First, you are interested in learning coding because of your passion or dream of becoming one of the founders of a start-up that will become the next unicorn ( it sounds cool, right? ).

Then, halfway through you begin to realize that you are starting to encounter some obstacles; starting from not having time to practice coding to intentions that are sometimes at the lowest point.

Unfortunately, how to become a reliable programmer can not be instant. It takes effort and time wrapped with strong determination. So, there are several ways to quickly and comprehensively improve your coding skills.

“When you don't create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than ability. your tastes only narrow & exclude people. so create” — Why The Lucky Stiff

How to Become a Trusted, Reliable Programmer

1. Copy an existing app

Listening to hundreds of hours of tutorials without practice will not make you a good programmer. Have you ever heard the phrase "practice is the best way to learn"?

Don't have any ideas yet? Be a copycat .

Rebuild existing applications such as Notepad or Time Counter . If you like making games, make Minesweeper or Flappy Bird. So what if you get confused in the middle of the road? Don't worry, there's lots of help from sites like Stackoverflow. The confusion that other people have gone through in the past, could be a blessing for your current confusion.

2. Start small

Many want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates. However, before getting there you will go through various kinds of obstacles. One of them is to start small, like making 3 lines of code every day or as simple as making a special schedule to learn coding . That way, you will practice self-discipline.

Next, slowly increase your intensity to code in each day. For example: every day write 3 lines of Python code in the machine learning program that you are creating.

Dreams get you started…. discipline keeps you going.

3. Break someone else's code

Have a problem with the program you're working on? Copying code that other programmers make on GitHub is easy, but you won't learn anything new. Try dissecting the code that you copied and rewritten with a different logic (don't be lazy, okay). Then, you can also look for alternative code logic from other programmers . That way, you can better understand the code in its various shapes and forms.

4. Find a teacher

You don't have to go all the way to Mount Myoboku to find a legendary teacher. It could be a senior programmer you know or even a mentor from the programming bootcamp you've attended. With a mentor you will get a mentor who will always give you guidance on what you should do (or even as simple as reminding you to code every day).

If you are at Bootcamp, you will get a mentor who can always help you become a better programmer . Internal encouragement combined with external encouragement will be a powerful weapon to make you more reliable. Remember, the skill to make a good code won't be obtained from laying down huh~

“Why only 4 tips instead of 12 or even 20? wouldn't the more tips the better?”

It's true, We are aware that there are a thousand roads to Rome, as well as how to become a practicing programmer . However, the more tips presented, the more young programmers (yes, that's you) will read them to the end and not apply them at all. Better 4 but implemented than 20 and read only right?

Therefore, this article will only present 4 ways to become a programmer which if you apply them well will turn you into a better programmer.