10 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid When Learning Java
To code or not to code? It seems that you’ve made your
choice in favor of the first option. Programming is a great field for
professional growth, It gives you an opportunity to take part in interesting
projects and work wherever you want.
The only obstacle that restrains many beginners from
starting a new career is the lack of understanding of how exactly should they
learn to code. What’s more important is that even the best universities can’t
fully provide the education, which will guarantee a stark career as a software
developer. The thing is that programming is too dynamic and flexible: once you
start learning, you better do it for the rest of your life.
Some programmers say, that they’ve been trying to learn how
to code a few times before finally reaching their goal. Yes, we all learn
through mistakes, but you’ll be surprised how many common lapses are there in
mastering this skill.
Troubleshooting your learning experience
If you’re determined to learn Java programming, here are few
useful thoughts for you. Let’s talk about mistakes, which almost all beginners
do.
Too many research, too little practice
Here’s what happens when you try to learn to code the
ordinary way. All of us are used to study by reading books: the thicker the
book, the more knowledge you will get, right? Sorry, this is not the case for
programming.
A lack of practice in coding is fatal. Just start coding.
Start from the first day of your study and practice every single day. You won’t
learn to box or dance by watching videos. And you won’t get confident in coding
unless you make it your daily habit.
2. Endless studying without a certain goal
Some students, despite their age, simply love to learn. It’s
the process, not the result they aim for. Of course, it’s always great to
broaden your scope, but you will probably agree that there’s no point in
wasting hundreds (if not thousands of hours) to get a trendy hobby.
In coding, even if sometimes it’s kinda tough for you, you
simply love it or not. Developers, that code just to earn more money, won’t get
hired to Google or other company with a big name.
Because programming is simply not their vocation. Likewise,
if it’s your passion, but you’re not ready to practice every day, programming
might also be not for you.
3. Trying to reach too many technologies at once
Software development is a deep ocean of data and tools. If
you try to learn everything that pops up and seems interesting, you might get
stuck at the beginning totally confused.
This is why you need a certain plan, that in your case
should include Java Core, coding projects plus the programming tools. It will
also help you avoid the risk of being a lifelong learner and set your education
in a defined timeframe.
4. Making gaps in your education
Remember that “code every day” motto of learning Java? Good.
Think about it every time you have a lure to skip a few days of education.
Taking a break as a beginner is more dangerous than it seems.
You start a new subject and it refers to the previous
background which you already don’t remember at all. Such surprising “amnesia”
will constantly drag you back, so do your best to move forward without any
breaks.
5. Thinking that the only thing you need to start coding is
knowing Java language
A language is a tool in the hands of a skilled creator. Some
might say that you need to be brilliant at math to learn to code — no, you
don’t. But knowing how to write the code won’t make you a programmer, too.
Programming needs plenty of other skills: a strong logic,
problem-solving, the ability to visualize the structure and sequence of
processes. An experienced programmer doesn’t start to write code before
thinking through the logic of the solution.
6. Getting stuck on the tough pieces of theory
Often there’s no direct correlation between the amount of
time which you spend on the tasks or research and the successfulness of this
action. When you learn Java, persistence is important in solving tasks or
making the sense of a fresh topic.
But sometimes you need to move on to get at the heart of
your problem (later). A bit of friendly advice: don’t try to memorize code or
delve too deep in “how the things work” in coding.
In Java, many processes run automatically, so you can focus
on the intuitive feel of programming and getting even more skilled.
7. Ignoring the importance of a readable code
When you learn to programme, your first priority is to make
that code work. Here’s why beginners don’t pay much attention to the readable
code with clear comments, which could be “decrypted” in the future.
Here’s what most of the experienced programmers come across.
When they find their first code, they don’t feel nostalgic. They try to
understand, what in the world do those lines mean and exactly were they trying
to accomplish. You will learn in a due course how to write readable code, but
only if you make efforts.
8. Not testing your code regularly
Sad, but true: your code won’t always work as it was
intended to. Be sure to check it regularly and don’t let the subsequent errors
pile up. Instead of exhausting debugging and figuring out what and when’s gone
wrong, you’ll deal with the smaller amount of problems on each stage.
9. Learning Java all alone
With so many online tools and sources for successful
learning, you can easily become a self-educated programmer. One thing that’s
missing is real communication. Your education would be much more effective if
you join the community as soon as possible.
For example, Coderanch and Stack Overflow forums have large
discussion threads for Java programmers. Also, there’s an Oracle Java
Community, which prompts newcomers and experienced developers to join the Java
Forum and follow updates from Oracle Java bloggers. Java community at Reddit
has more than 107k people.
10. Thinking there will be the day when you know everything
Listen to more experienced colleagues as a junior developer
and never stop learning. Programming is a profession in a field with constant
upgrades, new features, and technologies, which you need to grasp to stay a
sought-after specialist.
The revealed secrets of successful Java learning
Now when you know “the demons” you may have to fight with, you’re
almost ready to commence. Ok, five more minutes, my friend. Here are some
practical bits of advice to “adjust” your learning.
Schedule your education and minimize distractions. Create a
plan and spare the time for learning daily. This will be your time strictly for
building a bright future, not for chatting or tweeting :)
CODE EVERY DAY. No matter what, practice every day and use
tools to help you improve programming skills. Learning Java programming is
useless without the real coding, which takes at least three times as much as
theoretical researches. You’ll find a few sources for an effective and
entertaining coding below.
Ask the right questions. It’s okay to get help from
developers community if you need a hint. Be sure to ask the specific questions
instead of “something went wrong, can you help?”. You will become more
confident if you’ll be a part of the programmers’ team. Read media, join
discussions on Stack Overflow and Coderanch forums, make virtual friends on
coding courses and work on complicated projects together.
Make your work visible. Create a portfolio and give others a
chance to see your work. You don’t code for yourself, right? Let alone you need
a portfolio to get your first job as a Java developer.
Continue learning every day, even after you succeed.
Learning might be hard. Here’s why many stop trying right before it “clicks”.
But you’ll have all the chances to succeed with the right planning, friendly
environment, the right tools, desire to learn and motivation.
Altogether, today you have the widest choice of sources:
Java blogs, guides, tutorials, courses, coding “battlefields”. So just take
them in the right proportions, mix your educational “cocktail” and take the
first sip :)
Where to train your Java skills
No matter what kind of education you choose — video
lectures, offline studying with an experienced mentor, online courses or
self-education by reading books and guides — you need hundreds of hours of
practice to become a confident and skilled Java developer. There’s no such thing
as too much practice in coding. Luckily, there are plenty of tools to make this
process entertaining.
1. The sources for coding in multiple languages:
CodeAcademy — learn to code by coding.
The education on CodeAcademy includes practical tasks from
the first lesson. Of course, they are very simple at the beginning not to scare
anyone off, but gradually they become more complicated. Try to find the
solution by yourself, and if it’s kind of tough, just click on the useful hints
right at the taskbar or go to the FAQ section. It can be a good complementary
tool in learning Java to sharpen your programming skills, but you’ll need other
sources for learning key concepts;
Codewars — join the coding competition.
Try Codewars when you learn the fundamentals and become more
confident at coding. This is an online platform, where you can compete with
other programmers and sharpen your skills of coding in numerous programming
languages. You can write your solutions in a browser and check them step by
step, code individually or tackle the tasks in a group. The more tasks you
solve, the more you get.
2. Strictly for learning a practicing Java
[Source]-https://medium.com/javarevisited/10-deadly-mistakes-to-avoid-when-learning-java-aead894e64f4
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