The first step is defining the problem on a white page with a pen and drawings: get clear with what you want to be done and the outcome. Once it's done, describe in general ideas the functions you'll use: the big blocks. Clear name with what inputs, what output. Then once the gigsaw is working on paper and in your mind, you do in pseudocode the algorithms on paper. And after than you start to code. Don't spend time at the computer. The game is out of the computer. It's maths, maths, maths. Goal design analysis organization code

Unfortunately, they don’t teach this in universities. Not once did my professors teach us about API’s, microservices, web frameworks, etc. Even basic JavaScript, I had to learn on my own.

Learn/understand data structures and algorithms thoroughly and have a solid foundation in logic and discrete math and you'll be strong as acid!

This is a very important concept to keep in a mind especially as a beginner. I find myself going back and re-reading the instructions/requirements given to the application to be written as a beginner. This way..concepts are realized both before and after implementation in order to REALLY learn! 🙏🏾🙏🏾

Quality content as always! I totally agree with you Nelson, for each problem that I face first of all I'm using the "Divide and Conquer" method, I break the problem to little small problems and try to solve each of them separately and then merge the solutions. One more thing that I found useful for myself is to solve problems using pseudocode - just writing the solution in plain English (or your native language) words what each step in the solution will do, furthermore I found my self learning concepts better when I read books about the material this is why it takes my 2x more time to finish a feature or a small project because I try to understand all the bits and pieces that I'm about to use (not sure it's a good practice for all but it's working for me, and when asked why I did it this way and not the other way I have solid understating about what I've used so I can thoroughly explain it). Only when I have a clear view of the things that must be done I sit and start to write code so it's like 70% planing, understating and sketching a solution on a whiteboard and 30% of the time is writing code.

You know, it's easy to be obsessed with learning how to code in different languages. But as learn to code more and more, I realized that I still can't implement any of the ideas on my mind. Just last I was searching for resources on data structures and algorithms. This video has helped me to understand my problem better.

I agreed with everything that you told me Nelson, Programming language is just a tool, that allow us developers to solve certain kind of problems, I used to think to be master at some programming language, but I was wrong, I was so overwhelmed and stressed to pick up every single concept and functions and I forgot the golden rule about programming itself, basically do not focus on language, focus to solve a problem, and that's it, everything became way easier for me.

Just pick a few complex projects and build them from scratch. I bet you will learn data structures and algorithms while on the way. For example, I am a Medical Doctor and i decided to build my own EMR (i.e. a Hospital Management Software) using Python-Django. I didn't know anything about programming back then but my journey led me to learn about databases, data structures, algorithms plus I learnt other things like vanilla JavaScript and React. AND GUESS WHAT? It took me 2 years to complete the EMR Project. The Secret is that you learn more when you face and solve complex problems. Don't just build a Todo app and think you are okay. Projects that will teach you good concepts: 1. Create a Dating App, (once you start you will realize that it is more complex than you think) 2. Create a StackOverFlow Clone 3. Create a Retail Shop Software or Create any side project that you really love but it must be a complex project. Build Something you love, because if you don't love it you will quit along the way.

ive been programming for 6 months now just doing hobbies at home with arduino, ive only just reached a point where i realise the concept is that thing that you should remember above all, and now i actually use the //notes

Currently in my work placement. Working as a software engineer in a professional setting really re-enforces this idea. I was so worried about my coding knowledge etc. But the most important thing is knowing what you need to do and how to achieve it, you can learn and develop your syntax as needed. If you have a good foundation in a coding language, you should be able to apply that across different languages implementing the same concepts, just different syntax. This is now why I am researching coding concepts and how I found this video

Theory should never be learned first. Always start programming first and learn theory along the way. The majority of expert coders learn this way. BUILD things first and learn theory along the way.

This man’s gonna make it big someday

Great advice brotha!. I been learning js for months now and I recently found that same approach...When I was learning js in the beginning I would stress myself out thinking js was sooo big and impossible to learn but now I'm working on whiteboard questions which is tremendously helping me breakdown the concept and the approach of why I'm using this for loop or these methods on a variable or wrapping all this data inside a function to get this result!. So basically what Im saying is thank you for putting this video out every new js developer needs to see things from this perspective because if not your going to be in the youtube tutorial cycle questioning and doubting yourself as a developer. 😏

This is something that only comes with experience, I also learned what you mentioned working 10 years as a software engineer

this way of learning can be applied to many domains, thank you!

