worth learning to code?

Discussion in 'Scripting & Programming' started by Juelz, Sep 20, 2013.

  1. Juelz

    Juelz Gigabyte Poster

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    Hi.. Im considering learning to code starting from HTML and CSS and working my way through... Im really interested in programming, but I also have a keen interest in computer repairs and networking and have booked onto a course to get my comptia a+. Do you think learning to code would be worth my time? or do you think an employer would just look at my CV and think "this guy doesn't know what he wants to do" and dismiss me? as I was also planing on getting my 70-480 cert but think it would be to advanced for me so was considering an MTA software development but I cant find any good online resources.. in fact theres not even a book out besides the official tutor book. Its difficult for me as there are many areas of IT I would like to work in... advice would be appreciated, also if any of you know of some good resources for learning programming please do tell. also if you could also tell me in what order I should learn things that would help.
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2013
  2. ad

    ad Bit Poster

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    Hi I'm no expert like others here but I'd like to give my thoughts if that is ok as I have a background in tech support but am retraining to get into programming due to joint disease.

    The first online resource I used for programming was Free Beginners Computer Tutorials and Lessons - they cover basics of HTML, HTML 5 and CSS if your interested in that and all you need is a simple text editor like Notepad but they suggest other decent editors as well. You can buy any of their extra course material if you're happy with them once you've finished their free online course.

    This site W3Schools Online Web Tutorials is much more basic but covers lots of things and is a good foundation for beginners, but watch out for all the ads that appear on their site pages.

    Microsoft Visual Studio Express edition is free if you are interested in Visual Basic.Net and other languages in that suite and they have a lot of tutorials, code and program samples online here Visual Studio 2013

    You may get disorientated searching online for what languages are popular and what tutorials are best as there are many, many sites and suggestions. But I would say pick one language to start with and one tutorial to stick with and see it through from start to finish. It won't be a waste of your time as you will pick up a skill, it's just about finding the best way to use that skill once you get it.

    If you wanted to combine programming with your interest in tech support might I suggest scripting, a lot of my old colleagues in server support and the server data centres learned scripting languages like VB Script which allowed them to retrieve data from servers quickly and safely. Immensely useful for when I needed specific log files from various customer servers that traded with the London Stock Exchange and I didn't want to bodge the server navigating through the many, many log files on there. That is one practical application of programming/scripting language combined with support.

    When I was looking for tech support work again, there was some demand for people well versed with web languages so after working towards your A+ CompTIA certs you can learn the HTML, HTML 5 and CSS you mentioned before from home in your spare time, rather than spend money on a course.

    Having programming languages on your CV isn't a bad thing as some tech support jobs aren't limited to hardware repair and software error resolution only as you will perhaps need to re-design, support and maintain a company website. In fact languages can be a bonus to some employers but I would humbly recommend concentrating on one thing at a time.

    It sounds like you already have the ball rolling by doing the A+ certs, I did both the Hardware and OS myself and it is a lot of work but well worth it. After getting your certs apply for entry level tech support roles or find voluntary tech support roles like at the Citizens Advice Bureau for example. Then learn HTML, HTML 5 and CSS web programming and/or VB scripting whatever you prefer in your spare time, using the free resources.

    I hope this helps in some way. I hope I didn't disorientate you by suggesting scripting. Your initial thoughts of HTML and CSS are fine and also useful for tech support jobs as previously mentioned so maybe best to stick with that after your A+ course. Good luck.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2014
  3. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    Visual Studio does not have to be used for VB .NET, it can also make a great HTML and CSS editor.

    Many people now use Powershell or Python for scripting, but yes older approaches like VBScript or bash shell scripts can be effective.

    There is an evolving area called DevOp's, it combines skillsets of operations support, build management and development. Typical tech includes things like Puppet, Chef, glu, fabric, Nagios, CI servers (cruisecontrol, teamcity, jenkins), Configuration Management (subversion, git), build/deployment scripts.
    What Is a DevOps Engineer? | Puppet Labs | Puppet Labs

    I agree that sticking with one language for a while is a good idea when starting out. Later you can branch out.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2014
  4. shadowwebs

    shadowwebs Megabyte Poster

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    A site which I have discovered recently is Code Academy, Learn to code | Codecademy Online Tutorials where you can learn different programming languages... nothing wrong with knowing HTML / CSS over the top of anything else as it's something which can come in handy in many areas.
     
    Certifications: compTIA A+, Apple Certified Technical Coordinator 10.10 (OS X Yosemite, Server and Support)
  5. ade1982

    ade1982 Megabyte Poster

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    I learnt HTML / CSS (and then PHP/MySQL) as a great way of supplementing my income.

    There is not that much money in it these days as for example 1&1 have a sitebuilder, and most people can knock one up.

    Wouldn't bother certifying it though, just build a big portfolio, as that's what an employer/customer would be interested in.
     

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