Quarantine is great for learning, and if you are going to study, then choose a profession that is promising and will help you not to lose a job in difficult times. A programmer is one of the professions that can guarantee employment even in a crisis. Some people may think that this is a stereotype. But the reality shows that this is a profession, which can make you feel safe.
Table of Contents
Fears
Let’s talk about the fears of people who want to become programmers.
I am an adult
The fear, which is called “I am an adult,” is in the first place. Such an “adult” may be 25 or 50 years old – this is an absolutely subjective assessment. In fact, age plays a small role, and most programmers are old enough. In general, the profession is getting older every day, and this is normal. Some people think that the older you get, the slower you think, but this is not always the case: if you have a flexible, quick-witted brain, and you understand that you can solve various problems and make certain decisions, then programming is for you. After all, such skills are not lost in life. Therefore, you do not need to worry about your age.
A junior developer at 20 or even 30 is okay. There are many examples when people who are under 40 or more get a job and work in a team with young people. Of course, some people may have a psychological barrier when your boss is much younger than you are, but programming is a profession where competence and what you are as a professional are primarily valued. Therefore, if you are successfully growing as a programmer, you will not have any problems. On the contrary, the experience you have gained can help you move up the career ladder faster.
I don’t know math well
Another common fear that they talk about is “I don’t know mathematics well.”
It would be dishonest to hide the fact that mathematics plays an important role in programming. There are many areas in it that require deep knowledge of various disciplines. For the development of complex games, physics is such a discipline. There are areas where serious mathematics is needed, but in general, basic programming, especially web programming, where people create and configure sites and web applications, requires only minimal knowledge.
When they say that mathematics is needed for programming, they mean, first of all, not knowledge of it as such – that is, specific disciplines and mathematical apparatus – but knowledge of mathematics as a way of developing thinking and personality. Math is really good at helping you structure your brains and think on a slightly different level, improve your abstract thinking and do much more. Therefore, knowing math never hurts. It often happens that they start learning it along with programming, and this is the right approach.
At the same time, ignorance of mathematics should not become a reason not to engage in programming, but if you started to do it, then at least at some basic level, it can also be improved. You yourself will feel the moment when you need it: when performing any calculations or working with algorithms. Many resources, such as Coursera, give you access to a great university and basic courses that are enough to improve your math knowledge.
I’m too dumb/stupid
Fear, which is called “I am too dumb or stupid,” is in the third place. This fear often manifests itself in people who dream of becoming programmers, who have acquaintances who are successfully working in this profession. Against the background of such acquaintances, it sometimes seems to them that they do not understand anything; just because they use specific terms and are better versed in some things.
Most often, this fear is not justified, and, as practice shows, there is such an interesting effect: beginners and experienced developers have a similar characteristic – they underestimate themselves. This also applies to salaries, knowledge, and abilities. Often, the situation is quite different with the average developers who overestimate themselves. Therefore, if you underestimate yourself, perhaps you are already quite professional.
What you need
Now let’s talk about those things that every novice programmer still needs.
Desire
Of course, you will need a lot of desire because learning programming is not as easy as it seems at first glance.
Time
If we talk about the time it will take you to master this profession, everything here is very individual. Nevertheless, you need enough time to study programming, as this is not an easy discipline.
Get rid of your fears and just make this step – start learning to program. Choose your way: studying at the university, passing courses, or maybe get into self-education. It’s enough to have a desire and time, and you can become a programmer.
