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Welcome to the Data Science Program |
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👋 Welcome to the Data Science Program at Code Academy Berlin!
Before you start your journey, we would encourage you to commit to the following protocols:
Consistency is essential when you are learning a new language. Therefore, we recommend making a commitment to code every day. It may be hard to believe, but muscle memory plays a large part in programming. Commit to coding every day and you will develop that muscle memory! It may seem daunting at first, so consider starting small - just 25 minutes daily, and work your way up.
As you progress as a new programmer, you may wonder if you should be taking notes. Yes, you should! In fact, research suggests that taking notes by hand is incredibly beneficial to long-term retention. This will be especially beneficial for those working towards becoming full-time developers, as many interviews will involve writing code on a whiteboard.
Once you start working on small projects and programs, writing by hand can also help you plan your code before you move to the computer. You can save a lot of time if you write out which functions and classes you will need and how they will interact.
When you are learning, it is essential to step away and take time to absorb concepts. A widely used method is the Pomodoro Technique: work for 25 minutes, take a short break, and then repeat the process. Taking breaks is critical to effective study sessions, particularly when taking in a lot of new information.
Breaks are essential when you are debugging. If you hit a bug and can’t figure out what is going wrong, step away from your computer and take a short walk or chat with a friend.
In programming, your code must follow the rules of the language and logic exactly, so even missing a quotation mark will break everything.
Fresh eyes make a big difference!
Though coding may seem like a solitary activity, it actually works best when you work together. Therefore, it is vital when you are learning to code that you surround yourself with other people who are also learning.
We encourage you to share the tips and tricks you discover!
Pair programming is a technique that involves two developers working at one workstation to complete a task. The two developers switch between being the “driver” and the “navigator.” The “driver” writes the code, while the “navigator” helps guide the problem-solving and reviews the code as it is written. Switch frequently to get the benefit of both sides.
Pair programming has many benefits: it allows you to have someone review your code, and to see how someone else might approach the same problem. In addition, exposure to multiple ideas and ways of thinking will strengthen your problem-solving when you get back to coding on your own.
People always say there is no such thing as a bad question, but when it comes to programming, it is possible to ask a question badly. When you are asking for help from someone who has little or no context on the problem you are trying to solve, its best to ask GOOD questions by following this acronym:
G: Give context on what you are trying to do, and learn how to describe the problem for your mentor.
O: Outline the things you have already tried to fix the issue.
O: Offer your analysis before asking your mentor. This helps the person helping you not only to understand what you are thinking, but also know that you have done some thinking on your own.
D: Demonstrate what is happening. Include the code, a traceback error message, and an explanation of the steps you executed that resulted in the error.
This way, the person helping does not have to try to recreate the issue. Good questions can save a lot of time. Skipping any of these steps can result in back-and-forth conversations that can cause conflict. As a beginner, you want to ask good questions to practice communicating your thought process so that people who help you will be happy to continue helping you.