₦airaland Forum

This is my first ever post to this site. i am a "lurker". Once in a while, when I am bored, I come on here and see what's happening.

It is almost impossible to start learning software development from the deep end.
Like most things, the best way to start programming is to start at the very basics. It would never do to try to run before you can walk. I would suggest, therefore that you start and continue in this progression:

1) Learn Basic HTML
This is strictly not programming, just like learning what swimming kit to buy is not swimming. But it pays to do it.

2) Learn JavaScript
Slowly begin to introduce javaScript to your static html pages. Learning JavaScript is the beginning of your road down programming. Contrary to what many people believe, JavaScript is not simply a scripting language, it is actually an entry-level programming language which shares similar syntax and conventions with object-oriented languages like php and Java. Spend a good deal of time on JavaScript. Once you master JavaScript properly, the rao to other object oriented languages will be smooth.

3) Then learn a CGI language - you have the choice of asp, asp.NET, perl, php, jsp ,
I suggest php. Beautiful language. Easy to learn open-source, supported by 99.99% of web hosting companies, has innumerable support on the internet, works on both windows and Unix-based server, is more futureproof than all the others, is free, free, free, etc etc

4) Learn a database:
I suggest mySQL. Many of the points on php, above apply to mySQL. This nairaland forum, like 90%(guesstimate) of forums on the internet today is run on php/mySQL.

Really at this stage you can make a perfectly lucrative living with the knowledge you have, above. If you want to go farther, you would have had enough knowledge at tis stage to know which languages you would like to continue with (eg Java, C#, C, C++ , )

To some extent, what matters is not the languages you learn, but the aptitude that you have for programming. Just because you understand English would not make you a good novelist.

While studying for my masters degree a few years ago, I came across a lot of Nigerians who took up IT courses "because there was money in it"!

Many of these people just wasted their time. Some dropped out halfway, many got through by the skin of their teeth and by getting others to do their courseworks for them,

You should go into programming/software development if (1) you have a genuine interest (2) You have the aptitude and/or you are willing to learn

Anyway, i do not want to go on forever. Hope what I posted will be useful to someone.

You can see some of my software products at: http://www.easyware.co.uk


Victor