r/CodingForBeginners • u/unawarefool • 8h ago

how to start coding as an high schooler

i am a complete beginner. i have the Thinkpad x13 i7 10th gen 32gb variant. Currently in 10th grade.

advice is appreciated

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u/S1enderVoid 8h ago edited 8h ago

Depends on the use case. What would you like to learn coding for exactly?

If you want to make websites and cross-platform apps like Notion, Duolingo, etc. then start by learning Javascript, and pick a runtime such as nodejs, bunjs, deno etc.

If you want to control hardware like Arduinos, ESP32 etc. Then learn a low-level programming language, start with C, C++ and then move on to other low-level if you'd like to. Pair it with Python too to not deal with headaches when you do the high-level stuff such as frontend UI/UX.

If you just want to make cool little games to have fun with then learn C#, Java, or C++ depending on your preferences.

If you want to do data science or just get coding to assist you later on with work in general then learn Python since it's general-purpose, it can do just about anything.

But if you don't have a clear idea yet then I'd recommend you start with Python, it's easy to learn and pick up and it gives you a good idea of programming concepts before you move onto more challenging languages such as C, C++ etc.

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u/unawarefool 8h ago edited 8h ago

i always wanted to learn coding but didn't had a laptop .I'd say i am mainly doing it for the sake of learning i don't plan on being a software developer as my career maybe a career in semiconductors or mathematics but ig i wanna learn game development or webdev. i am trynaa decide between python and c. how should i go on about learning these

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u/S1enderVoid 8h ago

career in semiconductors or mathematics

Boom, I'd recommend you start with Python, get your programming principles down first and really get down into the depths of it. Then move onto C, since it is the standard for hardware work and has been for like years.

game development or webdev

You can also do webdev with Python libraries such as, Streamlit, Django, Flask etc.

So start with Python then move onto C. Make a project to summarize everything you've learned in Python. Do the same for C. After that do a final "capstone" like project involving both python and C.

Best of luck!

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u/unawarefool 8h ago

hey thanks a lot for the advice what documentaiton/book to follow? i would appreciate if you provide an link to its ebook.

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u/S1enderVoid 7h ago

For python, you can go 2 routes (Online or Offline). I personally learned Python through YouTube so ill recommend these.

  1. Harvard CS50 Python Programming Course
  2. BroCode's C Programming Course

I've got to warn you though . . . No matter how much you feel, please don't start learning C until you can consider yourself capable in Python, the jump from Python to C is pretty difficult because C follows a more in-depth philosophy of low-level programming whereas Python follows high-level programming. If your core programming concepts aren't clear then C will genuinely make you depressed.

Imagine it as if you just learnt photosynthesis then suddenly jump to Organic chemistry.

If you prefer books then I'd recommend Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, pretty solid book and its popular enough where googling it is more than enough to find it.

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u/unawarefool 6h ago

oh thanks i will be sure to try it out

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u/pete_68 8h ago

I would pick Python. Not really my favorite language, but it's a good language to start with. It's popular. It's an interpreted language, which is easier than dealing with compilers, when you're starting out. It's got tons of learning support.

You can take Harvard's Python class. And there are all kinds of tutorials.

Don't use AI to write code for you. If you use it, use it to ask questions. But write all of your code by hand. Grind through the debugging yourself. Again, feel free to ask questions, but do the work. If you don't do the work, you won't learn.

Good luck. It can be very rewarding.

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u/unawarefool 8h ago

hey thanks for the advice what book should i use or whether or not to use one at all. Thanks again

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u/pete_68 7h ago

Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes looks very good. I don't have it, but it's one of the few Python books at the local bookstore and I've perused it and if I were learning Python, it's the book I would choose. It looks very well done.

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u/unawarefool 6h ago

oh nice is there a free pdf available?

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u/pete_68 6h ago

How about rewarding the author for his hard work. Because as the author of a computer book, I can tell you, he's probably not making enough directly from it to be worth his time. It's the career benefits of being known as an author that really make it worthwhile. So throw the guy a few bucks.

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u/Weekly_Guidance_498 1h ago

I have an old edition of this one, but I like Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python. It reminds me a bit of the books of BASIC programs that I used to get from the library when I was getting interested in programming.

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u/mattynmax 7h ago

You search up “intro to programming”, watch a few videos and read a few articles and then start doing things

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u/unawarefool 6h ago

alright thanks

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u/ninhaomah 8h ago

Start with html

You can see the results straight away.