How to get started with software development


Many people I speak to say they’re really interested in getting started with writing software, but have no actual clue where to get started with software development. Hopefully this tutorial will give you a good starting point into the magical world of software development and spark some light bulb moments to some people’s minds.

In this tutorial I will discuss some of the programming languages out there and how they have developed over time.

Figure out what you actually want to build before progressing further

What’s your end goal? Ask yourself what you want to create and why.

For example; I want to create an app that will allow me to input my weight

The term ‘app’ has become very popular in recent years and is short for ‘application’. We can classify apps into different categories.

An ‘app’ is just a container for a collection of machine code. In application development terms, we also call this an executable.

Write down what you want the app to do and why. If you’re looking for an example of an existing project, be sure to check out my post on how I rebuilt this website using Jekyll. Feel free to use this advice as a starting point for your own projects. Who? What? Why? When? Where?

Part of my work as a systems analyst involves looking at complex systems and asking these questions.

Even those who are more advanced in their field can sometimes ‘jump the gun’ and get carried away with wanting to dive into code.

In some future tutorials I will discuss some advanced topics such as how to engineer an app by following best practises, how to automate a lot of the boring tasks

Will your app be for fun? Does it solve a task? Once you’ve built your first simple app, you’ve opened yourself to a whole lot of other opportunities in the I.T world.

What happens when users generate data. We call this Big Data. What happens when

Feeling your brain fry yet? Yeah it happens. But don’t worry, we can help simplify our processes by building on our work. Why let us do a bunch of processes if a computer can do it for us?

Programming languages are just a different set of tools for doing different jobs. It’s like having a box of Lego, K-nex, and others right in front of you to get a job done. Want a solid structure to build a house? Use Lego. Want a structure which has gaps in it so you can build a bridge? Use K-nex.



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