How To: Learn Coding from Scratch

In the current European job market, developers have become one of the most in-demand talents out there. However, despite the growing need for such employees, there remains a labor shortage, while opportunities for learning how to code are thriving. With a variety of bootcamps, MOOCs and other meetups available around the globe, training to be a programmer is easier than ever. So what’s the best way to learn how to code when starting from scratch? We went in search of teachers, trainee coders, and developers who would be able to explain how, and why, they did it.

Alice, 26, is Lead Teacher for Le Wagon, a coding school founded in Paris that now operates in over 30 countries. At the school in Berlin, she explains how she shares her passion for this new form of written expression with her students.

Katharine is a London-based artist studying at Le Wagon. Initially self-taught, she tells us how she began her learning journey and explains the ways in which coding enriches her artistic career.

In Nantes, we meet 28-year old Steven, a former pastry chef who now works as a web developer at Capgemini. He explains what motivated him to change careers and how he went about it, despite the lack of information and understanding that often surrounds his new profession.

Although it may not be possible to master programming overnight, the world of coding has become more accessible, meaning we can all teach ourselves the basic skills. So grab a cup of coffee, sit down at your keyboards, and soon splines, extrudes, and algorithms won’t seem like the stuff of science-fiction.