How to Learn Programming for Beginners From A Student of Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts
Interested in learning how to code as a total beginner? I will share some of the resources I used to build up all the programming basics necessary to create AI projects.
What is programming?
Before you start learning about Artificial Intelligence, you first need a core understanding of programming. There are a plethora of different programming “languages” that are used for different purposes; for example, one might write a program in HTML and Javascript to build their own website, or code in Swift to build an iOS application. As for machine learning, Python is widely used due to its simplicity, rendering it easier to build machine learning models. This is a perfect first programming language for total beginners as well, since it is very easy to learn (compared to other languages such as C++). There are plenty of online courses and tutorials on Python, but I strongly believe there are certain courses that are superior to others. The steps I took as a complete beginner to computer programming worked extremely well for me, and I hope that by sharing my own experience I will be able to inspire some to take the same path as I did and develop a similar passion for AI and computer science.
How can I learn how to code?
Yes, there are many amazing online courses that teach you how to code. However, the first programming course that I ever took is unparalleled in its accessibility. It also covers a vast array of topics that will help in any area of computer science, instead of focusing on a specific part of programming that will only be useful in certain fields. The course is called CS50: Introduction to Computer Science, and can be found on edX, the free online learning platform. It’s a completely self-paced course with pre-recorded online lectures taught by David Malan, a Harvard Computer Science Professor, in addition to weekly problem sets that go hand in hand with the lectures. The lectures aren’t your typical boring lectures; speaking from experience, they are truly exhilarating to watch, and will definitely engage you. I should note that the majority of the people who take the course quit after Week 1, but if you stick with it all the way to the end, I guarantee you that you will not regret it and the rewards for your hard work will no doubt pay off.
Creating your first AI project
After completing this course, you will have enough coding knowledge to create your own projects, and continue learning new programming languages aside from the ones taught in the course. At this point, it is up to you to find out what you want to learn more about, and do some research. Since you’re reading this blog, I’m assuming you have at least some interest in machine learning; in that case, CS50 offers a machine learning course that most people take after completing the aforementioned introductory course. It’s an excellent course that I completed as well, and highly recommend it.
In essence, if you’re a total beginner hoping to join the computer science world but have no idea where to start, you should first complete CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science. After that, you will be comfortable enough with programming that the possibilities will be endless.
