This Article is already published in the Digital Natives Newsletter (Links In The Chain) April 15, 2011 Vol. 4 Best Practices issue

So you want to be a programmer? You want to write web and desktop applications. You want to develop software for the iPhone and the Android market You want to be a solutions provider to companies and individuals alike. Let me share tips that will help in your quest to be one of us – the geeky do-gooders!

Like any other profession, IT requires determination, patience and willingness to persevere. The begining could be very challenging and intimidating because you might find it hard to figure out some ugly looking write-ups called “codes”. You would wonder why a line – JButton buttonObject = new JButton(“Click Me”) – should create a button with “Click Me” written on it in Java (a scripting language). You might even be thinking about wireless internet connections as some voodoo from the west.

Being a PROGRAMMER or a SOFTWARE DEVELOPER is not rocket science. It’s not as hard as many make it seem. Those codes that scare you seem to me as the easiest part of our profession. Once you understand the structure, the rules and the syntax, basically the ‘logic’ of why codes are written in programming language, the rest is easy.
Also, note that the more you code, the more you try out examples in the book you are reading, the eaiser it will be for you to master the coding techniques of the language. I remember my NIIT (an Indian school in Nigeria) days. I would always volunteer to do the coding, ever willing to help a mate identify errors in his/her code. By the end of the first semester, my coding skills was actually faultless.

Once you master coding, the rest depends on how well you can think. Don’t wait for your instructor to tell you what to do. Go ahead and give yourself a pet project. It could be as simple a project as creating a database of students in your college with information on their names, grades and activities. Build it in bits. As your knowledge grows, let the software you are building grow in functionality as well. Who knows, it just might turn out to be a gold mine for you.

In my case, the pet project I did at NIIT, Hospital Management System, kick started my career and put me on the IT radar in Nigeria. I travelled different states, met high-profile people, addressed a cross section of medical practitioners, all at the age of 22! Since then, it’s been one challenging project or the other.

You also need to start thinking like a computer. Start viewing life and events around you with an IT lens. You walk into a resturant, order a pie and a drink totalling $10. If you pay less than the total, the computer rejects. What do you think is happening there.? Consider this statement

If amount paid < 10. . . . tell customer money incomplete else
Print reciept for customer.
If a Java programmer were to right this, its simple
if(amount < 10)
{
showMessage(“Customer money incomplete”);
}
else
{
printReceipt();
}

Another example. Imagine you are playing the FIFA 2011 soccer game (Sorry, I’m a game freak   with a mate and at the end of the first half, the match analysis is displayed showing that your team had 3 corner kicks and 2 offsides. What comes to your mind? It means there is a ‘variable’ to store value for each of those game highlights. The variable is set to zero at kickoff and incremented by 1 anytime you win a corner kick or caught offside. At the end of the half, the variables are retrieved and presented to you. If you did not win a corner kick, the variable remains zero. Does it make sense?

Bottom line here is how logically you can break down or tear apart any situation in daily life and apply it to programming. This will determine your pace of learning as well. Start paying attention to the things you normally ignore. From your ATM machine telling you “Insufficient Funds” to your webmail application returning an ‘Invalid Login’ message. The more you understand the dynamics behind these simple things, the faster it will be for you to come up with solutions to problems related to IT, technology, finance, pharma, healthcare, education and even entertainment and sports industries (think about cricket match analysis on your TV).

Again, don’t expect that you will master the syntax or grammar of coding in a day or learn computer languages immediately. The more you write them, the eaiser they are for you to recall.

Note also, that not everyone will end up being a coder, however, a good understanding of the intricacies involved will help. So, for instance, if you decide to be an IT Project Manager or an Application Specification Developer amongst other fields, you should have the basic understanding of coding and programming.

Finally, you need a writing pad. As the wind blows new ideas to your direction, write them down. What kind of idea it is, who will it affect or who are the target audience, what do you need to bring it to life, revenue generation strategies and so on, should be penned.

A good place to start learning about programming languages is here:

Java http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17409_01/javase/tutorial/

PHP http://php.net/manual/en/tutorial.php

.NET http://www.w3schools.com/aspnet/default.asp

Your comments are welcomed. . .!

