How to Get Started in Coding in High School
It has occurred to me that even though I overcame my fear of not knowing how to start my computer science journey, many people today are probably still feeling held back because of the very same reason.
Therefore, I want to offer a guide on how to get started in coding and AI in high school.
How do you start to teach yourself how to code in high school?
The first thing anybody would want to know after expressing interest in this field is how they should learn to code, what language they should learn, how much time they should spend on it, etc.
It is my objective to provide resources and insight to help anyone who is struggling to answer these questions.
First of all, it would be in your best interests to find a resource, organization, or website with a structured coding curriculum to kickstart the process of learning to code. Examples of such resources may include:
Codecademy
Khan Academy
Coursera
Codewars
After selecting the right resource to help you learn to code, it is wise to decide on which coding language you want to learn.
I would recommend Python for high schoolers because it is easy to learn, concise, and widely acknowledged as a valuable coding language to know. It is also easy to practice this language on a free coding site such as repl.it.
Many beginners in high school will also be worried about the time commitment needed to teach yourself how to code and how frequently you must code. For a simple answer, it really doesn’t matter how often you code.
The beauty of self-teaching is that you have the ability to go at your own pace and finish learning a coding language when you feel comfortable enough in your skills.
How can you expand your coding skills and learn about AI in high school?
While learning a coding language in high school is an incredibly honorable feat of accomplishment, many coders become disheartened when they don’t know how to continue to expand on their skillset and apply their coding skills to their real lives and interests.
However, the solution to this can be as simple as researching a coding workshop for a specific area of coding that you might be interested in.
The options range anywhere from advanced coding classes to independent projects to programs that specialize in computer science, natural language processing, and AI (for example, Inspirit AI).
The possibilities are endless depending your interest in computer science as a high schooler and what goals you have for your newly acquired skills.
How can you use coding and AI to enrich other areas of your life?
If there is an overall message that I can impart for the whole process, no matter where you might be in your journey, the best choice is to not be scared of failing or not knowing where to start.
We live in an age and era where information is accessible wherever you look, you only need to put in the effort to look for it.
