Hello, I'm Alisa. Three years ago, I was a humanities major who couldn’t even write "Hello World." Now, I'm a full-stack developer. Today, I want to share my coding journey—the struggles, the lessons, and the learning path I’ve discovered through trial and error. Hopefully, this will help those of you looking to transition into tech.
Step 1: Choosing the Right First Programming Language
I spent a long time debating between Python and Java before finally choosing Python. The reasons were simple:
1. Its syntax is close to English—just type print("hello"), and it runs.
2. It has a rich community with extensive resources, making it easy to find solutions on Google.
3. You can quickly build small projects to boost confidence.
For complete beginners, I highly recommend starting with Python. After just two months, I was able to use web scraping to collect movie data from Douban, and the sense of achievement was my biggest motivation to keep going.
Step 2: Building a Strong Foundation in Computer Science
After learning basic syntax, I struggled with data structures. Eventually, I discovered an effective study method:
1. Monday: Learn the theory (e.g., how hash tables work).
2. Tuesday: Implement it from scratch (e.g., write a simple hash table in Python).
3. Wednesday: Solve related LeetCode problems (e.g., "Two Sum").
By following this cycle, I mastered common data structures and algorithms within three months. I learned operating systems and networking by working on projects and looking up information as needed—much more efficient than rote memorization.
Step 3: Mastering Developer Tools
I remember my first time using Git—I accidentally overwrote a teammate’s code. It was embarrassing. Now, my essential toolset includes:
1. VS Code (choosing the right plugins can double productivity)
2. Git (I commit at least three times a day)
3. Postman (a lifesaver for debugging APIs)
For each tool, I recommend building a small project to practice, such as using Git to manage your first website’s code.
Step 4: Gaining Experience Through Real-World Projects
My project progression looked like this:
1. Personal blog (Flask + MySQL)
2. E-commerce website (Django + Vue)
3. WeChat mini-program (Cloud development)
Every project came with countless bugs, but solving them improved my skills significantly. I strongly recommend deploying your projects online—showing a live demo in an interview is ten times more convincing than just talking about it.
Step 5: Developing an Engineering Mindset
During one interview, I was asked, "What would you do if user traffic suddenly spiked?" I was completely unprepared. Over time, I learned to:
1. Draw system architecture diagrams before writing code.
2. Consider exception handling and logging.
3. Study common system design patterns.
These soft skills often determine how far you can go in your career.
Advice for Beginners
1. Code every day, even if only for 30 minutes.
2. When stuck, debug for at least an hour before asking for help.
3. Regularly review and reinforce past knowledge.
4. Join a tech community to stay motivated.
The hardest part of transitioning into coding isn't the technical skills—it’s perseverance. I’ve had countless moments when I wanted to give up, but looking back at my journey from struggling to modify others’ code to independently developing projects, I know every bit of effort was worth it. I believe you can do it!
Release time:2025-04-02
