THE SELF-TAUGHT PROGRAMMER

THE PATH IS THERE. WILL YOU TAKE IT?

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I am a self-taught programmer. After a year of self-study, I was able to land a job as a software engineer II at eBay. Once I got there, I realized I was severely underprepared. I was overwhelmed by the amount of things I needed to know but hadn't learned yet. My journey learning to program and my experience at my first job as a software engineer were the inspiration for this book.

This book is not just about learning to program. It's about all the other things you need to know that classes and books won't teach you. It's a roadmap, a guide to take you from writing your first program to passing your first technical interview. The book is divided into five sections:

1
 Start to program in Python 3 and build your first program.
2
Learn Object-oriented programming and create a powerful Python program to get you hooked.
3
Learn to use tools like Git, Bash, and regular expressions. Then use your new coding skills to build a web scraper.
4
Study Computer Science fundamentals like data structures and algorithms.
5
Finish with best coding practices, tips for working with a team, and advice on landing a programming job.

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PRAISE

“The Self-Taught Programmer was a pleasure to read—something I never thought I would say about a technical book.”

— Melinda Sacks, Former Writer, Editor, San Jose Mercury News

“I always keep a few copies of The Self-Taught Programmer around to give to anyone that comes to me for career advice.”

— Robin Abrams, Board Member, HCL Technologies, FactSet Research, Lattice Semiconductor and Sierra Wireless

“Learning to program is increasingly important in finance. Althoff’s book taught me the skills I need to stay competitive.”

— Derek Schaefer, Senior Finance Manager, Charles Schwab

“I am incredibly impressed with this book.”

— JoAnn Buchanan, Senior Research Associate, Allen Institute for Brain Science

REVIEWS

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— Michael Horton

I am a self taught (mostly) designer trying to learn a bit of programming. I found the author's writing to be easy to read but also informative. I was worried that the technical nature of the book may cause the content to go over my head but Althoff did a good job of breaking down for us beginners. His personal anecdotes and accounts of his journey made the content very relatable and helped break up the tech talk too. Overall a solid read for self starters.

— Caleb

My name is Caleb and I am 14 currently reading "The Self-Taught Programmer" working to become a software engineer at Microsoft and I and 100% satisfied with the purchase. This book is honestly one of the best coding books on the market currently. If you would like to start coding or already know a little bit about it but would like to expand your knowledge and take your coding to the next level, then this book is for you, no matter your age!

— Michael C. Stutzenburg

Having two kids with plenty of bills to pay, I don't have the time or money for school, so I was looking for some resources for learning to code. This book is concise and to the point learning. You learn quickly with lots of example programs and challenges. Cory keeps the simple steps of programming at the beginning of the book and leads you through the tougher concepts of object oriented programming towards the end of the book. Its a short book, so if you want to expand your knowledge about a particular subject, all you have to do is go online. He gives lots of tips for anyone who wants a career change or if you are just out of school looking for work.

— Amazon Customer

I'm not big into writing reviews but I had to write this for someone that once felt like me. I thought I was dumb, I couldn't grasp the concept of Python or any other language. I've tried codecademy, and online courses all ending in failure. I saw Corey on a talk show and immediately added his book to my Amazon cart. From the moment it arrived I was hooked. Each chapter starts with an inspirational quote that motivates you to keep going forward. I wanted to learn python so that I could get a job in the QA industry. After reading just a few chapters, I've decided that I want to be a software engineer. The entire book reads like a story and when things are explained it not only makes you ask questions, but they are answered in the next section. For the first time in my life I am actually writing in Python. I'm only on chapter three and I've already learned so much. For the people that haven't had much luck learning, this book is definitely for you. You are not alone. Everyone can learn from this book.

"Most of the best programmers are self-taught."
~ Jack Dorsey

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CORY ALTHOFF

I majored in Political Science in college. I took an introduction to programming class my freshman year but dropped out because it was too difficult. I learned to program once I graduated, and I found it was easier to learn outside of school because I was free to learn what was most important in practice, not theory.

I've worked as a software engineer at several companies in Silicon Valley. Most of my work has been focused on data pipelines and full stack web development.

I am passionate about programming and enjoy helping others learn to program. The Self-Taught Programmer is now available as a Udemy course. You can also find more about what I am doing on my blog.