100% agree, focusing on the why instead on what is the real solving problem solution

Thank you Nelson! I finished your course about spring boot and react and also the one about spring security. Now I’m busy with Postgres course and docker will be next. Thank you very much for all these wonderful courses and keep up the good work.

This video was really helpful, especially where you talked about not focusing on the syntaxes of the programming language but instead understanding its concepts. I have had issues with that while learning and practicing because I’ve always been concerned about where to use the syntaxes, like private, constants, static and dynamic cast etc, even though I don’t fully understand their concepts. If you have any advice for me please share. Thank you.

Good point! One suggestion though. In a lot of videos people explain programmer should learn to think instead of just code, but most of them are lacking concrete examples with explanation. Examples with explanations are the perfect way to understand the topic. Good job! Cheers!

Totally agree with you Nelson, understanding the 'why' will always trump learning the 'how'. I'm glad I've watched this video while at the beginning of my programming journey.

Thats right. Being a programmer is all about curious. And you cannot say that I know everything about this language. Learning process is always continuing and never ends. Its basically all about curious, researching and finding the solution for your problem. Its all up to you.

Back in the days when I just started out back in high school, I had a class called pseudo codes and algorithms which basically taught us how to break down and analyze problems. I didn’t realize it then, but because of this , by the time I went to college, I could code in any language easily. This is what coding tutorials on KZfaq fail to get. Teach the principles and paradigms of programming and you need not stick slavishly to a language

I clicked the Like button just by looking at this video's heading. Thanks for being insightful, brother.

what you are pointing is the right way , tools are important, but to grasp concepts and getting a hold in the problems to solve is much better than just knowing the technicalities of the language

At the moment one of my Univerisity modules explains the use of different algorithms such as: Quicksort Insertion sort Bubble sort Selection sort Binary Search Dijkstra's algorithm, etc. It also covers different collections structures, how they work and everything is presented in structured English so that should be implementable in most programming languages, although the Uni delivers it in Python. I must admit it can feel very overwhelming, and even once you learn about them, it's retaining all of that knowledge and knowing when the best case to use each specific algorithm is. I haven't been applying for jobs yet, because I worry that I have not got my own projects (not sure where to start), and Haven't spent long enough with one particular language.

Very good advices, problem solving skills are much more than just code :)

Thanks a lot! I watched this video many days ago. Now I change my job, my current position is higher than previous. I should work on all process of the app: talking with customers, creating architecture of the app, fronted, backend and database. But I still worry about amount of coding time. Now I know, that I should spend more time for business problem and whole picture of the project, and after all of that - coding.

Every time I code, for some reason I am afraid to forget this syntax, I say with my inner voice to me that I have to learn it. You helped me thanks

Thanks for the tips, great tip btw. Maybe I suggest just like you are stating in this video, it would be better if you made a few videos of some of the most important concepts that any developer should know, that way we as your viewers have an idea of what the tip you have shared in this video entails, A beginner developer, for example, might not know what are these concepts and looking at youtube tutorials much focus is on the coding aspect more than on concepts. Just my two sense.

This is so helpful to me as someone who is new to the world. I would watch tutorials but get overwhelmed because no one approached things with the same syntax. The shift from code to concepts is a clarifying paradigm shift. If you haven't made them already, I would love to learn more about the conceptual paradigms that you work through for problem solving. Also, what are some good sources that you would recommend for thinking in this way.

Thanks man. As a beginner in Ruby on Rails I have found it helpful in understanding MVC- Model-Views-Controllers, SPA- Single Page Applications, How networking works has been very helpful for me.

I haven't watched the video yet, but the title touches on how I've had success with things I've done. To understand concepts makes the details so much simpler, and you can manipulat modify. Also once you understand the concepts, it's not always necessary to memorize things.

Thanks bro. Much needed advice right now. "Solve one piece at a time"

Husk Cafe! Love this place. Can't agree with this video more. Once I realized this idea, I instantly became a better programmer.

Dude i love your videos they are good and you don't need to use music in the background .

