<p>Tyler Cinnamon is a American programmer and entrepreneur. He started TechLit Africa with Nelly Cheboi in 2018 to disrupt poverty with used IT devices.</p>

Founder & COO

<h2>How To Become A Coder</h2><p>So you want to become a coder. People ask me all the time: "How do I learn to code?" "How can I improve?"</p><p>Here's my definitive answer (the updated 2022 version).</p><h2>TLDR</h2><p>You either don't want to become very skilled at programming or you want a to get a coding job, because learning to code takes a lot of practice, you learn best from writing code that people use, and you need to earn a living.</p><p><br></p><h2>How To Become A Skilled Coder</h2><p>The only way to become a skilled coder is by writing a lot of code that a lot of people use.</p><p>Most people get a computer science degree of join a coding bootcamp, then become skilled after working a job writing code that lots of people use.</p><p>It's rare to become skilled at coding without ever being a professional.</p><h2>Three Requirements</h2><p>I think there are three reasons why most people work as a professional before becoming skilled at coding.</p><p>If you want to become a coder, these are your requirements:</p><ol><li>You need to code for thousands of hours (at least) to be very skilled.</li><li>You need to write a lot of code that people need before you know if the code you write is any good.</li><li>You need to support yourself (and potentially your family) while doing 1 and 2.</li></ol><h2>Learning To Code The Easy Way</h2><p>My advice is that you should be honest about your goals. First, you need to know what kind of coder you want to be (read my last few posts to figure that out).</p><h3>Hobbyists</h3><p>If you want to become a hobbyist coder, then go watch some videos and relax.</p><p>If creating neat things with code is what excites you, then there's no rush. You can code well into retirement.</p><h3>Novice Hackers / Techies</h3><p>If you want to hack on small things, like websites or chrome plugins, then get to it!</p><p>Whatever coding project you have in mind, all you have to do is find out what material it's made of, and then learn to mold that material.</p><h3>Skilled Hackers / Founders</h3><p>If you want to hack on big things, like real-time mobile apps or no-code metaverse platforms, then you may need to become a professional first.</p><p>There is no shortcut to building reliable and scalable software with hundreds of features, but you can learn how very quickly by working at the right company.</p><h3>Professionals</h3><p>If you want to earn money, you've come to the right place. Becoming a professional coder is easier now than ever.</p><p>The easiest way to learn to code is by investing in a boot camp for a short time, then replacing your full-time job with a coding job.</p><p>Join the best coding boot camp you can find, then focus on getting a coding job. You'll be a coder in no time.</p>

Three Requirements To Become A Good Coder | Thousands of Hours, Hundreds of Users, Stable Employment | Learning To Code The Easy Way | Pick Your Goal | Programmer Tyler Cinnamon - How To Become A Coder in 2022

<p>So you want to become a coder. People ask me all the time: "How do I learn to code?" "How can I improve?"</p><p>Here's my definitive answer (the updated 2022 version).</p>

(4/4) How To Become A Coder - The Easy Way | TechLit Africa

<p>So you want to become a coder. People ask us all the time: "How do I learn to code?" "How can I improve?"</p><p>Here's Tyler's definitive answer (the updated 2022 version).</p>

Professionals, Hobbyists And Hackers | Learning To Code The Easy Way | Software Engineering And Computer Science Without A Degree

How To Become A Coder - Updated 2022 Version | TechLit Africa

How To Become A Coder in 2022

(4/4) How To Become A Coder - The Easy Way

<h2>The Hard Way</h2><p>I learned to code the hard way. I dropped out of school, relied on friends and family while sleeping on couches and configured my tools from the ground up.</p><p>Don't do this!</p><p>My circumstances were unique: I had friends and family to support me, I was comfortable being alone and finding my own path, and I already knew some coding.</p><h3>Why I Chose The Hard Way</h3><p>When I decided to become skilled as coding, I was already a novice hobbyist. I had two goals:</p><ol><li>I wanted to become a founder, and wanted to use coding as a tool for solving problems.</li><li>I needed a fallback career, preferably one that paid well, didn't require a degree, and one that I could hop in and out of.</li></ol><h2>How I Learned To Code</h2><p>I dropped out of school and didn't work any job at all. I lived with family and on friends' couches. Avoiding distractions allowed me to focus on learning.</p><p>Most cost runs on Linux, because that's what most of the internet is made of. So, I erased the operating system on my laptop as often as I could, sometimes every day, and configured my tool belt - a Linux desktop.</p><p>Once I had my Linux desktop working, which took many days when I first started, I followed web coding tutorials. I wasn't able to work on my own yet, but I could follow steps.</p><h3>Avoiding Computer Science</h3><p>Traditionally, you learn computer science theory before learning to code. That's dumb, because it's backwards.</p><p>First, you need to learn the tools of the trade and how to do the basic work that people value. Today, that means using the basic pieces of a high-level language, like strings, lists, maps, functions and classes.</p><p>Only once you have been in the field for a while, should you learn the details of your operating system, patterns for avoiding bad mutation, or deciding between productivity and juggling pointers.</p><h3>What I Learned Instead</h3><p>I wasn't very skilled at coding by the time I got my first coding job, but I was very skilled at using coding tools, reading coding documentatoin, and troubleshooting other people's code.</p><p>After a few months on the job, I was also a skilled coder. On the job, I learned algorithms, design patterns and operating system details. But I didn't see myself as a professional until coding for a living for a few years.</p><p>What I did well that you can learn from is eliminating distractions, focusing on the tools of the trade and the skills that matter.</p><h3>Becoming A Founder</h3><p>At this point, I've been trying to solve real problems with code for years, but I feel like I've just started.</p><p>As a hobbyist first and a hacker second, the hard part for me is recognizing the difference between a real problem and a neat solution.</p><p>Real problems don't always have a neat solutino, but they are worth solving. Neat solutions don't always solve a real problem, which makes for ugly business.</p><h2>Recommendations</h2><p>Whatever your goals are, I wouldn't recommend my path to you unless it excites you. It took a long time, it was lonely and it was very difficult.</p><p>In the next post, I'll share my definitive guide for learning to code in 2022.</p>

