Have you ever wanted to learn how to code but weren't sure where to start? Maybe you've always thought that it’s too hard or you don’t have the brains for it? Let me tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. So stop thinking, read my article and find out how to start your coding adventure in the easiest possible way.

Since I learned what the word "coding" means, I was sure that it is something I will never be able to learn, I thought that I need some special talent or skill. Oh boy, was I wrong… Has anyone ever told you that you can do anything you want or that nothing is impossible? Sounds cliche I know, but it is true, especially when you think about creating apps. There is just one secret: start the right way. How? Attend a community workshop.

Are you curious why participating a workshop would be such a good idea, when you can simply turn on your computer and watch a YouTube tutorial? Let me tell you my reasons why starting your coding journey with a workshop is a definite success.

Well-thought materials prepared just for you

Community workshops are usually organised by passionate people that love sharing their knowledge and experience. That’s why they put their whole hearts into making sure that the knowledge base is top quality. Creating materials for beginners might be tricky so they need to be carefully designed. The tutorial will be easy to follow, have visible, achievable and fast results and explain complexed issues in a clear and not too detailed way. Let's dive a bit deeper into the characteristics of a good tutorial.

Easy to follow
During community workshops it is important that you have a clear instruction of what you need to do, mostly because you don’t have the knowledge yet and everything is very complicated with many words and phrases you don’t even understand. Simple, short instructions will make sure you can follow the steps and deliver the end result with enthusiasm and motivation to do more. Moreover after workshops, all on your own, you will be able to go through the tutorial once again this time with no help and make sure that the knowledge will stick with you for longer so you can start going deeper and deeper, looking into more complexed problems.

Visible, achievable and fast results
When first learning something you can get easily demotivated, which you definitely want to avoid. A good tutorial will help you see the results in real time. With every step you take, you will have the opportunity to see what your code changed in the app or if you made any mistakes. Real time results will help you keep track of your progress and the development of your final product.

Clear and not too detailed explanations
The tutorial you use during workshops, will explain very complex ideas in a clear and not too detailed way, which is perfect for you at this stage. When you are at the beginning of your journey, details are not important, you don’t need to understand everything at once. Don't even try because you will only get discouraged. Eventually you will learn it all but at first you only need to possess the basic theoretical knowledge. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what you are writing. With time, you will. Just make sure to follow the steps and at the end everything will finally be making sense.

As you see, having a good tutorial is essential when taking first steps in coding. Attending community workshops, organised by passionate people, you will have a guarantee that the tutorial will have all the above-mentioned features. Therefore you will know that time spent during workshops will be time well spent.

Mentor support

One of the biggest benefits of taking part in community workshops is the way in which you work. Most of the times, all the participants are divided into small groups with one mentor assigned to each group. The mentors are experienced developers that have wide knowledge on the topic of the workshop. They are there to help you go through the tutorial, explain things you don’t understand, help you find mistakes you don’t see, share their real life experience and teach you good habits that will be useful in your future adventure with programming. You might think that internet has so much diverse resources now that a mentor won't be helpful. The truth is, you can definitely do without one, but how much easier and faster would it be to learn when someone helps you on the way? There is no single person in the world that likes to ask for help, but when you do, you see that everything becomes much easier and faster. Remember that programming might be complicated at the beginning, so having a mentor will be very beneficial.

Supportive environment

Sounds cliche, right? Maybe it does but still it's the universal truth. Learning in a supportive environment can do wonders to the whole process. When I first started coding on my own, to say it was a disaster, would be an understatement. My code wasn’t working, every 5 minutes I had a problem I couldn’t solve, I basically felt like with every step forward, I took thousand steps backwards. Until one moment... when I finally attended my first coding workshop. It turned out that I'm not alone, everyone had similar problems but together we were able to find solutions to most of them. By working together, side by side, my code finally started to work and my app started to resemble the thing I wanted to achieve. Looking at obstacles from someone else’s perspective was also an extremely valuable experience. The person who invented teamwork was a genius. You can share ideas, brainstorm, laugh at your failures, look for different approaches, discuss solutions and motivate each other to go deeper and further. And the best thing about the environment you all create during workshops is that it stays afterwards. People keep in touch and help each other in developing their knowledge long time after the workshops take place. Never underestimate the power of teamwork. It makes every experience easier and more enjoyable.

Community workshops are the best way for you to start your adventure with coding. They make the whole experience seem like a piece of cake. They will provide you with the basics you need in order to become more advanced. You will see the first results quickly and have a lot of motivation and inspiration to continue. Even if you think that workshops might not be the best for you, try it anyways, do not limit yourself to only one source of knowledge, always use as many as you can. And attending workshops will be just another way to help you achieve your goal.

If you feel like coding yourself, look for community workshops in your city, sign up and make sure to let me know how it went :)

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