Helpful Information for People New to Computer Programming

Building Blocks of Coding

• 2018 Developer Skills Report: HackerRank

  Report based on the insights of over 39,400 developers on what skills (programming languages) are currently in demand, what learning platforms developers are using to learn those skills, and what employeers are looking for in new software developers

  This type of report is an excellent way for newbie coders to start developing a plan of action for themselves.
• The Beginner's Guide to Tech Careers

  Created by Laurence Bradford, creator of Learn to Code With Me, to explain some of the Tech Careers that might interest you

  Easy to follow breakdown on what careers are out there for "coders", I found it a good place to start.
• How to think like a programmer: Lessons in problem solving

  “Everyone in this country should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you to think.” (Steve Jobs)

  This article gives some tips on how to be more effective in problem solving, in a computational thinking type of mindset. I thought it pretty insightful...
• How to Become a Business Analyst: Easy-to-Follow Guide

  Modis article about what a Business Analyst does, the requirements and qualification to help you stand out, how to develop yourself to become a business analyst.

  I've often find the Modis website very useful to learn more about jobs and what employers ar looking for in perspective employees and how to prepare yourself for a future job. I'm interested in pursuing this type of career so I found this article very helpful.
• Web Architecture 101

  The basic architecture concepts to help to have a high level understand how websites are built.

  Good overall view of how the web works

• Basic Programming Concepts Blog

  Simple blog about popular programming languages and thinks to know about them.

  Easy to follow blog on programming, what it is and where to start.
• Programming 101

  The 5 Basic Concepts of any Programming Language.

  Quick read and example of five important concepts: Variables, Control Structures, Data Structures, Syntax, and "Tools".
• itnext.io Blog

  How to understand asynchronous JS code in a less painful way.

  This is about JavaScript, learning the basics, but also gives you an idea about the complexities of this fundamental program.



"It starts like this..."



"…and ends up like this. And it’s not the end!"
(HuberZub)

• Ryans Tutorials

  A website created by a Computer Science instructor that explains Linux, web design and general concepts

  I've only briefly looked into this site but I can see it will be really helpful. If you use Linux I'd suggest looking into the Linux cheetsheet!

Learning Pathway Training Programs

• Team Treehouse: Web Design Track

  This site will lead you through a series of Courses and Workshops so you can efficiently master the skills you need to achieve your goals.

  Team Treehouse is a great way to introduce yourself to the coding environment. Code Louisville uses this site as the platform to train all students new to coding.
• MVA - Learning Pathways

  Courses by Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) to help you increase your proficiency in programming. Build valuable skills through video tutorials, demos, assessments, and more. Plus, earn MVA badges for completed learning paths, and share them through email or social media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

  I used this as a followup to what I learned in Team Treehouse in code Louisville. It's good to several resource to master different programs like HTML, CSS, JavaScript etc.
• edX - MOOC Provider

  Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning destination and MOOC provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere. It hosts online university-level courses in a wide range of disciplines to a worldwide student body, including some courses at no charge. It also conducts research into learning based on how people use its platform.

  This site was my first introduction to a MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) provider. It was also my first "....damn!" moment while researching my options in how to learn to code. This site (and other MOOC sites like it) literally removes all barriers I've previously encountered when trying to learn a new trade.
  
  There are no GMAT, SAT / ACT, GRE tests and no cost for many of the courses! And not just any courses either. For example MIT, Havard, Berkely, George Tech, U of TX .. the list goes on and on! To me, I see this as the 21st century way of learning.
  
  Highly Recommended
• CS50's Introduction to Computer Science

  Harvard University's introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming.

  Highly Recommended, if you have the time. This is the live actual Harvard Intro to computer science class and it is FREE. You are actually taking the class and watching the live streamed lectures, you have homework and projects, and access to the actual Harvard TAs. What really makes the course is the instructor though, David Malan, top notch CS professor. This a well known and well regarded into to CS. When I took the class it was based around the C programming language, it is now based around Python, which is much more relevant to modern programming. Recommend. (Ross Davis)


• AWS Educate

  AWS Educate is Amazon’s global initiative to provide students and educators with the resources needed to accelerate cloud-related learning.

  AWS (Amazon Web Service) Educate provides a portfolio, career pathways and badges on their different programs. I'd recommend this to anyone that may have any interest in working for AWS or a company that needs people that understand AWS sytems.
• AWS Resource Center

  From core concepts to beginner tutorials, find the information you need to start building on Amazon Web Services (AWS)

  I'm not going to lie, this is a difficult site to navigate but its what you have to use if you want to learn AWS systems and possible earn a cerification from AWS
• Trailhead: Salesforce Training

  If you've ever wished for an easier way to learn about Salesforce, take a look at Trailhead. Trailhead provides developers and administrators a guided, learning path through the key features of Salesforce, using a set of interactive, online tutorials.
  
  I should also reference Salesforce for developers to learn how to create and scale apps from Salesforce. Also the Trailblazer Community site is a great way to connect with others learning, mentors and potential employeers. This site has a lot of helpful content.

