Do you know the ten most common mistakes among novice programmers? Some of them may seem childish or obvious to you, but there are tricky and stealthy ones. And maybe, just maybe, while scrolling through our list, you will find the one sneaky enough to infiltrate your own code—sometimes expert coders make beginners' mistakes over and over again without realizing for years.
We have gathered the list of common programming issues anyone can encounter. Mistakes from our list mostly do not depend on programming languages; they are more about basic logic, architecture, and gold standard practices. Remember the opportunity of using the plagiarism checker in order to check the text for uniqueness and originality.
#1 Over-doubting and Over-perfectionism
Do not let your fears prevent you from taking action. You will fail miserably if you let yourself believe that you are not good enough. You should always keep moving forward despite your fears. It is ridiculous to be concerned that you lack the necessary intelligence or that you have the incorrect mindset to be a programmer. Sure, there are some truly brilliant programmers out there, but they're in the minority. Some people succeed when they put in a lot of effort. So, put your fears aside and have faith in yourself!
#2 Ignoring the Code Reability
Envision a book that you could pick up without any gaps between paragraphs or punctuation. We understand that reading a book without gaps between paragraphs or punctuation can be extremely annoying, and complicated code can be equally frustrating. Inexperienced programmers often write code that is difficult to comprehend and read. This could manifest in a number of ways, such as variables with names that fail to convey their purpose, functions that are too complicated, or an absence of appropriate indentation and space.
Making sure your code is clean and simple to read should be your top priority. A beneficial place to start is with meaningful variable names. Choose names for the variables that clearly convey their purpose, rather than merely using a string of letters or obscure acronyms. Comments aid in explaining the functionality of your code, making it more understandable by others and by yourself in the future. Your code will be consistent and easy to comprehend if you follow style rules, such as Python's PEP 8, for example.
#3 Not Using Version Control!
Has it ever happened to you that you wished you could undo the deletion of some code? That's the role of version control. Despite its centrality to contemporary software development, many newcomers fail to recognize its significance. If they begin coding without a version control system, it becomes more difficult to monitor changes, work in tandem with others, or roll back to earlier versions when issues arise.
Use version control consistently right away—it is one of the pillars of dynamic programming and software development. The most popular version control system is Git, and sites like GitHub and GitLab are excellent places to learn and work together. Use version control to streamline your process and avoid hassles, even on little projects.
#4 Not Thinking about User
Inexperienced programmers often fail to understand the user's perspective. A seasoned programmer can envision the requirements of end users. As users, they consider ways to streamline the application's interface and make common tasks easier to access. Accurate predicting of users’ needs is one of the most significant requirements for many programming jobs in software development.
#5 Learning Several Languages in a Row
When it comes to coding languages, the warning to not learn two or more foreign languages applies just as well. Learning many coding languages simultaneously is not a good idea. Remember that mastering one language does not mean you can jump into learning another. If you choose to disregard this advice, you run the danger of perplexing yourself and muddled thinking. Once you've mastered a language, put it to use and make it your own. You should not begin learning a new language until you have completed a few projects.
#6 Choosing the First Available Solution
It is only natural for programmers to attempt to resolve issues as they arise. The first solution won't work on your code, as any experienced programmer can tell you. To choose the best one, you must compare it with the others you found. For example, the complexity of the algorithm may rise as a result of the beginner's employment of the first solution they encounter.
#7 Setting Too Broad Goals
The aspiration to become an expert coder is vast and widespread. And if that's all you think about, you won't be able to keep yourself motivated. In addition to being exhausted and discouraged, you will not know how far you have come. Divide your objective into smaller, more manageable steps.
#8 Copying Code Without Understanding
When you're stuck, it's easy to copy code off the internet without giving it a second thought. But this might cause more serious issues in the future. Knowing the code's inner workings and why it resolves the issue at hand is crucial. By doing this, you can comprehend the code, adapt it to your requirements, and be ready to debug it in case of an error.
#9 Overcomplicating Solutions
Sometimes, newcomers would try to show off their abilities by making complicated solutions to easy situations. Code that is more difficult to comprehend, maintain, and debug may result from this. Maintain code simplicity at all costs. Always strive to write code that is simple, direct, and easy to understand. The best solutions are often the most basic ones. With time and practice, you will become more adept at finding the ideal balance between ease of use, efficiency, and scalability.
#10 The Final Mistake: Not Testing Code Regularly
By putting off testing your code until the very end of a project, you increase the likelihood of introducing numerous, hard-to-remove defects. Debugging might get tedious and difficult with this method.
It should be second nature to test your code regularly. Quickly test your code by writing small portions and seeing if they perform as planned. To validate your code's distinct components, use unit tests. To validate your code's interdependencies, use integration tests. A more efficient and trustworthy code base can be yours with the help of automated testing technologies.
