What I wish I had known before I started programming
Published: 4/9/2025
Getting Started with Programming Was the Hardest Part
Out of all the difficult things I've faced as a programmer, getting started was definitely the most challenging. In the beginning, I had no clear idea where to start. There were so many languages: Java, Python, PHP, JavaScript... Wait, are Java and JavaScript the same thing? So confusing.
At first, I managed to create my first control structures and learned how to get input from the keyboard… then I asked myself: what’s next? How do I create a user interface? Can I make an app with HTML?
I had so many doubts, and many of them caused me to stumble again and again. It was hard to find a clear path, and that really slowed down my learning. But it also taught me something very valuable.
Web Development: The Start of Real Understanding
One of the things that helped me the most was starting to learn web development. That’s when everything started to make sense: I understood what a view was, what an API is, what frontend and backend mean. I also learned how to use databases and insert data, which gave me more tools to build real things.
Still, I wish I had a clearer learning path from the beginning. I learned through trial and error—failing many times before achieving what I wanted. But I don’t regret it, because failures teach you much more than success ever could.
Focusing: One of the Best Decisions
Another big lesson I learned was that I couldn’t learn everything at once. Early on, I made that mistake: I wanted to learn every language, every framework, all at once… and in the end, I wasn’t really learning anything.
At some point, I decided to focus on one language and master it before moving on to the next. That decision helped me move forward with much more clarity.
Advice for Those Just Starting Out
If you’re just getting started with programming, my advice would be this: try to build projects with a full stack. Learn the basics of databases, backend, and frontend. Explore decoupled technologies—they're very common and give you flexibility. And above all, don’t give up.
You don’t need to know everything at once. You just need a clear direction, curiosity, and consistency. The rest comes with time.