I think his video is particularly for me, all this while i have been focused on coding instead of learning the concepts, thanks so much

know the core language first, Learn it frameworks, build some projects then you will understand what you have been lacking for even the most experience programmers still keep learning the core language it self. #C-sharp

I truly feel this now. I want to solve a particular problem, I know the syntax, just don't know how to do it. I should have learned the concepts before. Makes me frustrated not being able to find a simple gcd.

Just want to say a big thank you I have took your git/git hub course and now doing your JS course after doing computer science in uni for 2 years and dropping out as it wasn't for me, I then went to cyber security and now using your JS course I can say it's clicking now . I have yet to do my own JS project but hope when I do come to it I'll be able to do it. Thanks again and I look forwards to doing more.of your courses!

I think you nailed it! today marks the day i am taking a different approach for better learningthe content under soft engines

Try to focus on camera don't let yourself be distracted by your environment it makes us that watch you to loose interest too... Nice content keep it up bro, I face the same challenge when I was learning programming as self taught

Finally, my prayer has been answered. I just realized I have been learning the wrong way all this while. Gracias amigo🙏

Hey there, I am a software engineer student all the way from Kenya and I just started learning Java. I learnt a lot from this video and I hope to see more of your videos.

For coding Amigoscode is the best real world expectations channel I can find. Alot of youtube code is just different ways to say helloworld and building things without business use. But Amigos I gain so much perspective as I journey toward being a professional programmer in the enterprise space.

It was my first frustration when I started programming. I spent a lot of time for learning Java features, spring under the hood, concurrency, etc... but it didn't give me boost in my job. Guys who spent a lot of time for understanding business process was much more productively, despite they didn't know so much Java features as I know. Later I can't normally understood what I should to code, and it was very demotivated. I even thought that programming is not for me.

Thanks Nelson for putting this video together. I'm learning Python and never understood concepts but I'm trying. Do you have a video where you use an example of a concept and how you would break it down so as to understand how to move ahead with coding each piece. Thanks in advance, I just subscribed to your KZfaq channel and your Amigoscode website. Look forward to more of your videos.

That's correct. It is not about syntax or coding and it is more about understanding the requirements and concepts.

He's 100% right, In a nutshell he means that if you know the core of things, then all other things like coding, logic etc will automatically come to you with less effort.

Learn both, the concepts and do a lot of coding, looking at other people's code as well. It's not an either-or.

Exactly that's one of the key difference when it comes to average & excellent software engineers...

Here's a little history : I decided to make a simple system money spend control in javascript (using only arrays), and for the first time since i done my course , i'm can think in the problem , i'm just not a follow a tutorial , but i know exactly what i want and what i'll need to achieve that , and with that , i noticed that : I Don't need to know the code , but the search for the right paths

I am so glad that you are saying that. Because for the last few months are realise that this is what we need to do in order to build anything we want. If you understand how things work then you can implement anything. :)

I failed in an interview because of this, I knew the lenguage and the frame work, but I got stuck in a problem.

Please upload more tips on software engineering and more courses. Your student from india❤️❤️❤️

Have to drop a blessings to the General for this. Stumbled on this video and the Most High said to give it a listen and instantly it made sense to me in a REAL WAY. I hear get off the surface and go beyond the mundane. (In my case Its not enough to read the Metu Neter you must live it while always challenging and changing your MIND). Once you start seeing and changing the picture from the inside out, coding and life flows smoother. Just wanted to let you know that what you spoke on resonated deeper than just coding, people on the journey will understand. Bless up King. Give thanks for the words of Wisdom aka Tehuti which states "man is only as powerful as he or she serves as a vessel for Jah" Bless

Nice one nelson, thanks for this apt advise. I've been struggling to focus on the code rather than the concept and then I get lost and never understand or achieve anything... I'll keep up with this. JazaakaLLahu Khayr ya akhi

Thanks for focusing such a core issue. We need to know the basics and concepts and not mug those up like kids. 👍🏻

Love the video man. I'm just starting to learn python and courses feel like it's more about syntax memorization then understanding how to use them as a foundation for problem solving. So a common thing I ask myself is "Well ok I know how to make a list but how is this practical?"

The Brilliant app is fairly good with problems. It starts with if when scenarios and you have to use those things to direct an object to a finish point. Helps you with that. That's probably a benefit I got from starting with drag and drop engines. Because it helped me understand that everything has a step.

