Common Mistakes To Avoid While Learning Programming

When learning to programme, you may have trouble noticing the mistakes that you make. Instead, you’ll realize that it takes too long to write and correct your programs. Still, once you deploy your applications, they’ll appear to have some annoying mistakes that should be detected during testing. Luckily, this guide will discuss five mistakes you’re likely to make while learning programming and tips for avoiding them.

1. Studying lots of programming languages At once

Trying to learn a large number of programming languages within a short duration is a common mistake that those who are new to programming make. They believe displaying JavaScript, Scorpion, or Python in their resumes will make them seem intelligent. But they end up embarrassing themselves, especially if they’ve little or even no knowledge in any of the languages.

Solution

Concentrate on one programming language at the start. Once you’ve mastered it, you can now move to the next language on your list. When you do this, you’ll smoothly switch from one language to the next, and after a few years, you’ll be a master in multiple languages. Many beginner programmers across the globe are finding Raspberry Pi to be a valuable tool to learn programming languages.

2. Fear and self-doubt

Programming might be frightening at times for even experienced developers. As a beginner, you may sometimes question your capability. You may feel like you’re not intelligent enough to develop a proper solution to a problem. You may also feel like you don’t have the right kind of brain, especially when you take too long to pick up concepts that your colleagues are mastering quickly and effortlessly.

Solution

Programming is all about taking up new challenges and helping others find the right solutions to their problems. But before you start helping others, you must help yourself first. You need to face your insecurities and self-doubt with courage.

3. Writing disorganised and poor quality code

Beginners tend to write messy code and rarely observe quality. Some of the common mistakes that newbies in the programming industry make when it comes to code format include:

• Improper code indentation
• Uneven use of white space and newlines
• Writing a too large function or placing everything on one line or function
• Awkward variables and functions
• Code with excessive commenting or no commenting at all

Solution

As a beginner, you shouldn’t just write code and force it to work. Instead, you should ensure your codes are clean, understandable, and maintainable. Always seek professional help whenever you hit the dead end. You should also invest in a powerful micro-computer like Raspberry Pi to help you speed up your learning.

4. Not coding along

Some beginners don’t physically write code themselves while learning. They think just watching, and listening is enough to understand everything. What they fail to realize is that writing code never feels natural at the beginning. Instead, it feels slow and awkward. The more you practice, the more natural it becomes.

Solution

Always code along with video lectures every opportunity you get. You can even copy tutorials to help you practice and understand concepts well.

5. Having a know-it-all attitude

Coding is exciting at the beginning because you’ll have access to many resources to play with and manipulate. This results in an excellent start where you solve problems with little to no challenge. Because the internet is a bit friendly to new programmers, your first few coding sessions are likely to be incredibly enjoyable and less frustrating.

This may make you think you know it all. With this attitude, you may fail to expand or sharpen your skills, thinking there is nothing else to learn. However, keep in mind that as a beginner, you may also be prone to attacks, so make sure to safeguard your privacy while you download or search online.

Solution

The best way to get rid of the know-it-all attitude is to explore more. You can review a couple of complex projects on sites like Codecademy so that you can appreciate the amount of knowledge and effort that goes into building a good project. You can also ask successful programmers about their experiences to help you recognize the learning path programmers should follow when they start learning to programme.

Make mistakes and learn quickly

There are so many mistakes you can make while learning programming. We’ve just focused on 5 of the most common mistakes. Knowing the errors, you’re likely to make as you start learning how to code and how to avoid them will help you establish a successful career as a programmer.

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Recommended reading

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