Writing code is a like a sport, if you want to get better at it, you have to practice. Making apps involves a wide range of skills, not just writing code. To get better at programming you need a different kind of routine, one that involves training your algorithmic thinking.
Algorithmic thinking
Algorithmic thinking, just like movement in sports, requires you to master certain shortcuts for acting faster. The only difference is that they happen at a higher level of thinking, a more abstract one. Thus, reflexes are critical because they contribute a lot to your thinking speed.
Similar to learning algorithms, unless your algorithmic reflexes are decent, you will spend more time understanding the problem, instead of exploring the solution to the problem. But this changes over time as you gain more problem-solving experience.
A simple habit of solving one or two simple challenges in the morning or in your free time will help you build those reflexes in a couple of months.
Have you noticed how your mind tries out different solutions when you struggle with a hard thinking problem? Well, having reflexes and a fast thinking ability will help you validate or discard more potential solutions for the problem in a given amount of time.
A frequent mistake that beginners do is to get stuck with one bad solution, which they gradually try to improve. But improving is not an option if the initial idea is flawed.
If you work as a programmer or engineer, improving your algorithmic skills will enable you to see better the pros and cons of a certain system architecture or several, and make more inspired decisions before implementing a change.
Online Exercises
Good news! We have over 100 programming challenges from simple to hard in our library of online exercise. You can write swift code and test your solution directly in the browser or you can solve the problems in a Playground.
Here are a few you can start working on now:
- Nobody’s Decision
- Rock and Roll
- Cooking Recipes
- Compute 2 to the Power of N
- Greatest Common Divisor
- Sum of Powers
- The Natural Base
- The Golden Ratio
- Partial sums
- Hash Tables
Until 20 Feb 2017, you can get full access to the exercise platform for only 3$/month by using the code WESWIFT. Subscribe now!
Happy swifting!
