HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN PROGRAMMING?
Wondering how much time you will have to spend learning programming before starting working independently in the industry as a Junior? Want to know what learning programming looks like? You can find out everything below.
We also encourage you to take our aptitude test to check which programming language is for you.
WHY LEARN PROGRAMMING?
IT is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. This dynamic development causes creating many new jobs for specialists in the industry. Currently, in Europe, there are about 5,5 million programmers. However, the market demand is much higher - official estimates say about 500,000 IT specialists are missing in Europe. The IT industry tempts many people with high salaries and the possibility of rapid promotion. A high level of salary in the IT industry can be reached much faster than in the retail, service, marketing, consulting or even financial sector.
FROM AMATEUR PROGRAMMER TO JUNIOR!
If you have never been exposed to programming, you need to be patient because you will probably spend 300-400 hours learning the basics of programming. You mustn't lose motivation at this stage and think about why you decided to learn to code.
How long will it take you to learn the basics? If you study for an hour a day, you will spend about a year at this stage. However, if you are pressed for time and dedicate 6 hours a day to learning programming, you will achieve the same result in as little as two months. You will have acquired skills that will allow you to write your first programs and applications at this stage. You will feel great satisfaction and see the results of your hard work! After this time, you will master the basics enough to get your first job as a Junior Developer.
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Your start in the IT industry
But this is just the beginning - there's still a lot to learn. At this stage, you should mainly work on your projects. Recruiters are looking for programmers who are passionate and have a track record. It's good to create your website, help your friends optimise their online shop, get involved in the programming community, etc. Thanks to such projects, you will learn in the best way - through practice. And it is precisely such juniors that companies like to hire. Even if you don't have specific skills "to start with", the company will train you and pay you decently for your work if you show enough commitment to learning!
As a junior, you will perform simple tasks independently under the guidance of experienced colleagues. They will teach you new things and give you increasingly advanced problems to solve. They will also show you how to improve your code. They will take you to industry conferences. All this will make you constantly develop and acquire new skills. This is the next stage of your learning - practice, practice and more practice. As a junior programmer, you will work for about 1 - 2 years.
INDEPENDENT PROGRAMMER AND LEARNING TO PROGRAM ON YOUR OWN
In retrospect, you will see that your programming language has changed considerably. Technologies that were new at the beginning of your apprenticeship are now obsolete. Therefore, you must expand your knowledge at every stage of your career. When you work independently on projects, you will feel even more responsible for your development. You will have to search for information yourself on how to do something better, smarter and faster. You can be active in developer communities, for example, on developer forums. Working as a developer is a constant learning curve. You need to keep up to date with all the latest news and technological changes to remain attractive in the job market. Medium Developers are currently the most sought-after group in the IT industry.
A CAREER IN IT - SENIOR DEVELOPER
Next, you will become a Senior Developer, possibly even a team leader. You will share your knowledge and experience in programming courses. You will also be the one to teach junior developers that there is always room for improvement.
LEARNING TO PROGRAM LASTS A LIFETIME
IT is an industry where a lot changes from year to year. To keep up to date with the news, you need to develop and improve your skills constantly. Working in IT is a job for someone who likes to expand their knowledge and learn new things. Entering the IT world is definitely about lifelong learning. When you start learning to program, you have to be prepared for continuous learning. IT is a highly dynamic industry where you need to constantly update your knowledge to keep up to date with new technologies and coding languages. However, changes in the job market, automation, and AI development require adaptability skills from employees in most industries. It pays to be prepared for this, if only by developing your technological skills.
Ready to start your adventure with learning programming?