Code Switch: Learn To Code
Wrap Up
Almost everything we're doing today comes from Chris Pine's book Learn to Program. You can read it, for free, at https://pine.fm/LearnToProgram. Or you can get it from the library or buy a copy.
What We Covered
- Puts and Numbers
- Strings
- Variables
- Combinations
- Arrays
- Each
- Hashes
What's Next
I recommend reading all of Learn To Program, and doing the exercises. Once you're done with that, check out Try Ruby, a fun, guided introduction to more Ruby than we covered today.
The CodeNewbie group is a fantastic resource for new programmers. They have weekly Twitter conversations, online Slack conversations, a podcast and in-person meetups.
After that, there are a variety of places where you can take coding classes, or watch lessons, for free.
- https://www.khanacademy.org
- https://www.udacity.com/courses/all
- https://www.lynda.com (free if you have a Hennepin library card, a St. Paul library card, or attend/work at the University of Minnesota)
- https://bootcamp.umn.edu The UMN offers a part time bootcamp
If you're looking for programming problems to practice on, I recommend http://exercism.io. It's a free source of programming problems in over 30 languages. Even better, you can get feedback on your solutions and see the solutions provided by other students, which is a fantastic way to learn.
I help run a mentoring group for programmers at the University of Minnesota. It is open to everyone. You do not need to be a programmer, or a University employee. I'm almost always there and I'm happy to continue teaching what we worked on this weekend. You can reach me on Twitter @iwhitney or email, ian@ianwhitney.com