

Can i learn to code? - alexilio79

I am 34 and i have a business administration background. Is is difficult to pick up coding at that age ? I am taking CS50 online classes at Harvard in order to pick up some coding. But i have a full time job which i cant quit for the next 1-2 years, thus i can only devote up to 1 hour/day for coding. Is it doable ?
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lsiebert
Anyone can pick up coding at any age. Don't let anyone tell you different.

There are several elements of being a programmer that aren't necessarily well
captured when people talk about learning to code.

Of course you need the syntax of your chosen programming language. But you
need to learn how to think in some very specific ways. You have to break down
problems into small steps, reuse previously written code, understand logic,
understand how to look for a problem when your code breaks, etc.

An example is... Given a list of numbers, determine which is smallest. It's
easiest to figure this question out once you understand variables, loops, and
conditionals, and if you start with 1 number, then add a second, and a third,
etc.

Good luck. Try to use free time, (commute perhaps) to think about programming
if you can, in addition to the hour a day.

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momatt
Sure, it's doable. This class on learning to program starts in a couple weeks.
<https://www.coursera.org/course/interactivepython>. They estimated
7-9hrs/week but as it is free there is no risk.

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Irregardless
It's doable, and CS50 is a great place to start. You'll know whether or not
you're cut out for it once you get to the more difficult homework assignments.
Don't give up just because you can't solve them immediately though, it will
probably take some Googling since on-campus students have access to TAs and
classmates for help when they get stuck.

Learning by doing is usually the best way to get the material to stick though.
If you can work on your own side projects or apply what you've learned at
work, that might help you progress a lot faster.

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jayrobin
I took and just completed the edx CS50x course. I have a bit of a CS
background but am quite rusty, and I was able to stay well ahead of the
suggested schedule with only 2 hours a week. 1 hour a day/5-10 hours a week
should give you more than enough time to watch all the lectures, sections,
shorts and walkthroughs, and do the psets and background reading within 2-3
months I'd guess.

This should give you a fairly good foundation in the basic concepts of
programming, while creating some pretty cool stuff in the psets and for the
final project.

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shire
5hours/week is better than 1hour/week. Depends on the language you're
learning. Python or javascript should make things easy for your life.

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cafard
I took up programming at age 33. I spent a lot more than an hour a week on it
to begin with--I couldn't have survived the classes if I hadn't. I agree with
shire on both points. Start with an interpreted language; I'd say start with
Python, since it has a REPL.

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Skoofoo
Anything is difficult to pick up when you're just starting out. The important
thing is to not give up. Too many people just stick what they're already good
at as they grow older.

I recommend <http://learnpythonthehardway.org/>.

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alexilio79
Guys thank you very much for your comments, it is very encouraging that all of
you have the same positive opinion on code-learning. I will definitely keep up
with CS50 classes. Thank you for your feedback/ support.Alex

