Beginner coding advice
Posted by Desperate-Hope12@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 10 comments
Hello! This might be a bit of a dumb question, but I am currently taking a minor in my university and we are having a coding course. I have never coded in my life, and my major is in humanities so it feels like a completely different approach than coding. Whenever we are given coding problems I just feel pretty lost, because i genuinely have no idea how to even start tackling the problem... Does anyone have any suggestions? Like how do you guys approach the problem?
LongjumpingTomato946@reddit
Wenn du Programmieren lernen möchtest, probiere mal Enki aus. Es ist eine KI-gestützte Plattform, mit der du Fähigkeiten und Programmiersprachen wie Python, SQL und Datenanalyse etc.., leichter und schneller lernen kannst. Du erhältst personalisierte Übungen, interaktive Lektionen und sogar 1:1 KI-Coaching, was die Plattform sowohl für Anfänger als auch für Fortgeschrittene geeignet macht.
Https://www.enki.com/? Via=sionic
Über diesen Link erhältst du 10 % Rabatt auf das Jahresabonnement (nur 108 € statt 120 €) und eine 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion, um zu sehen, ob es das Richtige für dich ist. Auf jeden Fall einen Versuch wert!
Interesting-Club-518@reddit
You are not alone. Everyone feels lost the first time they see a blank code editor. The trick is to treat coding problems like puzzles rather than math questions.
Start by breaking the problem into tiny steps in plain English before touching the keyboard. For example, if the task is “find the largest number,” write out:
Practice on sites that start simple like W3Schools, freeCodeCamp, or LeetCode easy problems. Watch a short video, then code along line by line. Do not copy blindly. Change a few numbers, add print statements, see what breaks. That builds intuition.
If you want more guided support, Ashtrix Robotics offers online coding programs for students and beginners. Learners love the project-based format, parents trust the accountable and resourceful teaching team, and lessons are tailored to each student’s level and goals. They have students from over 23 countries, their learners have won national and international competitions, and their mentor earned a Teacher Excellency Award from MIT App Inventor in Boston. You can even ask for a trial class to see if the approach clicks for you.
Start small, focus on understanding what each line does, and build up gradually. Consistency matters more than speed.
mlitchard@reddit
TL;Dr Break down big problems into small problems. Read lots of code, identify patterns prior to understanding them.
Liberal Arts major here. You’re learning another method of analysis. Ideally you engage a language that does not differentiate between data and code (data is code, code is data. All hail the lambda calculus) . But if you are stuck in the imperative world you can still break down code into its smallest elements. Read lots of example code. Look up keywords, try asking Claude what a specific line of code means. Not sure how that part will work out for you, but over here in Haskell land it’s pretty useful.
TacticalConsultant@reddit
Harvard CS50 is a good course to start with. If you want to learn coding by building simple apps & games, you can try https://codesync.club/lessons
DeaddyManny@reddit
Hi! Definitely just throw stuff on a piece of paper, your whole thought process regarding the problem, really. What are the things which you have to manipulate with, try to connect them, there you already have objects, then try to understand what you must do with them, write some ideas. Eventually you’ll get there, since you are visualising your thoughts and can reflect on previous thoughts, when taking on the next step. Sorry if a bit unprofessional or messy, I’m a CS major on second course with no real job experience, so take my tip with a grain of salt.
American_Streamer@reddit
It’s all about breaking big problems into small ones and then use the tools you have to solve those. The syntax is not the important thing; the algorithms are. The three basic control structures are a sequence, a selection (branching) and an iteration (looping). They are the same in every programming language. So just start to think about how you have to apply those to get the results you want. Only after that, think about how to implement that in the specific language you are using.
bocamj@reddit
Why you're in a course you don't understand is honestly baffling to me, because there's always prerequisites. If Math 095 is the only prerequisite, then nothing in that "coding" class should be that challenging.
However, if you're not too far into the course, drop it. If the course is a requirement, then take it later when you've got more knowledge under your belt. Taking a course in which you're lost is going to take a lot of your time, which is going to deprive you of your studies with your other courses.
There was always this dynamic in college where the freshman did everything by the book, the sophomores started to figure out a few tricks. The Juniors and Seniors weren't as worried, they'd show up late, walk out of classes on the first day if they didn't like the syllabus, professor's requirements, format of the class or other things. You're paying for the class, there'll be other instructors and other chances, so just drop it. See if you can get into a more basic coding course then circle back next term or next year.
glasswings363@reddit
The usual way to teach programming, like 99.99% of the time, is to relate it to solving word problems. A beginner programming class is like an algebra class except:
Yesterday I stumbled across what programming would look like if it were invented by humanities people; it's very interesting, and it's probably possible to skim it without understanding.
The key thing to notice is this is what precise instructions feel like, even if the symbols used to express them are different.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/I7-Examples/Glass/refs/heads/main/Glass.inform/Source/story.ni
The rest of the game's files are here https://github.com/I7-Examples/Glass and can be played in a browser https://i7-examples.github.io/Glass/play.html
Programming doesn't have to be about numbers and stuff, but at school it probably will be. There are two ways to handle that disconnect:
There are two halves to a programming class and improving your skills on either half will help.
Tall-Introduction414@reddit
There is an old programming axiom that you think about data when programming. If you can represent the data in a way that makes sense and start with that, it becomes easier to do the rest. "Great programmers worry about data, not code."
An example might be, if you want to make a picture editor. The data you want to manipulate is an image. So you think about how you might want to store the image in memory. Maybe as an x/y grid (a 2d array)?
Maybe start there, and get it showing on the screen immediately so you know it's working as expected. Then you can start adding other stuff. Don't try to plan and write it all out at once.. get your data on the screen so it's easy to manipulate, and work from there.
This can be applied to most kinds of programs.
For me, there is a strong connection between computing and humanities. A computer is probably the most powerful artistic medium ever created. Programming itself is a creative medium. But just as you can't write ideas without first learning an alphabet, you have to learn some basics about manipulating bits to wield the power of programming. Variables, loops, functions, data structures. I/O.
zemaisthebest@reddit
If you can logically understand the problem, and somewhat come up with a “pseudo code” solution (solving it with your words) you’ll be fine. Syntax (the actual code you write) will come with time and practice + you can always search it up.
Remember, you’ve just started! Keep your head up and stay optimistic.
Good luck!