Find a programming tutor in Galway

What is programming?

Programming is a very common word to be thrown around in articles, in schools and online but what exactly is it? Programming covers a wide range of things but is primarily the process of making any software. Someone who makes websites through coding is considered a programmer, game developers are also programmers and students who make a simple calculator app in python are programmers. All that tells us is that programmers make online stuff through coding, but that doesn’t actually say a whole lot. A more in-depth description of programming would be the process of making computer programs through a coding language. There are a whole bunch of languages which are split between two categories, then every language has its own libraries and cool extensions but that is something students will get to learn further down the line!

Common misconceptions

Many people think that you need to be good at maths to do programming but this simply isn’t true. The skills that are most important for programming are problem-solving skills, the use of logic and most importantly, patience. Programming is a very stressful and time-consuming hobby/job but it is also one of the most rewarding and fun. Maths can play a role, especially in game development or when you’re working with data but it plays as big a role as you want it to. Another misconception is that if you’re good at programming you are really good at fixing computers/devices and that kind of thing. However, they often don’t have any correlation, many programmers would have basic knowledge of those subjects but it really isn't a part of the job description.

The pitfall of self-learning

One of the best things about programming is that it’s so widespread it’s possible to learn a lot off the internet. There are many free courses, online resources and entire communities dedicated to helping beginners pick up their first language, even in the middle of the countryside in Galway you’ll be able to pick up programming. This ability to self-learn is a great thing but relying on it solely for anything other than a hobby can be a bad idea. Number one students will pick up programming much more slowly than if that student were to join a course. Self-taught programmers are more susceptible to picking up bad habits and many programming languages have expectations of formatting and the way you write code for clarity, so learning by yourself how to write code neatly and legibly can be quite difficult to manage. Self-learning can also mean students miss essential areas of knowledge on programming which will come to hurt them further down the line. If you study programming in college, for example, you will get much more in-depth information on everything that surrounds programming, the way computers process code, how CPUs work and what code looks like on the most basic of levels (binary, zeros and ones). This all will help you become a better programmer which is why if you’re serious about programming you should at the very least get a tutor.

How a tutor can help you

Tutors have a wealth of benefits for any prospective programmer, they will help guide on the right path to learning programming and they can be an aid to any other form of learning the student is doing. Say you are studying Computer Science or Software Development in NUIG, then a tutor will be able to help with assignments, help you understand lecture materials and make sure all your work is up to the highest level it can be. Tutors can either be your main source of learning or merely a supplement, you use the tutor as much as you need to. This is one of the biggest advantages of a tutor!

Finding your tutor

Programming tutors are not readily available in Ireland which is why it’s important you use a tool like Superprof to make the search process as stress-free as possible. You’ll be able to see all the programming tutors in Galway and across the country so that you can start learning on your own terms as soon as you wish!