todd moore ⋅ Terre Haute, IN U.S. Army, Specialist ⋅ 4 years served

Try “thenewboston” he has a playlist that focuses on python 3.0. So the code he writes should work just fine. Use the anaconda python download. That is one of the best packages for python.

David Bisignani ⋅ Youngstown, OH SummaCare ⋅ 15 years experience

Hi Janelle,

Thank you for your service! You are a hero for me!

I am a software developer myself and I have seen many changes in programming languages over the years. (When I started writing code, we still had punch cards and card readers!). I have worked in the Microsoft .NET world, so my expertise is in C#, VB.NET, the .NET framework and SQL Server (also a Microsoft product).

Programming is about practice. The web site mentioned by Bernard above will help. I have a subscription to PluralSight but this is not a free sight. Choose a language and then start practicing. Start with simple examples and then grow your knowledge. Any language will teach you the basics such as looping and conditional constructs, string manipulation and numerical processing. You can then extend these skills to other languages rather quickly because all languages will have these concepts. Here are some good basic projects: write a calculator that can read numbers (both integer and floating point) from the command line and then add/subtract/multiply/divide them and display the correct answer. Then try one with some string manipulations, such as reversing the letters in a word or pulling substrings from a word. Try to use some subroutines, too. For example, write a subroutine to perform each mathematical operation. This will teach you programming and debugging skills.

There are also many technologies out there and you will not be able to learn them all. One way to narrow down the languages to study is to try and find one or two career paths that you are interested in. For example, Javascript is a language used to manipulate web pages and along with Javascript you have to understand the Document Object Model, HTML and probably JQuery (which makes Javascript programming much easier) These technologies are used in web development so if you want to work with web pages, these technologies are those that you want to look at. I have not studied Python but I believe it is used in Artificial Intellgence. This is completely different from web development. So try to narrow down your interest and pursue those technologies. You can peruse jobs boards to see what languages are in demand for what purpose.

Then there are databases such as SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB, MySQL and others. Almost all applications have to use some DB, so again, having some idea of what career path you want to follow will help.

Finally, be aware that learning never stops in the world of computing. Languages change rapidly with new versions and new languages become popular, so adopt the attitude that you will always be learning new things.

As I mentioned, I work in the .NET world so if you choose to study any of these languages, I would be willing to help you in any way I can. For example, if you would like me to review your code or ask questions, I certainly would be willing to help.

David B.

Bernard Agrest ⋅ Tulsa, OK Teach for America ⋅ 5 years experience

Hi Janelle,

First, thank you very much for your service and for posting your question on ACP AdvisorNet. I hope that you have found AdvisorNet helpful in the past and continue to utilize it as a resource going forward.

Congratulations on finishing your A.A. in Information Technology, and on your near completion of your B.A! While I myself do not have direct experience with coding, I would encourage you to take a look at some of the following resources:

https://www.codecademy.com/
https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming
https://www.codingdojo.com/blog/7-tips-learn-programming-faster/

In addition, I would recommend you reach out to some of the advisors on our Community page who have experience with I.T/Coding. You can filter advisors by industry, experience and location, while also reaching out to as many of them as you’d like!

Please feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions, I’d be happy to answer them!

Best,

-Bernard.