Been trying to learn programming for years but no concentration what do

alicemizuki

It's been a while since I started fucking around with C and GCC and no matter what language I try I just can't get into it.

Should I just give up or is there a better place to start, I've tried books, internet tutorial, code academy. what do.

malmon

What do you mean when you say you can't get in to it? Does it not interest you, or do you struggle to understand it?

Backlash

malmon wrote:
What do you mean when you say you can't get in to it? Does it not interest you, or do you struggle to understand it?

Eh. TBF, new programmers outside of a college course usually have very little incentive to improve their skills. Projects often seem too daunting, and as such they can't get an idea of where to start.

I might have an inroad, though. Tell me, OP: Do you like roleplaying?

All in One

What I've learned from my multiple attempts to learn a programming language is that it's a lot like trying to learn another human language. There's a rather steep learning curve at the onset so there's going to be lots of frustration early on but it really is something you just have to work at till you can get over those first hurdles. If you're trying to learn outside of a classroom-like environment then the biggest problem is going to be keeping yourself motivated. In that case, I think the best thing to do is to set aside some time each day to take a swing at it and make it a part of your daily routine so it's not so easy to suddenly drop. The important thing is that you never give up.

Should I just give up or is there a better place to start
I think having a tutor of some kind would get you much better results than trying to learn solely from a giant tome or an online tutorial. I'm sure some of the programmers on this forum would be more than happy to give you a few pointer and a place to get started.

malmon

All in One wrote:
What I've learned from my multiple attempts to learn a programming language is that it's a lot like trying to learn another human language.

The one key difference, in my opinion, is that with programming languages, once you know one, the rest are far easier to pick up. The same can apply to languages of similar origins, but not to as great an extent.

alicemizuki

Backlash wrote:
malmon wrote:
What do you mean when you say you can't get in to it? Does it not interest you, or do you struggle to understand it?

Eh. TBF, new programmers outside of a college course usually have very little incentive to improve their skills. Projects often seem too daunting, and as such they can't get an idea of where to start.

I might have an inroad, though. Tell me, OP: Do you like roleplaying?

roleplaying is sick :okhand: :triumph:

alicemizuki

All in One wrote:
What I've learned from my multiple attempts to learn a programming language is that it's a lot like trying to learn another human language. There's a rather steep learning curve at the onset so there's going to be lots of frustration early on but it really is something you just have to work at till you can get over those first hurdles. If you're trying to learn outside of a classroom-like environment then the biggest problem is going to be keeping yourself motivated. In that case, I think the best thing to do is to set aside some time each day to take a swing at it and make it a part of your daily routine so it's not so easy to suddenly drop. The important thing is that you never give up.

Should I just give up or is there a better place to start
I think having a tutor of some kind would get you much better results than trying to learn solely from a giant tome or an online tutorial. I'm sure some of the programmers on this forum would be more than happy to give you a few pointer and a place to get started.

A list of easy projects would be cool. Online tutorials just lose my interest because they stay at the basics for a minute too long... and the codeacademy Java course just plain sucks (it ends very quickly).

KuroAku

I'm not sure if a have understood. Do you know C? From your post is what I infer.

I see programming languages as a set of rules, each one with it's nuances. But, usually, they share common patterns. If you already know a language (related to my first sentence) you could try to look it as a comparision exercise; so, in C x is done this way, and in Java is done that way. This way you can rapidly write code and, with a little practice, look at how the language paradigm establishes how certain problems should be solved. A drawback of this metodology is that you can't compare extremely disparate languages (Java and Haskell for example).

Once you have a grasp of the language the next step is to learn to think like the language.

Not sure if makes any sense but those are my two cents.

lies

Try reading through C Primer Plus and once somewhat familiar with general concepts, start a big project, can be anything. If you're a bit more skilled, try working on open source projects from github and improving or rewriting them.

Fast

Learn the basics first. (variables, data types, loops, etc) Then once you get that down, try to make something that interests you.

For example my first program was a screenshot uploading program that uploaded an image to my site and returned a direct image link. (prntscr for example)