to start... I started coding in middle school, back then I was coding some pretty simple plugins for Minecraft servers in Java. To speak the truth my code was pretty pretty scuffed and I was way too lazy to learn how to code properly. But still, I learned some java by myself and developed my own view on the logic of programming. Today, I still use this logic even though I'm not writing Java but python or JS, C, etc. My view on the logic of coding was to visualize everything in my head through diagrams and to be honest I always thought everyone was doing the same. For example, the for loop can be visualized as a row of squares and the variable "i" is represented by a colored square moving from left to right as "i" increments. What's cool about this is that it can be applied for index and iterations over lists and strings for example. Two for loops of the same "size" inside one another can be represented as a square with each row (let's say painted in blue) and representing the first loop and each column (painted in red) representing the second one. In this case, if you are iterating over an image then each square inside this big square is a pixel. As I learned new stuff, I learned to draw diagrams about a multiple of things in my head or on a piece of paper. If you are not here yet It's ok, just take your time. For me, coding is not about doing a crazy amount of projects in order to learn how to program but to start slow with some tiny projects and during these, trying to find the most efficient way to visualize what I do in order to be more efficient in the future. I didn't code that many projects but their difficulty surely increased a lot. About my job , I'm still in college right now so I didn't have much of an experience. That said, I just created my own tech startup and I did receive some job offers through my GitHub but mainly as a remote dev. Really, don’t be scared to go all in. It’ll be more fun. But first you should learn to search correctly on your browser. You’d be amazed by the amount of time gained by optimizing your google search. For beginners, StackOverflow, medium and GitHub (learn how to use them in that order if you can) are a must. But don’t lose your time on other websites. These 3 websites are what you could call my “tutorials”. From being an absolute total beginner in python to having an intermediate (+) level it took me almost a year. But from not knowing how to code at all to knowing how to think efficiently while coding it took me roughly 3.5 years. But I was 11 and I didn’t know any English so it should be wayyy faster for you. I sincerely recommend you to find and follow your convictions first (why you want to learn how to code, your philosophy should I say). Then follow your path. You should be way more efficient this way because you’ll know why you do this, it will give you an intrinsic motivation.

[@shafinhaque2179]

@@EmileAI wow that's amazing. Thanks for your valuable time and sharing your knowledge. I build some simple project using .net core. I want to get to build more project and build up my skill through this. Currently i am looking for job and self taught programmer my self .

[@jimeiden2360]

Emile That’s what Business Analyst does