9 programming learning methods to help shorten learning time

Many people start learning programming but quickly give up because they find it too difficult or don’t know where to start. The main reason is that they haven’t found a learning method that suits them. In fact, there are many different ways to approach programming, from reading books, taking courses, practicing through projects to joining the programming community.

In this article, Douwyn will share the most effective programming learning method to help you progress quickly.

Learn programming by reading books and in-depth documents

Reading books is an effective method of learning programming, helping you have a solid foundation in programming languages, algorithms and thinking.

Programming books are often written systematically, from basic to advanced, helping you approach knowledge in a systematic way. When reading, you can easily look up concepts, compare with other documents, and gain a deeper understanding of how the programming language works.

Some popular programming books include “Clean Code” by Robert C. Martin, “The Pragmatic Programmer” by Andrew Hunt & David Thomas, or in-depth books on each language such as “You Don’t Know JS” for JavaScript. In addition to books, you can refer to official documents from sites like Python, MDN Web Docs, or Microsoft Docs.

However, reading books without practicing is not an effective way to learn programming. When learning through books, combine it with writing code to check if you have understood correctly. In addition, you should take notes of important points for easy reference later.

Learn programming by reading books and in-depth documents

Take online and offline courses to learn programming

Programming courses help you have a clear learning path and save time compared to finding your own. Online learning is a flexible programming learning method, helping you proactively arrange your time.

Some reputable online learning platforms include Udemy, Coursera, Codecademy, freeCodeCamp, providing courses from basic to advanced. Some courses are free but still very high quality, such as Harvard’s CS50 on edX.

The advantage of studying offline at a center or university is that you are guided directly, can discuss with lecturers and friends when you encounter difficulties. If you need a highly disciplined environment and want to study in a group, studying offline may be more suitable.

Whether studying online or offline, the most important thing is still practice. If you only watch lectures without applying, you will quickly forget the knowledge. Make sure that you study while doing exercises and building small projects to consolidate your knowledge.

Learn programming through practice - Write code every day

Learning programming without practicing will make it very difficult to progress. Writing code every day helps you remember longer, practice logical thinking and improve debugging skills. At first, you can practice writing small code segments, then try doing exercises on platforms such as LeetCode, Codeforces, HackerRank to improve your problem-solving ability.

An effective way to learn programming is to join the “100 Days of Code” challenge, committing to writing code for at least one hour a day for 100 consecutive days. This helps form a habit of learning programming and avoid interruptions.

In addition, when writing code, you should actively learn how to optimize, write clean code and have a clear structure. Don’t just copy existing code, but rewrite it in your own way to understand it more deeply.

Learn programming through practice – Write code every day

Learn through real programming projects

Learning through projects helps you understand how a software system operates and how its components are connected. Instead of just learning theory, building an application yourself helps you apply the knowledge you have learned into practice.

You can start with small projects such as a personal website, a work management application (to-do list). When you have more experience, try doing larger projects such as an e-commerce application, a student management system, an AI chatbot.

Participating in open source projects on GitHub is also a good way to learn programming to learn from others and get familiar with the actual working process. In addition, when you complete a project, you will have a product to put in your portfolio, increasing your chances of getting a job.

Join a developer community to improve your knowledge

Programming is not a skill that should be learned alone. When you join a developer community, you have the opportunity to learn from experienced people, receive feedback on your code, and access a lot of practical knowledge that books do not have. These communities are also a place to ask questions when you encounter problems, saving you a lot of time instead of trying to figure it out on your own.

There are many online communities that programmers can join such as Stack Overflow, Reddit (r/programming, r/learnprogramming), GitHub,… or groups on Facebook and Discord. On these platforms, you can find tutorials, in-depth discussions about new technologies, as well as opportunities to participate in open source projects.

In addition to online groups, participating in programming events such as hackathons, technology meet-ups or seminars is also a good way to expand relationships. This method of learning programming not only helps you gain practical experience but also can find mentors, partners or even job opportunities.

Join the developer community to improve your knowledge

Blogging to share knowledge

Blogging not only helps you share knowledge but is also a programming learning method that can reinforce what you have learned. When writing a tutorial or analyzing a topic, you are forced to research more thoroughly, making sure you understand the problem clearly before communicating it to others. This helps you remember more deeply and develop logical presentation skills.

You can start writing on platforms like Medium, Dev, Hashnode or create a personal blog using WordPress, Jekyll, Hugo. You don’t have to write about complex topics right from the start, just share what you’ve learned, common mistakes and solutions, or tips to help you learn programming faster.

In addition to the learning benefits, blogging also helps you build your personal brand. A quality blog can help you impress employers or attract freelance opportunities. If you write regularly and valuable articles, this method of learning programming can be monetized through advertising, sponsorship, or selling courses.

Learn by teaching programming to others

One of the best ways to learn programming to test whether you really understand something is to try teaching it to someone else. When you teach someone, you will realize the gaps in your understanding and be forced to find the most understandable way to explain it. This is an effective way to consolidate knowledge and practice logical thinking.

You can start by helping friends or mentoring newbies in the programming community. If you want to get more advanced, you can create tutorial videos on YouTube, livestream on Twitch, or write tutorials on GitHub. Teaching can also lead to career opportunities, such as becoming a mentor, teacher, or programming coach.

In addition to personal benefits, sharing knowledge also helps the programming community grow. If every experienced programmer spent some time mentoring newbies, the technology industry would have more quality human resources.

View and analyze other people’s source code to improve programming skills

An effective way to learn programming is to study the source code of experienced programmers. When reading other people’s code, you can learn many new techniques, how to write clean code, how to organize projects, and even tips for optimizing performance. This is especially useful when you want to learn about a new framework or technology.

You can start by looking at projects on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket. Choose projects with clear documentation, read through the source code organization, program flow, and try to modify or extend features. If possible, contribute to open source projects, this will help you get familiar with the team workflow and improve your programming skills.

In addition to reading the source code, try to understand why the author chose to write the code that way. Looking for articles or documents explaining the project is also a way to learn programming to gain deeper understanding. Analyzing and learning from better people will help you improve your skills faster than just writing code by yourself.

View and analyze other people’s source code to improve programming skills

Practice algorithmic thinking and problem solving

Programming is not just about writing code but also the ability to think logically and solve problems. If you want to be good at programming, spend time learning about algorithms, data structures and optimization techniques.

This knowledge not only helps you write code more effectively but is also very important when working in real life, especially in areas such as software development, AI, big data and security.

You can practice on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, Codeforces, AtCoder to solve programming problems from basic to advanced. These exercises help you get familiar with important algorithms like sorting, searching, dynamic programming, trees, graphs and how to optimize source code.

Also, try to apply problem-solving thinking to real-life situations. When doing a project, instead of just doingAfter coding to complete, think about whether there is a better, more optimal way. Practicing algorithmic thinking will help you become a professional programmer and have an advantage when participating in recruitment exams of large technology companies.

Conclusion

Learning to code is a long process, requiring perseverance and the right programming learning method. Combining many methods such as reading books, taking courses, practicing through projects and learning from the community will help you progress faster.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and consider each mistake as an opportunity to learn. If you persevere and have a clear roadmap, you will definitely achieve your goals in the field of programming.

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