Java is one of the widely used programming languages, which attracts thousands of software developers every year. This is because of the exhaustive features it can offer across all IT industries. And if you are a newbie with no programming experience, the Java programming language is one of the best entry point to your programming career. Also, if you have some knowledge of the IT industry but no programming experience, you can still get started with Java because it is never too late to learn this programming language. In this article, I will discuss how to learn Java with no programming experience. But before that, let me briefly talk about what Java is.
Introduction to Java
Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language. It was designed in the year 1995 by James Gosling in Sun Microsystems company. Java was introduced with the help of JDK (Java Development Kit) containing a JRE (Java Runtime Environment), and the JRE contains JVM (Java Virtual Machine) and other software tools required to run Java applications. Java is among the most preferred programming languages in the IT world. Java can be used for various applications in different domains, few of them are mentioned below:
- Computer Software
- Android applications
- Web applications
- Gaming apps
- Database connection
- Application and web servers, and more
Java is an object-oriented programming language, which means it tries to mimic and solve the real-world scenarios, and this is very important reason why you should learn Java. It comes with a rich set of APIs which provide multiple features to developers and make their life easier. Java as a programming language has the richest set of APIs. In Java, you also have built-in features like garbage collections and exceptions which help developers from making mistakes and keeping the code secured.
Do I need programming experience to learn Java?
Let me be very clear, you don’t need programming experience beforehand to learn Java. Every newbie, student, developer needs to start their programming career from zero. People who start learning a programming language for the first time don’t have any prior experience before. So, it is very much possible to learn Java without any programming experience, irrespective of your age because age is just a number. Compared to other programming languages, learning Java with no programming experience is easier because it has one of the biggest communities you can leverage while learning it. You can also find many free courses, books, and forums which help you learn Java from scratch. I have mentioned them in the below sections of this article.
How to learn Java with no programming experience?
Now let me tell you how you can learn Java with no programming experience. If you follow the points mentioned below, you have high chance of learning Java with ease. But you will have to dedicate enough time to learn it.
Create a Study Plan
Let’s say you have decided to learn Java, for this, you need to have a concrete study plan, or you can say a learning roadmap. This is very important because it provides you with the correct direction to start your Java programming language journey. Without a proper plan, there is a high chance of you getting off track because you can end up putting in double the time required to learn Java programming. This study plan or road map should include different milestones which will help you keep track of your progress.
There is no standard path or universal rule to learn Java. Depending on someone’s learning capability and the time they invest, the study plan will vary. I am going to suggest a learning pattern which I think would be best for you. Here are few things to keep in your study plan:
- Start with the basic concepts in Java from the websites and books mentioned in the below section and get comfortable in it.
- Write and run a hello world program in Java yourself, do not copy paste.
- Once you feel comfortable with the basic concepts, Start learning the object-oriented concepts in Java: abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance.
- Don’t just learn object-oriented concepts theoretically, practice them by writing small codes for each.
- Learning Java by practicing and doing hands-on is crucial. It will build your confidence.
- You will end up getting a lot of errors in your code in the beginning, learn step by step how to troubleshoot and resolve them.
- Once you have the core knowledge of Java, start experimenting and learn how to write code like a professional developer using the best practices.
Be Consistent
It goes without saying that if you want to learn Java, you must be consistent in following your study plan, otherwise that plan would be of no use. If you don’t follow the plant consistently, you will often get stuck in the concepts of Java, and then you might end up quitting. I am not trying to scare you, but that is the truth! Also, learning the concepts consistently will boost your morale and give you the confidence to learn more.
Practise Will Keep You Going
Java is a programming language, so it is all about writing code in Java at the end of the day. And to do that, you must practice Java code regularly. If you just understand the concepts theoretically, it will not help. After gaining the theoretical understanding, you have to practice each and every concept in Java by writing codes based on those concepts. When you are learning a programming language, you will invest 20% of your time in learning the theory part, and rest 80% is all about practicing through coding. Unfortunately, most people fail and drop out in this stage.
Best Places to Learn Java
Once your learning plan is ready, you can find an abundance of content on the Internet to learn Java. You have free websites, blogs, online courses, YouTube videos, eBooks, etc., which will help you start with Java from the beginning. Below are few most popular portals which you can refer:
Udemy
Udemy is one of the most popular eLearning platforms across the globe to learn any technology or programming language like Java for free or at a minimum price. You can find plenty of free and paid Java courses on this portal that are well structured the learning. You can choose the best courses related to Java topic depending on the course rating and the number of students enrolled in it.
According to me, Java Programming Masterclass covering Java 11 & Java 17 created by Tim Buchalka and Tim Buchalka’s Learn Programming Academy is the best Java course available on Udemy with 145,25 ratings, and more than half a million students have gone through this course.
Coursera
Coursera is another popular eLearning platform like Udemy, where you can find many online resources to start learning Java for free. The courses on Coursera are of top quality because they are offered by giant companies like Google and IBM and also from the world’s leading universities like Harvard or Stamford University.
Below are a few of the most popular Java courses available on the Coursera platform:
Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals by Duke University with 222K+ students and 4.6 star ratings.
Object Oriented Programming in Java by University of California San Diego with 240K+ students and 4.7 star ratings.
Java Tutorial for Beginners [YouTube]
YouTube is another excellent place where you will find amazing videos on Java published by different popular creators on this platform. Most of these videos will start with an introduction to Java and how to install it on your system. After which, they will systematically discuss each concept of Java with multiple demos to give you hands-on experience. As these videos are available on YouTube, they are entirely free to consume. Below are few popular YouTube videos on Java:
Java Tutorial for Beginners by YouTube channel Programming with Mosh
Learn Java 8 – Full Tutorial for Beginners by freeCodeCamp.org
Apart from the portals mentioned above, there are many tutorial websites to learn Java from basics such as JavaTPoint, w3schools, Tutorialspoint, Codecademy, etc. You can also refer to many popular eBooks on Java to learn theory. Below are few most popular Java eBooks for beginners:
Head First Java by Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates
Java: A Beginner’s Guide by McGraw-Hill Education
Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies, 5th Edition by Barry Burd
Java: Programming Basics for Absolute Beginners by Nathan CLARK
Final Thoughts
So that was all about how to learn Java without any programming experience. And I would suggest don’t let your age be a barrier. If you are in your twenties, thirties, or forties, you can still make a shift towards Java programming. I have mentioned enough ways and resources in this article that will help you learn Java quickly. All the best!
