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Now it's time to learn fundamental coding skills that all programmers need, regardless of area of specialization.

Aside from nuts-and-bolts programming knowledge, this stage will provide the foundation for you to branch out and learn other languages in a more independent fashion. Learning these foundational skills demonstrates that you have the aptitude to continue on to learn additional skills and complete a coding project.

At this stage, it is not critical to commit to a programming language long-term. It is better to choose a course that you feel suits your learning style and other personal factors, such as availability to take an in-person course versus an online course. Most languages in introductory classes -- such as C, C++, Java, or Javascript -- will give you a foundation to easily transition to other languages.

  • Learning to code is hard! Don't get discouraged!* You'll encounter difficulty at many stages of this learning objective. We recommend connecting with online or in-person communities. If you live in St. Louis, Miami, Rhode Island, or Kansas City, then consider enrolling in one of our in-person classes, where you will have mentored support. And check out the resources -- podcasts, articles, online chats, and more -- at CodeNewbie, a great, supportive community of new coders.

No matter how or where you obtain core skills, here are the concepts you should understand upon completing this milestone.

Tasks

  • What is code? How does it run on a computer?
  • Variables: creating, using, and assigning values
  • Data types
  • Operators: boolean, arithmetic, string
  • Data structures: arrays and associative structures (associative arrays, hashes, structs, dictionaries, depending on the language you are learning)
  • Comments - single and multi-line; best practices for using
  • Flow control: conditionals and loops
  • Functions
  • Variable Scope: global and local (varies by language)

Time Commitment

  • Average of 150 hours*

This can vary widely, based on prior knowledge, natural aptitude, available time to study, and availability of mentorship support.

On average, this milestone will take learners approximately 150 hours to complete. If enrolling in one of LaunchCode's in-person courses, the Core Coding Skills milestone consists of approximately the first half of the course, with skills tracks making up the rest.