How can I become a good programmer?

Answer 1

I think that good programmers are well rounded. They don't just know computers ... they also know mathematics, psychology, sociology, language, etc.

Answer 2

1) Attention to detail. Lots of attention to lots of detail. If you are by nature the kind of person who doesn't like to be bothered with too much detail, you will never be a good programmer.

2) Find a programming system (I think they call it a "development environment") where you can step through your code as it executes and watch the values in the variables changing. That is what has to go on in your head as you write new code. The more you watch your written code running before your eyes, the easier it will be to imagine your just-written code doing the same thing in your mind's eye.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Like anything else, practice, practice, practise.

There is no easy road to becomming good, but if you have studied one of the many various languages, you can get tutorials that give examples for you to try.

There is a series of books, "Sams Teach Yourself [...] in 21 days" that I have found very helpful. Of course, you need to fill in the [...] with the specific programming language you're interested in learning.

I'm sure you can find the book you want at any good bookstore, such as Barnes and Nobles on line.

Answer 4

Read tons of source code; write tons of code. Believe it or not the displine of Technical Writing will help you structure your thoughts and write more understandable code. Read various sites, magazines, and books about programming, espcially about "best practices" and design. Never write code without clearly documenting what the code does in comments. Good luck!

Answer 5

Code code code: write a lot, and read a lot. Just like a writer. Critique other people's work. Learn cool things from them. Edit (debug) your own work. Try harder and harder code.

Answer 6

Practice your programming skills. Debug your code. :)