Having self-taught programming skills does not imply not going to school or not following an instructor. To put it simply, it means taking the initiative by you instead of waiting for someone else to do so. As long as you are committed to mastering programming skills, including training courses, books, videos, and discussions, you are well on becoming a self-taught programmer.

It takes a lot of patience and dedication to become a Self-Taught Programmer, and it takes more time than you think. You will, however, receive several benefits as a result of your hard work and patience in the learning process of programming. Here are some of them:

• The fact that you figured out the way things work on your own helps you understand how things work better.
• During the course of self-taught programming, you will experience many hurdles which will help you become an expert at problem-solving.
• It also teaches you testing, deployment, and other related skills, in addition to coding.
• The process involves learning various algorithms and methodologies not found in schools or courses.

It has been reported that around 70% of programmers consider themselves self-taught programmers. Check out the result of StackOverflow survey below.

The key to becoming a well-versed self-taught programmer is being disciplined in your selection of strategies and roadmaps. To become a self-taught programmer, you need to follow a comprehensive roadmap that includes all the approaches:

Explore and learn

Getting started as a Self-Taught Programmer requires gathering information before you begin. You can spend as much time as you need on this part since it will lay the foundation for your future development. Also, you aren’t limited to a particular source for your research, as there are thousands of resources available to help you. Consider watching videos on YouTube, consulting with industry experts, reading books, or consulting with any other source that interests you.

According to a StackOverflow survey, 60% of software engineers learn how to code from online resources.

Start learning to program.

After exploring some computer programming topics, it’s time to explore some more! You will use the Programming Language as your most significant weapon in this battle to enter the programming world. The first step in learning programming is picking a programming language and learning data types, variables, loops, conditionals, strings, functions, etc. Different parameters can be taken into account when choosing a programming language. Check this survey to see which programming language is used the most.
It is essential to concentrate on one programming language and get proficient at it rather than switching between different programming languages. It is a common mistake among beginners not to stick to one programming language, which leads them to remain mediocre programmers rather than become expert programmers.

Be logical and problem-solving

Once you have mastered the programming languages and written code, you must start thinking like a programmer to solve a specific problem. It is essential for the problem-solving process that your brain be trained to think logically. The key to tackling complex problems is preparing you to devise an efficient solution. You should write down your logic for each problem and fix any mistakes you find in your approach.
If you encounter a problem, StackOverflow will always be your savior. You can search for the solution or post your problem there. Other people will be happy to help you.

Conclusion

It is possible to be a self-taught programmer. In fact, 70% of programmers consider themselves self-taught. Now it is very easy to find learning material online. If you use golang, you can read my blog, haha. Also, you can check other golang blogs here.