How to Think Like a Programmer
The best way to think like a programmer is to learn from a programmer. You can study all the languages and do all the assignments but sitting with a programmer and educating yourself on all they do is the best way to learn how to think like a programmer.
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Instructions
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Understand the goals to programming. If you undertake any project, you need to know where to start and where to end. This is the same for programming. You need to know how to get from the beginning to the end.
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Work with another programmer. Let him teach you how to undertake a programming assignment. By going through the steps with a programmer you can learn to think like a programmer.
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Question the steps. You may find you have a real knack for the puzzles that programming presents. The more you question things the more you will understand them and therefore you will find you are thinking like a programmer.
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Study the programming that others have done and see if you can improve it. If you can't work with a programmer, the next best thing is to study the programming. You need to examine the program so you can see the thought that went into developing it.
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Run the program and look at the log that is produced. This will help you realize what is needed and what isn't and you may be able to see why you didn't get the desired results. Just because a program runs without errors doesn't mean that it produces what you want.
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Design programs as you would a route from your home to wherever you wish to go. Drawing a map, in programming language, is the best way to think like a programmer. You need to see the big picture and not get stuck on mundane issues. As long as you know the programming language and you are thinking as a programmer should, you can solve any programming problem.
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Copy and reuse programs that are already in place. Study them and change them to work for any new projects that come up. Another way to learn to think like a programmer is to do it.
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Tips & Warnings
Although schooling is always a good foundation and it may help you get a programming job, it will not teach you how to think like a programmer.
If you can't learn from a programmer personally, study the programming that a programmer has done to learn how to think like a programmer.
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Comments
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very good topic...Thx for that post :)
