How to get into it from scratch
Sometimes in a quiet hour, I think about how I would start if I had no idea about software development or any IT topic.
What would I recommend to people who want to begin in this really vast field?
The answer isn’t simple, because I have this dilemma: I want you to do something that you can actually enjoy and find useful.
There’s nothing I hated more than writing throwaway programs nobody will ever use, just to learn how to code in Object-Oriented Programming.
[!NOTE]
Don’t get me wrong—that’s how you learn to think like a programmer—but printing stuff in a console is nothing spectacular.
So, I thought long and hard about it and came up with the following ideas:
- Create a blog
- Pi-hole: a Raspberry Pi project
- Any HTML/CSS webpage
- Create a webshop
- Create a Discord bot
- Create a Minecraft server
Create a blog
I see the irony in writing on a blog that one of the best projects is… to create a blog.
But hear me out: you get a structure to document your progress, the setup is super easy, and you can show amazing results in a short time.
Here’s a YouTube tutorial to get started:
How to Make a Blog
Pi-hole: a Raspberry Pi project
Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker. You can read more about it here.
This one is an amazing beginner project. You learn something about networks, how to interact with them, and at the end you have something really useful. (Blocking ads across your entire network is awesome!)
I created one myself that I still use today. At first I wasn’t sure it didn’t sound that interesting since all my PCs already had ad blockers but now, after almost 2 years, I would never take it out of my setup.
Here’s the tutorial I followed:
Pi-hole + Unbound tutorial
Any HTML/CSS webpage
This one is really open-ended, but you can build amazing static pages with just HTML and CSS.
I’ve created quite a few of these, mostly for friends who run tabletop campaigns and want to enhance the player experience.
For example, I once built a newspaper as a single-page site for a Vampire: The Masquerade campaign because the DM had made one in Paint and shared it as a PNG. He was really happy with the website version and still uses it today.
[!TIP]
Why do I recommend this? Because you get immediate, visual feedback from your code. For beginners, seeing text appear and colors change on screen is super satisfying atleast it was so for me.
Here’s a solid beginner tutorial:
HTML & CSS Crash Course
Create a webshop
I know this might sound like one of those “useless” projects, but give me the benefit of the doubt.
It’s more complex, but you’ll learn a lot about front-end and back-end interactions, security, and building a full-stack application.
It can take anywhere from a few days to years depending on the features you add.
[!WARNING]
A webshop project can quickly get overwhelming. If you’re brand new, maybe start small and enhance it as you go.
Sadly, I can’t share a personal tutorial here, since I haven’t built one myself.
Create a Discord bot
This one is honestly impressive for how little code it takes. You can have your own bot, manage it, and learn how to integrate your work into another platform.
It’s also a fun flex to say you run your own Discord bot.
[!NOTE]
The requirements for bots change often, so I recommend searching for a recent tutorial yourself. Outdated ones might not work.
Create a Minecraft server
I know, I know—every tutorial says this. I promised myself I wouldn’t go with the cliché, but I have to mention it.
My brother actually set up a Minecraft server for us back in 2009 when the game was new. (Yes, that makes me feel old.) He used Hamachi, and I remember how much fun he had setting it up. Looking back years later, Looking back years later, I can’t help but laugh that I wasn’t the one who set it up considering what I do for a living now. To be fair, my brother was much better than me at IT back then.
That was one of his first hands-on experiences, and it stuck with me. I think it could be a great starting point for you too.
I won’t post a specific tutorial here, but the internet is full of good ones.