Reading Programming Books
Should I, or should I not?
I have never liked reading books, and I always procrastinated. Since I was a kid, I have always heard that you'll gain knowledge if you read. As a kid, I didn't understand the idea of reading and gaining knowledge, but everything changed when I read a book I was interested in.
We live in a time when we can research anything that comes to mind online. Using our cell phones, we can get information in seconds. Even though we can get information from the internet, digital or physical books, they all help build our knowledge. Some may argue that young adults in the 21st century don't understand the importance of reading. After all, many young adults aren't interested in putting their time and effort into reading any book. Instead, they would research Google and YouTube.
Benefits of reading
Books are the ideas, mindsets, advice, and even another person's experience wrapped in a portable and always available collection. Humans usually benefit and learn from each other. When you surround yourself with people who program all day and have a lot of experience, little do you know that you are becoming like them, find yourself in love with programming, and are likely to learn a thing or two. Books can have the same effect on you. Reading and understanding lets you pick up the author's mindset, ideas, advice, and experience.
Research shows that regular reading:
- Improves brain connectivity.
- Increases your vocabulary and comprehension.
- It empowers you to empathize with other people.
- Aids in sleep readiness.
- Reduces stress.
- Lowers blood pressure and heart rate.
- Fights depression symptoms.
- It prevents cognitive decline as you age.
Reading programming books helps you understand the language you are trying to learn. Watching a tutorial on YouTube will make you remember the material less. Reading a book may take weeks to finish, but a YouTube tutorial is 30 minutes or an hour long. Watching a YouTube video only concludes what a reader has to say. Reading a book takes some time and effort, allowing you to isolate yourself from any distractions.
"But I have found that I remember a great deal more of material from the books that I have read just because I spent more time researching around the subject I was reading about.". — Marko Hlebar
Programmers need to get into the habit of reading. Developers must stay on top or be left behind as new languages are created. Improving your coding knowledge is by reading books made for a specific coding language. By reading more books, you are developing skills you can provide to the company you work for, or maybe you want to create a program for yourself. Having excellent knowledge gives you a better opportunity to receive a higher income, and it's the motivation for some people to keep improving their knowledge and income from their readings. It is essential to know that once you get in the habit of reading, your reading will be easier and much more efficient.
Storing information in your brain permanently is an excellent advancement from other programmers. You could be working on a program and finishing it in an hour, but other programmers may take days to complete that same program due to forgotten material.
"You'll think a lot while reading. You have to keep parts of what you have read in memory, and recall information while reading. It's a great way to do some real word brain-training". — Gjermund Bjaanes
As a programmer, you need to train your brain to store information in your brain from reading new information.
One of the essential things in programming is problem-solving.
"One of the most amazing benefits of reading every day is that it can improve your analytical skills. Reading mystery novels helps you develop skills that can assist you in problem-solving.". Lifehack
Problem-solving in programming helps you become a unique programmer and become recognized in your job as a great programmer.
Programming is based on problem-solving and should be tackled with hands-on and reading activities. After all, reading and understanding the material teaches you how to problem-solve. When you put what you have learned into action, you will see the improvement in your readings.
When you develop the healthy habit of reading, you learn to focus. The many benefits of reading are that it can also improve your focus and concentration skills. Programming skills concentrate on critical and analytical thinking.
"Keeping yourself occupied with reading for about 20 to 30 minutes can be great for your brain. It can help you with better focus and concentration.".- Lifehack.
If you are starting your programming journey, the first thing you need to do is find entertainment in programming or development books. Readers need to find joy and interest in their readings because that could help them engage with the book. Reading a book you aren't very interested in may cause you to not concentrate on the information.
"Did you know that most popular TV shows and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading." — Markham Public Library
Books have been a way of learning and entertainment for years, and they have many benefits. All we have to do is read and learn from them.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is a tool to make communication much easier. Vocabulary improvement is vital in any major you are pursuing. For example, in math, physics, and chemistry, you need to know and understand the field's vocabulary to communicate better with others in your area. Vocabulary is essential to a programmer because it is the language in which you communicate with other programmers. Reading new books is the best way to increase your exposure to new vocabulary.
"And vocabulary size can influence many areas of your life, from scores on standardized tests to college admissions and job opportunities." — Healthline
No matter what field you may want to pursue. You need to have excellent communication skills. And a career in programming does not discard this fact. Developers need to articulate and communicate problems and solutions. Understanding what your customers, work colleagues, and bosses are discussing is essential. Hence, if you don't have the vocabulary in your related field, you will find it challenging to understand complex subject matters. Even
Takeaway
One of the best ways to learn to program is by reading books related to programming. If you are interested in a major besides computer science, reading would also help you gain more knowledge about your major. The vigorous development of the brain starts from reading books about your career. To stay on track and not fall behind in the programming world, you must learn new languages and new strategies that help you improve your programming skills.
When it comes to I.T., reading, and learning will never stop. You must constantly read new books and learn new languages to stay abreast in your field. You have to find joy in reading about computer science.
Reading is an essential factor in any career. From kids starting coding to developers knowing more about programming tools to understanding mathematics in computer science, reading is a must! After all, knowledge is power!
Identify and use many free web resources, and those that cost only help build the skillsets and knowledge.
