Thinking Like a Programmer

It's not about syntax

Beginners think learning to program means memorising syntax. It doesn't. Programming is breaking a big, vague problem into small, precise steps a computer can follow exactly.

An example

"Sort these exam results by score" sounds simple until you ask precise questions:

• Highest first, or lowest first?
• What happens when two students tie?
• Does the original list change, or do we return a new one?

Answering these before writing code is the actual skill. The code itself is often the easy part once the steps are precise.

What comes next

The next lessons introduce Python, chosen because its syntax gets out of the way of the thinking, which is exactly what you are here to practise first.