The Self Taught Programmer
sideways_book-600px.png

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

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.

 

WATCH THE TRAILER

 
programmer-img-5.png
 

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
programmer-img-4.png

REVIEWS

 
 
 

"Most of the best programmers are self-taught."

~ Jack Dorsey

 

GET THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES

The Self-Taught Computer Scientist
Cory-Althoff-009.jpg
 

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.