Learning java with no programming language experience, where to start?

[Chips Ahoy]

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I thought EDF might be a good place to ask this question, it seems we have a lot of bright individuals here who could give me some good advice.

My day job would be greatly enhanced if I could learn java to code some apps to assist me. Trouble is, I suck at programming. I've never really programmed apart from some basic HTML stuff for some random sites, and some qbasic I did in school many eons ago. Is there any hope for me as a coder? What should I guy like me do to earn this new skill?

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I believe the best way to learn programming is to write programs. Unfortunately there are many programs you would fail if you tried to write. There are some that are trivial to write. It's a pretty steep curve where the project only needs slightly harder requirements to go from trivial to impossible. It's similar to poker game selection, try to pick projects you can do and move up as you gain experience.

I suggest you start by finding a simple program online. Print it out. Then type it in by hand and try to make it run. You will learn quickly this way, especially from your typos. Let google be your teacher when you get stuck.

Typing the program in is the easy part, making it run is harder. You need a way to see what the program is doing when it runs. Copious debug traces (messages the program writes just for the author's benefit, not for the user) are the simple way to see what the program is doing. Using a debugger to examine the program is a valuable skill.

Having a mentor to read the program and provide feedback is awesome. Attention to detail, writing for the reader, handling errors well are skills that take you from beginner to competent.

Always look to simplify your program, reduce the assumptions it makes, don't cut/paste. These are some hints for bigger projects.

The language and toolset you use hardly make a difference. You have a business need for java, so java it is.

Write a simple program, see it run. Write a slightly less simple program. Repeat.

I like reading the books better after you have some programs under your belt.