Programming is Easy, Once You Master...

Programming is easy once you master these secrets. In this WordCamp Milwaukee talk, I present the four (4) secrets that make programming easy.

Here is the link to the talk on WordCamp Milwaukee website. This talk was given on Sept. 17, 2016: https://2016.milwaukee.wordcamp.org/session/programming-is-easy-once-you-master/

Transcript

1. Programming is Easy, nce You Master… Twitter: @hellofromTonya UpTech Labs: @UpTechLabs Know the Code: @KnowTheCodePro #BeMoreAwesome
2. Big Bold Statement
3. Programming is easy
4. Hello, I’m Tonya • High tech engineering since the mid-1980s • Electrical and software engineer • Technology leader, educator, and author
5. I’m on a mission to help you #BeMoreAwesome
6. What are my goals in this talk?
7. Why are you struggling?
8. Typical Approach • Go buy a theme. Make changes to it. • Stretch a little bit and take on more • Constantly searching for HOW to do something
9. Search for the HOW is a flawed strategy
10. Problems with the “Searching for the How” Strategy • It’s time-consuming. • How do you assess if the code is good? • It only gets you part of the way there. • What happens if it causes a problem? Bottomline: It’s costly.
11. Why When What How
12. Let’s talk about how to master programming
13. Programming Secret #1 Fundamentals
14. Fundamentals are your building blocks
15. Building the upper floors without a solid foundation
16. In software, everything is built from the same building blocks
17. Software Does These Things: • Makes Decisions • Does Tasks • Iterates • Remembers
18. software emulates real life
19. Everyday … decisions, do tasks, repeat programming fundamentals
20. I’ll go to the Kite Festival if https://www.flickr.com/photos/lesterpubliclibrary/9643006351 • the weather is good • not working if ( the conditions are true ) then go to the festival
21. Fundamentals • Decisions • if, when, else if, else • Remembers • Variable • Tasks • Render, File, Database • Repeats • while, for, foreach
22. Getting hung up Syntax
23. Fundamentals Why When What
24. Combine the fundamental building blocks to create different experiences…
26. How Programming Secret #2 Problem Solving
27. Creative Process of Solving Problems How = Ingenuity, creativity, & expertise
28. Visualization Exercise
29. Problem Solving is the process of finding solutions.
30. Problem Solving is the proactive and methodical approach to finding solutions.
31. Programming Secret #3 Programmatic Thought
32. Programmatic thought is thinking about how to get the computer to do what you want it to do.
33. Knowing what the computer needs from you
34. Computers are crazy fast but stupid.
35. Computers don’t understand code. They understand 1s and 0s.
36. Off state -> 0 Power Switch Output Power Source Output Power can’t flow
37. On state -> 1 Power Switch Output Power Source Output Power flows to the output Output
38. Computers = bunch of switches Output Output Output 0 0 0 1 Output Output Output 1 1 1 0 Output Output
39. <?php
 
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40. Computers don’t think or infer. You do.
41. You have to explicitly tell the computer what to do AND how to do it step-by-step.
42. Programming Secret #4 Learning
43. This profession demands continuous learning and proficiency building.
44. Your Take-aways
45. Programming is easy when you master… • Fundamentals • Problem Solving • Programmatic Thought • Learning
46. You can build anything from scratch in code.
47. I’m Tonya @hellofromTonya hellofromtonya.com UpTechLabs.io @UpTechLabs @KnowTheCodePro KnowTheCode.io I teach at…