How to Learn to Code The Mobile App You Want in Less Than 30 Days
01.11.2019
These are the exact strategies you’ll need to use to increase your retention, apply what you’ve learned, and start making progress towards building the app of your dreams.
Understand the final goal for your app
First and foremost, you need to know what you want to learn before you start coding.
Then you can use the right development tools to assist you.
These are specifically designed for Apple software, and unfortunately aren’t very applicable elsewhere. The experience you get learning any language, however, will serve you well later.Choosing the right language is important, because your skills will be worthless if you can’t program in the correct framework.
If you’re unsure, go with the platform you feel most comfortable with, whether that’s Android or iOS. You’ll have a head start working with an operating system you already know well.
Up next, you need to learn the basics before you can start with the meaty code that will take you closer to developing your app.
Start by learning the critical basics
Before you get started, you need to understand the basics.
First, you need to learn how to set up your code to run. A lot of online programs that teach programming forget this step. They leave you with plenty of knowledge, but zero experience on actually making your app run.Second, learn how to set up an environment that will let you work efficiently.
You’ll need a place to type in your code and see it in action.Third, you need to learn version control. The most common version is Git, which is a free tool that saves revisions of your code.Finally, learn about the language you’ll be using. I recommend getting familiar with the basic errors you might get and common problems beginners face.
Be strategic about what you choose to learn
Creating a timetable of what you need to learn will give you a reliable way to move forward, and will reduce a lot of the stress that’s inherent in learning a new skill.
Once you have your roadmap in place, you’re going to need to decide on the best method for your personal learning style.
You can spend hours reviewing flashcards, or a few seconds looking something up in a handy reference guide you’ve created. When your time is limited, the reference method is much faster.
To do this, take detailed notes of everything you learn. You can use a program like Evernote for this, since you can search for anything in the system later.
How to learn day-to-day
If you need to remember the order of the variables for a function, for example, you can find a word with the same first letters in the same order.
Another technique that will speed up the process is connecting the new skills to whatever you’re familiar with already.
As you work, remember to test your code and get instant feedback about what’s working and what isn’t. Don’t waste time hacking around a problem. You’ll only reinforce bad habits.
Instead, research a solution, understand the method used, try it out, and see how you can apply it to other situations.
This is much more effective than mindlessly browsing your code for errors.
Use strict deadlines
If you’re going to learn a completely new system of doing something in just 30 days (or even less), you need to set a realistic deadline for completing your project.
No matter how well you prepare, you’re going to encounter new problems you weren’t expecting, and you need to have the flexibility to solve them without jeopardizing the project.
From there, calculate a deadline for your learning to end and your development work to begin. Having a clear boundary of when your learning must end provides finality to the process.
Shortcuts to building the app you’ve always wanted
There are a few ways to increase the speed of development.
If you don’t have the months it will take to design the app on top of the 30 days you’ll need for learning the basics of coding, these are options you need to consider.
If you’re making a strategy game, for example, you can start with code someone else has already written for a similar strategy game. If it’s available to use, you can start with their code.The second method is simply to hire someone else to design the app for you. This is probably the easiest strategy, but it’s certainly not the cheapest.