Forem: Thomas Cordeiro

What I have learned so far with Python

Thomas Cordeiro — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 07:32:08 +0000

Python is a fantastic programming language and I found that for me, it is the easiest language I have seen so far, well I do not have lots of knowledge on different languages, in fact I have had contact only with C++ and JS before, and I was told that JS is the most simply language for beginners, what I do not agree, I can surely say that Python is!

But what makes me say that? Simple answer, in my view Python has a simple syntax, with no complication and it is very direct. If you want to print something, just use print()! That is what I am talking about, simplicity.

The languages are classified in basically two fields: Natural and Formal . The Natural languages are the languages we speak, like English, German, Spanish (...), and the Formal are the languages we use to "talk" to machines, used to represent Math, Chemistry and so on. Formal languages tend to have a strict syntax and very specific. Python has an easy to understand syntax and it is very similar to our natural language, what makes it easy to learn.

What can we do with Python?

Hard question to answer because we can use Python for a lot of things. Data Science, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Web Development, simple manipulation of data... well the possibilities are immense. There are awesome libraries out there to be used according to the need of the project: TensorFLow, Numpy, SciPy...

So far I was able to write small programs like the Iris flower classification (a very beginner program), compared and created charts on population growth, prices of cars sales according to their features, basic suggestion program based on previous choices from user and I even created a simple game with Python, what I find fantastic!

Well we all know that not everything can be only flowers, if you know what I mean. As every language, Python requires dedication, effort, practice, persistence and maybe the most important: Passion. So if you are learning Python, or thinking about it, be prepared to struggle sometimes and to study a lot, but I guess that is is like that with every language or every new subject we learn.

So, to finish, I really want to encourage you to start your studies with Python,not only if you are new to coding. It is a wonderful language and I learned so many things that are applicable to other languages too! The possibilities are that you fall in love with it or learn something new, but I guarantee, it totally worth a try!

"Use" your non-tech friend to learn

Thomas Cordeiro — Mon, 20 May 2019 07:52:56 +0000

So, in this article I want to explore this theme: “is it possible to learn tech from a person that is not in the tech-related field?” The answer is simply - “YES!”.

Let’s start with the principle that we all have friends and a healthy social life with people from diverse professional areas. With that in mind, it is normal to meet for a beer, tea, coffee, BBQ..., and once in a while, the subject work comes up. At least that happens to me.

I have been always selective when talking about programming, developing, the challenges I face when studying or coding. That means I wouldn’t talk to all of my friends deeply about tech and what happens “under the hood”. I used to think that a brief and superficial explanation would do when I am asked about programming and plus, it is not everybody that like to get deep on these conversations. For my big surprise, I found that some people are really open and interested to hear and discuss tech, you just have to make it somehow interesting for them. But how and what do you learn then?

I have always in mind that when you have to explain an idea or a concept, for example, you have previously learned, you reinforce the learning in your mind. Now, we all do talk more often about tech, with people from the field of tech, right? So it is easy to have a conversation, even if you are explaining something new, the other person has already an idea of how it works or at least the basics principles.

Now, what I have noticed is that when explaining a concept to a person that is not tech related, you have to put much more energy on it, much more effort, you are talking to a person that is not familiar with all or none of the terms, the nomenclatures and how things work. And here is the KEY, by making this explanation simple and understandable things become much more clear and it is very likely you have a “click” and also understand better something that was before not so clear.

First point: “ by making a simple explanation, where a person that is not from the field is able to understand how something works, you reinforce your learning and maybe understand something better”.

After being able to pass this first explanation, it is time to continue the conversation, and here comes my second point.

When talking to someone that looks and sees “our world” in a different way, it opens our mind to see things from a different perspective. What have always been taken as the only true, only solution or only way, now has a different point of view, and maybe it can be more accurate than the definition before, or it can aggregate knowledge or can just make you think more.

Second point: “ be open-minded to see things from a different point of view”

Of course, all of this will not apply to everybody that you talk. Some people won’t be at all interested in what you say and the conversation will be boring. We have to feel the moment.

My experience in doing this was very nice. I decided to explain to a friend I was making a software to classify objects according to given characteristics and it was the begging of my journey on Machine Learning. For my surprise, we got deep on the discussion and he was interested in knowing more, so we spent around 3 hours talking on the theme, from the definition of AI to complexity of algorithms. And I have learned so much from him, just by trying to explain in simple words the concepts of ML and by seeing his side of understanding and processing the info.

So, I strongly recommend: Talk to your friends, you will notice when they are genuinely interested in what you have to say, and that will be a plus to your learning.

How creating a solid schedule of study helped me to learn more and effectively.

Thomas Cordeiro — Sun, 05 May 2019 20:49:02 +0000

In my journey of teaching myself how to code, I have faced (and still do) lots of problems and frustration that could be avoided if I had been more disciplined and focused. And that is something not so easy, at least it was not for me since there are several sources of learning material (YouTube videos, online free and paid courses, books, pdf, Github... it is impossible to name all).

So, after I decide where I wanted to start (Web Development- Front End) it was time to look for online courses and tutorials, paid or free, take all the pros and cons and go deep into learning. I heard about Udemy (I do not remember but it was probably some advertise) and decide to check the courses they have, "The Web Developer Bootcamp" was my first pick, as I read about the course, I was definitely certain that I would go through the course and achieve success at the end. Well, what happened was not really what I was expecting.

The topics of the course are well explained and you can easily have an idea of what will be learned and at what point you will reach certain skills.

As I went through the course, I was, of course, looking for more content on different sources. That was when I heard about freeCodeCamp and started also to take the lessons, which I do highly recommend. At the beginning I decided to start all over and redo topics I was already comfortable with, my goal was to review and possibly learn new things. I think the idea is not wrong, but it is a big “waste” of time in my opinion since I have now the philosophy that we need to learn how to use our brain as a processor and not an HD. The ability to search online is precious and must be mastered in my opinion.

Time goes by, I was learning more and more, from different sources and was also starting with my first personal projects, couldn’t be happier with I was able to do with the small I have learned.

On this time, I was doing #100DaysofCode on Twitter and was doing good. That was also the time I made my first mistake: I was so excited about writing code and creating my personal projects that I put the courses on stand by, so I was like 2 weeks without watching tutorials and doing exercises to continue my learning curve. After this time I decided to come back and continue with my courses. So basically I lost another week to get on track and remember where I have stopped and how to do simple things that I have already learned.

My job also steals a lot of time, and there were days where I just did not code at all but read a lot, that was my second mistake: if you are learning something new, it is important to get in contact every day with a constant basis.

So, after that, I realized that to succeed on learning, a time table and a schedule should be included in my study plan. It is very important to know on the beginning how to balance the subjects and to keep everything “fresh” on the mind, or to know where to look for answers.

This is of course not the only solution or the only way to learn but in my view solid tools that can be applied to keep on track of the learning process. There are also different tools that can improve productivity, like the Pomodoro Technique and others.

So, if you think you need more focus and organization, setting time and divide this time wisely can help a lot!