6 Common Programming Mistakes to avoid for best result

Programming is where counting starts from 0, not 1. If you are not in programming and you will be pointing this a mistake made by a programmer then be ready to see a sarcastic angry young man look like a programmer throwing a paper or stone at yourself.

Programming is one of the funniest, hardest (If you don’t enjoy coding), and easiest (If you love to play with code) things to do in the world.

A semicolon, a bracket, a loop, and a lot of small and big things matter a lot in coding and you might have definitely experienced your silly mistakes especially in the initial phase-in programming.

Mistakes are part of coding and every programmer makes tonnes of mistakes especially as a beginner but that’s how they grow and become a good developer. We are going to discuss 6 common mistakes that programmers make during the initial phase of coding but these are not limited. It’s good to be aware of these mistakes and not to do the same while learning to code…

Mistakes to avoid in programming

1. Learning Too Many Programming Languages, Frameworks, and Technology

This is one of the common mistakes that most beginners make when they start learning to code. They think that it’s impressive to have C, C#, java, c++, Python, and a lot more languages, frameworks or technology to showcase to someone or to mention in the resume.

But that’s actually foolishness not the sign of intelligence if you don’t have command or in-depth knowledge in any one of them. Learning Java for 15 days and switching to Python just because java is tough or there is another reason then you will eventually end up with lots of confusion.

It’s good to have knowledge of multiple languages but we highly recommend you to focus on a single language, in the beginning. Once you are experienced you won’t face difficulty in switching to another language. If you do this mistake then after a couple of years you will realize you aren’t a master in any single language.

You might also like 6 best reasons why to learn python

2. Self doubt, fear

It’s human nature to have fear and doubt of doing something but, doubt and fear never let you become the person you want really to be. Being a programmer requires much effort and you have to overcome fear and you have to trust yourself that you can do it.

You see a talented programmer who is good at solving problems and making things work too fast, you start doubting and questioning your capability which is not good. Some people are good at picking up the concept very easily and some people take time but slow learning is completely superb if you take interest in coding.

Programming might be scary for you sometimes and beginners go through the phase when a voice in the head always say ‘I am not smart enough to solve the problem‘, programming is for genius by that time you are having negative mind then doubt will make your week to even start or continue your journey of coding you will feel that you are not capable enough for coding.

When you have self-doubt in yourself always remember that you need to face it with courage and you need to be fearless.

Programming is the field of taking the challenge and helping others by solving their problems but before that do yourself a favour and help yourself first. There is a lot of videos on YouTube that can help you to overcome your fear and to be trustworthy.

3. Writing Code Without Plan

A lot of beginners in excitement skip the thinking, research, and planning stages of a project and start writing code right away. They do not understand the problem requirements, limitations and do not think about all the case scenarios (what’s the input and what should be the output etc).

It can create a big issue and later you may regret it. We highly recommend every beginner to start step by step before writing code, forget getting a good output on the end. The beginner should also think and research before start writing code.

In programming, developers spend only 10% of their time writing code. The rest of the time they think, plan, research, and discuss the complete project. Beginners should go with the flow in a sequence of Think, Research, Plan, Write, Validate and Modify so they should follow some basic things before writing the code to avoid any issue or disaster at the production level.

• Understand the problem (Requirements analysis and specification)
• Design the program and make a rough working draft.
• Coding and unit testing
• Think and note down all the corner cases for testing.
• Break the problems into solvable pieces.

4. Not Using Proper Debugging Tool or IDE

Debugging is an essential part of programming. Debugging can be done manually or using a tool. The tool provides vital information regarding the errors or bugs that make the program not usable.

Using debugging tools or Integrated Development Environment(IDE) can improve the way you write and debug code, improving productivity and satisfaction.

5. Thinking you are already a master in programming

It’s really an exciting and amazing feeling for beginners when they start writing a small program and they found that their code starts running without any bug. After all, they put so much effort into learning to code and finally they have successfully written a program that actually works.

They enjoy coding, their confidence grows and maybe they also start teaching stuff to others. It’s actually a pleasurable feeling that they have learned a lot of stuff but what if we say to explore some more complex projects or just take a look at their own code they have written a couple of months back.

They will understand that it still needs some modification and their code can be refactored as well. This happens with the experienced programmer as well. Always remember programming is a marathon where there is no end line.

Every day new technology, frameworks and a lot of things are coming out in the world, so there is no end to learning the coding stuff. Keep your feet on the ground, explore more complex stuff in programming, and keep learning.

If you will hang out with some great experienced programmers you will find they don’t carry ‘I know everything attitude’ with themselves, they keep learning and they keep exploring the things even after spending years in programming.

6. Commenting and OverCommenting — Where is the Comment?

A coin has two sides, and this is true for many ideas and concepts or behaviour we come across through our daily life.

Commenting on your code is necessary and highly rewarding if done right. And, there are two types of people who treat their code rightly. The number one is those who do not comment at all. The other type, do comment but overdo it by a large margin.

Both approaches complement each other. Commenting on your code makes it easier to understand and sends the message in natural language to the reader. On the other hand, too much information can make the situation ugly and unnecessarily complicated.

Slight use of humour in comments can work, but unnecessary writing an essay in comments is not at all recommended(unless needed).

For example, Variable += 1 // increment Variable by 1, is unnecessary and unsettling for others.

closing note

Programming is one of the rewarding trades out there. It can be frustrating on many occasions, but many of us know the rewards and satisfaction it yields after successful execution. Today, I went through the 6 mistakes beginners programmers make.

The list is in no way complete, and the readers are encouraged to share their own experiences. Beginners experience the world of programming differently and it is always best to make mistakes as fast as you can. Understanding that you are making mistakes fast can improve you in less time and make you a better programmer in a long run.

The idea of this post came into my mind when my friend asked me how he can avoid making common mistakes. It’s very easy for beginners to fall into the trap of thinking that they are moving in the right direction and can lose precious time practising odd habits and code writing habits.