I wasted so much time but i appreciate my time all the time doing with programming. But now i know what to do.

Just discovered you bro! Much Respect all the way from San Diego, CA! I'm currently learning how to code front-end & back-end at a local bootcamp w/ no prior experience and syntactically it's definitely a bit challenging.. but I a firm believer in what you're saying about focusing on the concepts rather than just the syntax now.. It's something I realized the same thing I need to sharpen on in order to effectively tackle problems. Would love to connect with you some day!

couldnt agree more. of course having some sort of basic foundation in a language is important. but you nailed it bro. currently taking this online class at coursera: Stanford algorithm specialization. widely praised as arguably the single best algorithm class on the web, and easily my favorite course so far, NOTHING is taught in code. its 100% concepts with mathematical proofs thrown in. but the professor intentionally doesn't teach you how to code up these algorithms in any specific language. rather, he may provide some pseudocode, but more important really hammer the points home, and very clearly explain the concepts. that's ultimately the shit that makes somebody a good programmer. the syntax and how to actaully write it- that will come...with practice. but understanding concepts is def FAR more imp. great vid

bro i just found ur channel a couple days ago and i love the content

good thing i dont sell my white board...now i will spend extra time to use it..thnk you sir!

so what about the interviews that ask to write code on whiteboards? aren’t they giving an impression that we should memorise codes or syntax?

Thanks for sharing your experience Amigo! I have enrolled for some of your courses in Udemy and I agree that coding is just a tool. Programming is just a tool. But to be honest, I like Java and I am comfortable with it. I have worked as a hobby in Python and currently learning Javascript. Which language would you recommend for a web dev career for long term? I have total 10+ years of experience. Almost all on Java. Thanks in advance amigo!

Thanks for this talk,am one of the guy who worries about coding now I get it and to make things easy...big ups🙌

So true; over time the technologies will change but building those transferable concepts always keeps you current. Also, learn how to learn quickly.

What advise can be given to someone who just started showing interest in coding but with zero ideas ?

Iv'e been telling this to all I know. All the time.

Learning the fundamental concepts of anything is the starting point of mastering it... great video Nelson

I totally agree, I bite the same awkward manner or style, u nailed it man, more power! love all your videos

1:15 is when it starts

Yes i get what you're saying, being new to this however the first thing I was worried about was just how illiterate I am, i assumed that the conceptual aspect of coding is just the theory on whatever problem you are solving be it mathematical or otherwise.

Thanks So much Man, i really needed that advice i was going to be overwhelmed really appreciate it

Great advice Sir. Your video have shown me reasons to implement a different way of learning programming.

Pretty good suggestion, I have also wasted my time on to get hands on the whole API of the JAVA.

I came upon Digital Signal Processing..high level subject but I see the math concepts from basic coding..💯🌌

This is what I really need, Thank you Nelson my problem is that I can understand any code, but I don't know how to start a project.

Thankyou, you`re saying what ive know all along, but didnt grasp. I feel like i can actually start to learn now.

Anyone can learn to code. However, not all Architects are the Same. Some people can make Giagantic beautiful buildings, others can't.

On point! Superb! I tell lots of 'coders' that they should aim to become solution providers and not mere programmers. The former focuses on solution creation, while the latter is bothered about how to write a program to implement a design. Focus on concepts and solution design; implementation can be achieved in many lamguages.

Great video dude 👍 I have to say as a young programmer I understood everything you've said , learning how to code is much easier if you know which concepts to apply in each application

This is something that I have felt when trying to learn OpenGL and graphics. Most tutorials just say type this then this then this, while there obviously is a reason for it all they don't explain.