  I recently was able to attend a conference about Trailhead and Salesforce so I'm bias but I think this is a great site to start learning all you need to know about Salesforce. Your only limit is the effort your willing to put into this platform. It may sound a little silly but the "badges" you can earn are taken seriously by prospective employers because it shows you have a proficiency in the subject.
  
  Certifications can also be achieved but that will require a formal test to be taken.
  
  Highly Recommended

Git Information

• First Timers Only

  Friendly Open Source Projects should reserve specific issues for newbies.

  This site helped me understand the concepts of "open source" and "contribute" specifically meant for Code Newbies.

• Getting Git Right

  Atlassian Git Tutorials for a visual introduction to Git commands and workflows, including examples.

  Also a good source for Code Newbies interested in learning about open version control systems and how to contribute

• Basic Git Commands

  List of some basic Git commands to get you going with Git.

  Good reference on how to handle git navigation until it becomes second nature.

• Learn Enough Git to Be Dangerous

  Learn Enough Git to Be Dangerous is the final installment in a trilogy of tutorials on developer fundamentals designed to teach three skills essential for software developers and those who work with them. Its only prerequisites are the first two tutorials in the trilogy, Learn Enough Command Line to Be Dangerous (covering the Unix command line) and Learn Enough Text Editor to Be Dangerous (covering text editors). This tutorial covers a third essential skill: version control.

  If you're a TRUE newbie coder, this is a good starting point. Also great as a refresher on GitHub and basic computer navigation skills that hangs everyone up at some point.

• Learn Git Branching

  This site is the most visual and interactive way to learn Git on the web; you'll be challenged with exciting levels, given step-by-step demonstrations of powerful features, and maybe even have a bit of fun along the way.

  Git and GitHub is an essential part of coding, use every source you can find to help understand it. This site is easy to understand.

• Oh Shit, git!

  The name pretty much sums it up... Examples of some bad situations you can find yourself in with git, and how to get yourself out.

  This this woman thinks...and talks like me... enough said! I also think I'll use her site CSS format for some of this site...

• Introduction to Git Workshop

  A Github repo workshop on a introduction to Git & GitHub. Covers how to create a repo, cone a respository, how to collaborate with others, etc.

  A mentor of mine recommended this...

• git-tips

  Most commonly used git tip and tricks

  A lot of people contribute to this repo and there are a lot of tips as a result ... I've used it several times



Tough love from a brutally honest mentor

GitHub Information

• GitHub Guides

  GitHub provided guides on how to use Github efficiently.

  I often refer back to these guides, very useful information and no more then a 10 minute read on each subject.

• GitHub Learning Lab

  This repository contains the completely open source on-demand training. These materials are provided under a Creative Commons License license.

  This take you through a series of "fun" and practical projects, sharing helpful feedback along the way. It's straight from Github so worth looking into.

• Optimize Your Github

  Udacity Course: In this course, you'll learn GitHub best practices from technical experts. You'll compare different styles for committing changes, forking repos, and merging pull requests. You'll also understand how to organize your code to showcase your technical projects. And you'll learn how to collaborate with other engineers on GitHub.

  For the Tech industry hiring managers, your GitHub profile is more important then LinkedIn profile or your resume so you should treat it accordingly.
  This self-paced course will give you valuable tips on how to build your Github profile that will hopefully generate more job opportunities.
  
  Highly Recommended

• How to Contribute to Open Source

  Want to contribute to open source? A guide to making open source contributions, for first-timers and for veterans.

  If you don't know what the "open source concept" is, this is a good place to start.

• Contributing to an open source project: How to get started

  Quick break down on why open source contributions are worth your time and how to go about it.

  As I continue to learn about opensource and how to use it to not only learn but to network I've found articles like this one helps me understand the "big picture" on why open source contribution is a worthwhile thing to to do.

• HackerRank

  A technology hiring platform that is the standard for assessing developer skills for over 1,000 companies around the world.

  Good resource to actually start practice algorithms and various concepts. Many companies use this platform for testing in the interview process. It is nice because it has "tracks" that allow you to hone and develop skills around various core CS concepts. I like the interface and the ability to focus the challenges on specific skill sets. (Ross Davis)

• codeAcademy

  Great interactive online learning resource for most of the major languages in modern software.

  Great interactive online learning resource for most of the major languages in modern software.

• w3schools.com

  Staight forward tutorials, references and examples to help people learn CS languages for buidling web pages and other programs.

  Easy to use reference on all types of subjet matter. Its best used when you have a specific question on types of programs.



Thoughts on practicing

• Codepen

  Write HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and get a real-time preview.

  This is regularly used in the world of programming, you should become familiar with this ASAP.

• Code Wars

  A fun "Game-ified" code challenge website, also the base of another platform that companies are starting to use for interview testing, good to be familiar with.

  For all you "Gamers", a more entertaining way to learn coding!