I'm reading currently reading Code Complete by Steve McConnell, which I find a great resource, but there are many parts that still assume a good amount of knowledge in computer science and programming. Some of the code examples don't make a lot of sense to me either, because I'm still a beginner.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a similar book geared towards super beginners that would be a good complement?
Top comments (14)
I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but my favorite first book on programming is the Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt + Dave Thomas.
The Pragmatic Programmer does an amazing job of helping the reader to get into healthy + productive programming mindset. It's not heavy on algorithms or data structures - it's about all of the other things that make you a successful coder. It's the first book I give to any new folks who work on my teams! I also re-read it every year or two.
Good luck on your journey! The first part is the hardest part.
Thank you for your suggestion! I was actually really curious about the Pragmatic Programmer since it was recommended in a lot of other blog posts. I think I'll be reading that next ;)
You are welcome! Feel free to ping me if you're getting stuck at any point - I'm always happy to help.
Will do! thanks again!
I think you have first to pick up a programming language , for me i am doing java so i can recommend 'teach yourself java in 21 days' to have a good start , then 'Introduction to java programming by Y.Daniel Liang' . Doing some projects and choosing a framework to work with is the best way to start learning , this book from my point of view is not suitable for beginners , good luck !
Thanks Omar :) I have actually picked up the basics of my first programming language and worked on a couple of my own projects. Definitely good advice before jumping into Code Complete! I was wondering if there was a good book that was just a little easier than Code Complete. Maybe I just need a bit more experience working with the code and other projects!
That's right . You can start searching for design patterns book , in order to write an efficient good , you can read 'Head first design patterns' and start read and implement concepts like [MVC ,MVP and MVVM] for your projects . For me i'm applying now days MVP on android , best of luck .
Awesome! Thanks again! I'll pick up that design patterns book soon too. Good luck to you too
I highly recommend Grokking Algorithms! It's a great way to understand algorithms and data structures in a visual format.
Thanks! I'll add that to my list!
I have heard amazing things about:
Computer Science Distilled: Learn the Art of Solving Computational Problems
I should get it in about 2 days. Can't wait.
Thanks for the suggestion! I just checked it out and it sounds like it's going to be really helpful.
The other recommendations here are really good. But in my opinion might be more suited to more experience devs. I would recommend working through a book with actual projects where you get to create something useful immediately. There's nothing like getting one's hands dirty to really appreciate the power of programming. Next, I would come up with a project that you find interesting and just go ahead and build it.
Hey Arik, thanks for the comment (actually I had just read your math post!). Yeah, I definitely think doing projects is one of the best ways to learn. I also wanted to get a little bit of background on the higher level concepts too :)