<p>I learned to code the hard way. I dropped out of school, lived with family and on friends' couches, and configured my tools from the ground up.</p><p>Don't do this!</p>

(3/4) How To Become A Coder - The Hard Way | TechLit Africa

(3/4) How To Become A Coder - The Hard Way

<h2>The Long Way</h2><p>Most people learn to code the long way. It takes them many years and they lose a lot of money and time becoming skilled.</p><p>Each kind of coder writes a different kind of code for a different purpose.</p><h3>The Professional</h3><p>Most professionals got a 4-year degree, then learned to code on the job. Some professionals took a 6-month boot camp where they learned basic coding before getting a job.</p><p>As a professional, I took a contract job recently to build a web app. Most professionals earn a very good living writing business code.</p><h3>The Hobbyist</h3><p>Most hobbyists learned basic coding as curious kids over many years, then learned to code better as professionals later. Some hobbyists were professionals first, and start enjoying to code later. Hobbyists learn by default.</p><p>As a hobbyist, I just spent 100 hours of my leisure time reviewing what new libraries are available since last year. Most hobbyists have many side-projects that they enjoy, but nobody uses.</p><h3>The Hacker</h3><p>Most hackers learn only what they need to, when they need to. Skilled hackers are normally professionals or hobbyists first. But there are many novice hackers who have never been professionals or hobbyists.</p><p>As a hacker, I wrote a script to download and organize data for TechLit last week. Many hackers make websites and plugins for software they use.</p><h2>How Most People Learn To Code</h2><p>Despite studying coding in school or in a coding boot camp, most people learn on the job.</p><p>Some people learned to code as kids, but if you're learning as an adult, you may have a full-time job and a family to take care of.</p><p>Next I'll explain how I learned to code (the hard way).</p>

4-Year Degrees, Hobby Projects and Practical Hacking | How Most People Learn To Code | Pick Your Goal | Programmer Tyler Cinnamon - How To Become A Coder in 2022

<p>Most people learn to code the long way. It takes them many years and they lose a lot of money and time becoming skilled.</p>

(2/4) How To Become A Coder - The Long Way | TechLit Africa

(2/4) How To Become A Coder - The Long Way

<p>So you want to become a coder. First let's understand what kind of coder you want to become. This will help you choose your goal and decide how to achieve it.</p><p><br></p><h2>Three Archetypes</h2><p>There are three kinds of coders you'll meet in the real world. First, there are professionals, who are skilled and responsible. Then, there are hobbyists, who are creative and carefree. Finally, there are hackers, who are quick and dirty.</p><p>When imagine yourself as a coder, what is it that excites you? Chances are, you will fit into one of these categories.</p><h3>The Professional</h3><p>Professionals code on-demand for money, like carpenters who show up early with their own tools.</p><p>If you are excited by supporting your family through a safe career in software, you might be a professional.</p><h3>The Hobbyist</h3><p>Hobbyists code to express themselves, like edgy artists who make confusing sculptures.</p><p>If you are excited by all the things you can build with code, you might be a hobbyist.</p><h3>The Hacker</h3><p>Hackers code to solve problems, like a handyman repairing an old house on a tight budget.</p><p>If you are excited by writing code to solve a painful problem you have, then you might be a hacker.</p><p><br></p><h2>More Context</h2><p>You'll find that as you learn to code, your archetype changes. As a coder, I was a hobbyist first, then became a hacker and then a professional after years on the job.</p><p>We'll use these archetypes to frame your goal. Every archetype has different motivations and advantages.</p>

What Kind Of Coder Are You? | Three Archetypes - Professionals, Hobbyists And Hackers | Learning To Code | Pick Your Goal | Programmer Tyler Cinnamon - How To Become A Coder in 2022

<p>So you want to become a coder. First let's understand what kind of coder you want to become. This will help you choose your goal and decide how to achieve it.</p>

How To Become A Coder in 2022

(4/4) How To Become A Coder - The Easy Way

(3/4) How To Become A Coder - The Hard Way

(2/4) How To Become A Coder - The Long Way

(1/4) How To Become A Coder - Pick Your Goal

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