How can I start shaping myself up again on programming?

Question

When you spend a long time without programming, and you start to code again, you can forget a lot of things and the programming stay slow...

When you pratice some sport, it's easy get again the form: training in the desired sport. But in programming, what your method to regain the speed and memory to code after long time without job?

I think in to try recreate basic algoritms, like quick sort. When you start just to copy-and-paste code found in webpages, it doesn't help in regain coding skill...

Answer 1

I always try to learn new languages (ie. ASP.NET MVC) by doing one of the two staple web apps. Blog or CMS. Both will quickly get me up to speed on most everything I need to know.

Answer 2

Find tasks..

I think programming is about solving problems..find a problem and try to sort it by programming..

you are right, copy pasting won't make you a developer.

Get a purpose.. you will become a programmer again when you get into the habit of solving issues by using instructions you generate and maintain.

Answer 3

I'd say find a personal project that interest you and work on that. For me its more of a motivational issue so it needs to be a project that I am really interested in. As long as its a decently complex project I think you will get your groove back. Plus this way you might also get something useful out of it. Quicksort would be good for learning, but you'd probably never need to use your own version of it.

Answer 4

Grant all those "I wish this was easier" or "I wish I had a program to do this for me" thoughts in your head and build a bunch of small utility applications. I consider this my "practicing" for programming.

Answer 5

Search for "programming interview questions" and have a bash at doing some of them.

Both Visual Studio and Eclipse have "snippets" functionality where you can write a piece of code without having to create a new project. I use that just to hack some quick code when I have some spare time.

Answer 6

I think most of us a programmers because we can't stand doing mundane manual tasks which could (read SHOULD) be automated. I was a draftsman only a couple of years ago. I kept on seeing tasks which were being completed manually that were perfect candidates for a computer to complete.

Needless to say my boss was NOT happy when I automated a drafting project for a client. She saw it as billable hours lost, And I can see her point. But it simply killed me to being doing it manually.

Since then the career change has been a blessing.

My advice? find things that you do to automate. Ask someone with a small business if they have annoying/time consumming tasks which they would like to streamline.

Answer 7

Best way to sharper skills is the same as learning coding.

CODE. CODE. CODE. and then CODE AGAIN!!

Answer 8

I find working on problems from the uVA and SPOJ online judge sites to be excellent ways to sharpen programming skills.