Please be polite guys. I am very new to Hashnode. Still figuring out how things work here. Anyways, this is my first question.
What language would you suggest to a beginner?
recommend HTML I have a Cerebral Pusey and Started DTS-NET.com in 1997 over 20 Years. My whole life I have been disabled any one that is disabled and wants to code will teach them the skills. DTS-NET is involved with some largest charitable foundations in the world.
Hi Fernando!
NextBillion.org runs a free 12-week mentorship program in the field of technology – by connecting people with disabilities with industry leaders as mentors. The first cohort is almost complete with 30 mentorships around the world, and the second cohort is launching soon. It would be a great opportunity for you (and anyone else on this thread who is interested in being a mentor or mentee) to apply and be a part of the program.
(Full disclosure: I'm the co-founder of NextBillion.org; feel free to message me naitik at nextbillion.org and I'd be happy to help)
You guys are awesomely encouraging, this is a great community... and for you dear Fernando, I am just a beginner like you, I can't help you as much as in the previous answers, but I just want you to keep in your mind some facts: 1-Disabled people are always stronger in will than others, this makes them (Rather than awesome and deep ) more dedicated and more hardworking 2-dedication and hard work are the keys of any success 3-anyone, I mean really anyone can learn programming, as long as he has the passion and patience 4-you don't have to pay one cent to learn programming (unless you choose to off course) this is because the internet is stuffed with everything about programming for free, it only requires some digging to find everything, I have been learning to code since over a year for now, and I didn't pay anything so far 5-Sometimes code will seem impossible to understand, this happens to everyone, and is temporary, if you revisit that same peace of code later, you will find it easier to understand, keep revisiting until you fully understand it.
You posted this question last June, I bet you are a professional programmer now ;), would like to hear about your progress and your experience :)
I've worked remotely from home for over 10 years now. Currently I'm fullstack JavaScript developer. In the backend I use node.js and in the frontend my own tiny library called RE:DOM.
I'd recommend to learn JavaScript and learn it well. It's the language of the future and you can do pretty much anything with it these days: web backend, frontend, mobile apps, smart tv apps, IoT, animations, games, ...
Good luck! 😉
Absolutely. In fact, there are a lot of good online courses that teach you how to code from a very beginning level up to a master developer.
Coursera, Udacity and universities like Stanford have some good lessons about that.
When you acquire the required skills, work from home will be just the next step (the easy one imo).
Good luck!
Yes, speaking as a tech recruiter for a major CS employer, that is absolutely possible. I would target the basics first, getting a solid foundation in either Java or C++ as that is what you will have to know first. The hottest languages in the marketplace today are Python & Go. There are a lot of online resources where you can start out with both of those. I would also look for local meetup groups within the respective languages, those will help you get out and meet others in this area and begin networking. :) They will also probably know the best ways for you to get started in your chosen area, know of the best coding bootcamps and will also be able to help introduce you around. Feel free to reach out to me should you have any additional questions or concerns and good luck!
I would highly recommend looking at freecodecamp.com! I don't know your economic situation, but it can be a great starting point for anyone with limited resources.
In short, it is very possible to learn how to code. In fact, coding is one of the best opportunity for you. In my opinion, you can start with HTML, CSS and after tinkering with it a bit, you can go try your hands on wordpress and them to javascrip, php and so on.
Everything is possible if you believe and take action!
There's a saying that goes something like this: You are what you think
If someone else did it, you can do it too!
As for programming, what you need to know as a beginner is that, this profession is hard and you have to work hard to stay motivated through the tough times. In order to understand a particular concept, don't be afraid to repeat what you already know or you think you know, because it will help you to understand the concept better and better every time you learn the same thing.
If you are interested in Web Development, I'd suggest starting with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript (also known as Front-End) before moving on to the server side (also known as Back-End) and Databases.
As mentioned in other posts, there are a ton of free resources, ranging from youtube video tutorials, conference talks, books, podcasts, blog posts/articles etc. which you can learn from.
Remember that the only hard part of finding the resources is figuring out the quality of the resources you are learning from.
Some of the content is not free, but it's worth investing money in your new career if the quality of the content is high.
Some blogs and websites I recommend:
(I'll add more blogs later if they come to mind)
Paid Content Websites
The most important thing that you need to know is, before moving on to another language, make sure to build a few projects, spend a few months working with it without using any of the advanced stuff like frameworks or libraries that help you build apps faster. I am saying this, because you'll need to learn the basics of the language(s) first, before moving on the modern tools, frameworks and libraries.
Follow along with the course practical projects and you'll have a few projects to refer back when needed. Also, they could serve as your practical portfolio that you at least learned something. It is better than nothing!
The web development communities will help you if you need help, don't be afraid to ask! I am part of a few Slack communities like:
Before I forget, The Awesome List of Resources will help you find stuff where to learn from.
I am sorry if I overwhelmed you with resources but you have a choice what you will learn and where you will learn from.