For all you beginners, welcome to our madness. I am a Software Architect, which basicly means all I ever do any more is figure out how the specifications need to work to put together large chunks of concepts so programmers can deal with the small stuff in various languages. In other words, the pinacle of excellence in our trade is focused exactly as this video suggests. To Samsul and others like him. Suck it up big guy. If you are any good, (and I presume you are) this is typical. There is SO MUCH to learn that a 4 year degree cant touch. Guys like me have been coding for ever, and we still learn every day. Full disclosure, I am 59. I have over 30 languages that I am functional in. I have changed entire industries around once every five years. have been working in the industry my whole life, since 1979. It never gets easier. It is definitely consistently the toughest job you can ever find. Dont do it unless you have to. Concepts, and how they fit together to form software is huge. The learning curve is huge because you have to know the limitations any given possible solution you are studying will impose on your solutioning. And you want to learn it well enough so that the answer doesnt need to be re-investigated for every client and every situation. Think about a cloud deployment for example. No one server is trusted. Your network needs secure communication everywhere. Your logs need to ship to a central location for analysis for developers in case the server is terminated (we terminate dead servers, we dont fix em.) Your system engineers need to know the loads and status of every server dynamically. You need to load balance the whole system on a demand basis. All that sync, debug, and communication infrastructure has to work seamlessly and automatically. You need to think about communication patterns and how one type of application interacts with others. When that works, and when it will break down. How to do all that for a minimal cost. And how to ensure that single points of failure, including data centers as single points, will work. And then you have to write big long clear explainations about all of that on demand. Dig in, have fun, and work your ass off. It is an exciting career full of tons of challenges. But dont whine about needing to learn a lot on your own. Everyone who has ever been successful has been learning constantly. For OAuth 2 he mentioned briefly in the video, what are you doing again? Well chances are it is Okta. How do I know? I looked at about 25 alternatives. Spent a month on it. Now if someone says otherwise I have a whole list of reasons to stick with Okta. And if the new alternative is really superior to that I know why, and can say so immediately. Happy coding.

i really needed to hear this today

the best advice they gave me in my career, Thanks

Yup totally agree, learn the concepts first and then translate the needs to code.

编程，知道语言是最简单的一步，实现的功能才是最重要的部分，java代码学习起来很容易，但是实现的功能往往需要经验和积累的，支持

neslon your contents are really worthwhile, i learnt alot from you , thank you man!

You're the best programming teacher on earth!

These tips are gold, these are real deal. Thank you so much

Honestly being an average coder 👨‍💻 is frustrating but also rewarding because if you don’t understand the problem you won’t be able to write a singe line of code . And once you understand the problem the concept will become your arsenal for futur coding problems.

As a beginner that has been struggling ... Be careful if you forget to listen or note down some basic things and just follow along the tutorials without understanding... You are pretty much not even ready to code... To speak a language fluently you will need all the vocab and grammar... Those who say, not to focus on concepts, already know the basic concepts as if they are drilled inside their heads and as if it's a second nature to them... So do focus on building concepts... And coding along to make sense of what you are trying to code...

Hello from Belarus. Thank you Amigo for your advices!

Although this was a bit of a slap in the face, it made me change things a little bit yesterday and today. I started learning JavaScript last year, but, in the middle of a project I got overwhelmed and stopped. I now realize that maybe I didn't understand what I was doing and was just following tutorials. I was trying to expand on a basic tutorial but got totally stuck. I've been back learning recently and so yesterday after watching your video, I decided to take a look at one of the projects and start breaking down what I needed to achieve, then I started to look at what I needed to learn to in order construct much smaller parts of the project. And it made me realize I was initially overwhelmed because I didn't even know how to articulate the problems I came up against; I thought I understood the problems, but my logic was flawed in several areas. Once I realized that, I tried to break things down again and, BOOM, I understood the problem better, and then understood which questions I needed to Google, and in a short time found some functions which I'm using to solve a specific problem. previously, I didn't even know how to formulate a question to try to address the obstacle; because I didn't actually understand the obstacle; so I didn't even know what questions to ask. Maybe that's why I got completely stuck before. I understand there are probably much better solutions out there, but it actually feels rewarding to have made a few small steps. I've also noticed that sometimes I'm just sitting there staring at the code not knowing what to do; so I went back to the whiteboard, read it over again, and it became clear which steps I needed to solve next. Before I would have just been staring, stuck about where to go next. I'm really looking forward to using this new (new to me) process. Thanks for the advice.

thanks for redirecting my thought process as I code. I just started therefore I was focused on coding.

I'm learning design its teaching me what web development doesnt. I'm understanding how to design a website. I actually love design over development. Good advice

this is very true. I have always seen that most people who make videos they don't focus on making listeners understand

Thank you. I haven’t written any code yet. I’m just considering coding and this “First Principles” approach is making sense to me going in. Thanks much!!