Many people, especially mothers that are looking at changing careers are interested in learning how to code. There are certainly some highly talented programmers out there that can make it seem like an unachievable task. Please don’t be put off. Anyone can be a programmer.

There are many types of programmers. I am a frontend developer. This means I mostly make websites and focus on using technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Where to start learning

I believe the best way to learn how to code is to be curious and teach yourself. I often find myself viewing the source code of other websites to understand how they would approach things. Having said that, having a base knowledge is important.

Learn the basics

There are awesome free resources to learn how to code. My favourite is Codecademy. I would highly recommend you start from the Build a website course

Scratch isn’t only for kids

When you are ready for JavaScript but are a bit nervous, why not start learning how to pseudocode using Scratch. This has been developed for primary school children to get them problem solving. A lot of the thought process is used for coding. Once you feel comfortable, codecademy has some JavaScript courses.

Inspect Code

You can view the source of a website to see how they have their markup. This is a good way to figure out how others use markup. Remember, not everyone uses valid markup. If you right click in chrome you can inspect an element. This will bring up a code inspector at the bottom of your browser. When you select a HTML element, you will see the corresponding CSS styles on the right hand side. This is a good way to learn more.

Build your own website

When you are ready, why not get a domain name and hosting and start making your own websites! It might not look as flash as a theme you could purchase however this isn’t about making pretty websites. This is about learning how to build your own. With time you will have the schools to make the best websites ever.

Happy coding.