Good luck with your new career as a web developer (if you choose that path) and have fun!
Ruffles
as someone with a physical disability who's been in web development for 15 years, I can tell you from personal experience, your disability and the ability to land a job are totally irrelevant from one another. Your ability to code and develop applications is what will land you a job.
My current job, which I've been at for 2 1/2 years, is only somewhat accessible. I say somewhat because there is a flight of stairs that are the only way up to the office. On my interview, it was clear they were going to offer me a job, and when they did, they asked me if I needed any accommodations. The first one I asked for was a railing on the stairs, which would make it that much easier for me. The second was the ability to work from home when my body was having an "off" day. I explained what I meant and they had no problem whatsoever allowing me to work from home when needed.
I tell you this because other jobs have offered me the same thing, as it's common. They knew in order to get the skill set I bring, they would need to provide me with "reasonable" accommodations, which is actually a legal requirement if you live in the US.
As for resources to what to learn and how to learn it, others have provided excellent answers. Don't forget Q&A sites like StackOverflow and ExpertsExchange are great tools as well for learning.
Don't look as your disability as a hindrance, but rather just another part of who you are. If people don't like it, their loss, not yours :) If you have any specific questions, feel free to post here or message me privately!
Hey Fernando,
the whole community welcomes you! I'm really glad to see you as one of us - the awesome people of Hashnode. :)
Promise me one thing - please don't allow your condition to dictate your life. You are much, much stronger than you think. If you are passionate about programming and loves to do it, no matter your current status, you can get the job you want. It will be hard, it will be time consuming and exhausting, but it will totally worth it.
First of all, find what you really like - web development, mobile development, desktop development and start learning. Find resources (there are plenty of topics and links here), learn and practice. Build toy projects, ask questions, answer questions, find a place to share your knowledge and experience (Hashnode is a great place for that) and enjoy the whole journey.
You will have many difficulties, problems you can't solve, code you can't understand and that is absolutely normal. Don't get discouraged by that! You will eventually find all the answers you need. Programming is a never-ending adventure, full of new discoveries and struggles.
Your disability shouldn't worry or scare you, quite the contrary - it should motivate you! From my early years I've been stuttering. At some point I wasn't able to speak a whole sentence without stopping. Do you know how I tackled this problem - I started working in a call-center, where I had to talk for 5-6 hours a day. I was scared, not knowing how everything will go, but I did it anyway. Still one of the best decisions in my life.
The moral takeout of the story is, that you should chase your dreams, no matter what! Your persistence and hard work will be rewarded eventually.
We've discussed different learning roadmaps and plans in the past here at Hashnode, so you can search for them. If you can't find a particular answer, feel free to ask it.
Good luck!
Yes, it's very possible. It's also quite difficult. If you have an economical support system, you should be able to make it work, but if it's something you have to do before date X, it might be a problem, both since everyone learns at a different pace, and because quite honestly you might find out that it's not for you.
I would suggest Javascript for a beginner. Start at the front-end, that's an area where there is tons of work being done, tons of new work created all the time, and (last but not least) tons of tutorials and free courses available.
After that, you can (if you want to) work on a back-end language, but I would suggest trying to find paying work in the front-end first. Many jobs require full stack experience (front and back-end), but being good at front-end development should be good enough for tons of jobs. Then, when you've got a few paying jobs behind you and want to expand your job opportunities, you can select a back-end language. Which is up to you, and you'll be much better able to make that decision when you come to it.
You COULD actually become a very experienced full stack developer without spending a penny on anything but your computer and power and internet bills. But there are also tons of resources that are very valuable and worth what they cost. You'll decide which those are as you go along. Pro tip: try before you buy.
Finally: The good news is that working from home is very common in the business, the bad news is that many people will require weekly/monthly or even just random face-to-face meetings/group sessions and stuff like that. Honestly, if travelling isn't too much of a bother for you, that shouldn't be a problem for you depending on your disability. It's either one of those "remember we're all in this together" things, or a "let's get everyone in a room so we know everyone is on the same page" things. That's usually quite social, and generally considered a good thing. You could also manage to just work from home, but chances are you will find that that excludes you from a lot of good work, and there are some really nice people in this business that you could really benefit from meeting and talking to face to face, even if you have a disability. IT is an extremely inclusive field, and I think you'll be surprised how little disabilities matter when you're deep into a discussion about which framework is the best representation of MVC, or which state library is "best". :)
Amir Anwar
Python and Android developer
Parth Shah
Help the disabled learn coding!
Hi Fernando Morris,
I see you have gone on to become a fantastic programmer since you posted this!
I am a graduate student at the University of Florida studying computer science and my team is trying to develop accessibility tools to help the disabled in coding and learning to code. I would love to connect with you about what kind of disability you have and how we may be able to help provide solutions.
We are still in the prototyping phase and need feedback to improve the design. If interested, I would appreciate if you contact me at parth.shah1@ufl.edu or reply below this comment.
Good day!