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5 Books That Will Come Handy In Your Coding Journey!
Programming can be considered one of the most vital skills in the modern world. With the tech industry developing at an unimaginable rate, knowing to write a few lines of code surely does help. And there is absolutely no age limit to coding! You could start from scratch any day, and with consistency, you will certainly be able to reach your goals.
And don’t worry, whether you are a newbie or a seasoned professional, we all tend to forget the basics from time to time, and we all need to refresh our memories.
That’s because learning to code is a lifelong process; maybe, you could consider it an infinite loop. With each iteration, you learn something new. It could be anything, be it learning a language, or developing an existing software, the coding cycle never ends.
Given below are our picks of five books that will help you build a good foundation in coding and push you forward to tackle greater challenges.
1. The Complete Reference Series
Author: Herbert Schildt
You might have heard of this popular publication series, especially the ones authored by Herbert Schildt. These books are a great place to start if you have no prior experience in the programming field.
Each book elaborates on a specific language, starting from the basics to the most challenging topics. Once you’ve finished your read, you are guaranteed thorough knowledge of the vital principles of programming. So go ahead and try your first program!
2. Introduction to Algorithms
Authors: Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein
It goes without saying, if you need to be good at coding, it is a must to have an in-depth understanding of data structures and algorithms.
After familiarizing yourself with the syntax and semantics of a language, you will know how a particular program is supposed to behave. What you don’t know is how you can make it better.
You will find yourself asking the questions, Can I make it run faster? Can it take lesser space? Can I represent my data better? All of these questions have a single answer: go and learn data structures!
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3. Clean Code
Author: Robert C. Martin
It is often hailed as one of the best books there exists for programmers of all ages, and Clean Code certainly lives up to its name.
After learning how to write code and how to boost its performance, it's time to tackle some of the most commonly occurring yet often overlooked coding scenarios. It covers topics such as, how to structure code better, how and why is one method better than the other, and if you are following the right etiquette.
Remember that brute force will certainly give you an answer, but it will do little to improve your reputation as a good programmer.
4. The Art of Readable Code
Authors: Dustin Boswell and Trevor Foucher
As mentioned before, simply writing a code that works isn’t enough. It must be understandable to the viewer and easy to debug. Especially when you’re in a workplace where multiple people work on the same project, messy and undocumented code can hamper the progress of the whole team.
The Art of Relatable code explains how you can present it better, proper documentation, and methods to refine the overall logic of your program. If you tend to get lost in your maze of code, reading this book could turn things in your favor.
5. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture, Vol. 1
Authors: Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides
It is important to understand that each problem does not need to have a unique solution. That's where patterns come into play. Patterns can be of main three types, creational, structural, and behavioral; and the ability to recognize patterns is a fundamental step in being a good software development.
The patterns described in the book have helped programmers time and again to develop maintainable and robust software. You can solve different problems using various combinations of a select few patterns and that's what makes this book all the more valuable to a programmer.
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