Absolute beginner's guide to programming and computers

Programming and app development for the complete newbie – Learn how to program and use programming creatively.

What is programming and how to write a computer program? It's often the case that beginners who'd like to learn programming don't know where to start or even what it is they are looking for. This course was designed for any novice looking to learn about programming and computers in general. Here, you'll learn everything you need to get started with programming the basics you need to know to start learning on your own. You don't need to know anything about computers to get started – this guide will cover all important topics and give you an introduction to the most important programming topics.

Each lecture is conceived in such a way to provide a new and interesting insight into how programming could be used not as a replacement career, but as a supplement to another. Besides being a useful tool in the modern technologically dominated society, programming can be an interesting and fun way to expand your creative endeavors.

Absolute beginner's guide to programming and computers is a course designed for the complete beginner. Unlike most standard programming courses, it minimizes the use of math and tech-heavy vocabulary and provides simple and relatable examples of programming, building real understanding of how to write a computer program and providing the student with actual usable skills within a minimal timeframe.

Instead of heavily focusing on specific technologies, Absolute beginner's guide provides the student with the core principles and, through examples and analogies, demonstrates a programmer's way of thinking. The course goes through several programming languages and so-called programming paradigms and elucidates the fundamental concepts of each one, including some of the most important ideas of procedural programming, assembly, object-oriented programming, web development (HTML and CSS), multi-threading, mobile development and even game development. You'll learn the basics of C#, C++ and JavaScript in a way that will let you transfer these skills to other programming languages.

The course is presented in such a way to allow you to build your skills independently. In this guide, you will learn how to read documentation and where to find answers if you ever get stuck with a programming problem. This way, the student who finishes the course understands the basics of the key branches of software development and has the skill to further advance and research on their own.

Although focusing on specific technologies can create experts in a specialized field, most professionals switch between many different technologies during their careers, but despite this constant switching, core ideas always remain, even when the details of a specific technology or platform have been forgotten. Instead of teaching details that could be forgotten when a new technology emerges, this absolute beginner's guide focuses on exactly those principles that are used across different technologies.

The course touches upon many topics while presenting only the most important material. It starts out lightly and gradually introduces more advanced concepts, all the while using little to no tech-focused vocabulary and nothing but elementary school math.