Yea. . .they never came. . Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and my trip to Geneva but they will come.. . I guess I didn’t state in my first post that I was on crutches. . .had a few complications and all that. . good news is that after 10 weeks of limping around. . .the plaster is off my leg. . .the crutches are gone. . .though still limping and learning how to walk again like a baby. . .

Good news for me is that I have all my jottings, my draft posts for day 2 and 3 which should be up soonest. . .

Again, let me state here for the first time that I dodged the tour and travelled to Geneva on my own to spend sometime with the Nigerian community there. . .I have lots of stories to share. . .

I have also been facing some internet connection challenges since I got back. . I have my MTN line and my HTC Wiildfire phone with Internet Tethering via USB cable, , ,:)

I leave for Addis Ababa on Wednesday to continue my consultancy for the African Union Commission. . .but then, I won’t stop doing what I love doing. . .writing abd being funny. . .

In the meantime, you can grab a bottle of coke, some cookies and get busy with some of my writings on www.javamylove.wordpress.com while my MTN OYW posts get ready.

Now my health is back and I am in the best of moods to “write my wrongs”. . .:)

So, I am finally in Zurich and the summit has been declared open. I won't bore you too much with the stories of my first ever travel experience out of Africa. I will focus strictly on the summit and its proceedings. I'm a young person, so expect my writing pattern to be loose and humourous.

In the begining was the word. . .well today, it took more than words to get us started. Everyone was geared up for what was going to be a very exciting day. "hello...", "how are you"..."nice to meet you" were phrases that typified meetings amongst delegates.

The day started with a Business Session where entreprenears, CEOs of companies, company representatives and development partners shared inspiring stories of what they have done to contribute meaningfully to the global development efforts. For me personally, I was inspired greatly by the presentation of the Mobile Application Developer from Romania and understandably so because I am a developer myself. The guy has created a platform to ease the development of mobile applications even if you are not a programmer. . .! Now thats deep and it's a platform I am willing to try out myself and if possible contribute to making it better either by sharing code or by being a tester whenever versions are released.

Lunch time and I miss Nigeria already. Why? Because I can't lay my hands on a hot bowl of "eba" and "egusi" soup with big pieces of goat meat. Anyway, welcome to Europe. I had fish, chicken, pizza and a glass of juice to wash it down.

The business sessions continued after lunch and had two more speakers. The first speaker dwelt on climate change and how it affects our lives. Well, I still have my reservations on the whole climate change buzz and I hope to address it in my subsequent posts.

All in all, for the Business Sessions, all the speakers were brilliant but the guy that took the "Entrepreneaurship Session" blew my mind. His presentation is one I can watch over and over again and not be tired. He had at the back of his mind that he is addressing young people so he impressed everyone by making it very youth friendly.

The "Business Sessions" were over and it was time for a long boat ride on Lake Zurich. Delegates left the "Kongresshaus" to the lakeside, about 5 minutes walk from where we were. I sat with a couple of friends and we chatted about different issues ranging from the OYW event, switzerland as a country, local and international politics etc. It was fun.

The boat ride was over and everyone was back at the "Kongresshaus" for the official opening ceremony. David and Kate (The OYW co-founders) introduced everyone that contributed meaningfully to the OYW process, partners and indiduals alike. The thrilling moment for me was when "Clement Seedorf" was introduced as an ardent supporter and a believer in the OYW cause. I could not believe I saw him live. .. but whatever, I saw him.

Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu raised the roof. He might be an old man, but he is a youth at heart. His presentation captivated the delegates and I could see everyone grinning from ear to ear like smileys throught his presentation. He is a real peace ambassador. Even though I do not agree with some of his points (for religious reasons), I have added him to my list of mentors. His passion for peace and sustainable development broke the ice.

Ooops, its almost 1 a.m, which means I am wriring day 1's post on second day. . .shame on me, , ,:) I promise to keep up with the remaining days. If I don't I will punish myself  

Once again, in the begining was the word. In the end will be words. . .!