This slide deck is from WordCamp Milwaukee 2016. Here is the accompanying article: https://hellofromtonya.com/blog/full-lego-box-secret-programming/

1. Programming is Easy,
nce You Master…
Twitter: @hellofromTonya
@KnowTheCodePro
#BeMoreAwesome

2. Big Bold
Statement

3. Programming
is easy

4. Hello, I’m Tonya
• High tech engineering since the mid-1980s
• Electrical and software engineer
• Technology leader, educator, and author

5. I’m on a mission
to help you
#BeMoreAwesome

6. What are my goals
in this talk?

7. Why are
you struggling?

8. Typical Approach
• Go buy a theme. Make changes to it.
• Stretch a little bit and take on more
• Constantly searching for HOW to do something

9. Search for the HOW
is a flawed strategy

10. Problems with the
“Searching for the How” Strategy
• It’s time-consuming.
• How do you assess if the code is good?
• It only gets you part of the way there.
• What happens if it causes a problem?
Bottomline: It’s costly.

11. Why
When
What
How

12. Let’s talk about how to master
programming

13. Programming
Secret #1
Fundamentals

14. Fundamentalsare your
building blocks

15. Building
the upper
floors
without a solid foundation

16. In software,
everything
is built from
the same
building
blocks

17. Software Does These Things:
• Makes Decisions
• Does Tasks
• Iterates
• Remembers

18. software emulates
real life

19. Everyday
…
decisions,
do tasks,
repeat
programming fundamentals

20. I’ll go to the
Kite Festival if
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lesterpubliclibrary/9643006351
• the weather
is good
• not working
if ( the conditions are true )
then go to the festival

21. Fundamentals
• Decisions
• if, when, else if, else
• Remembers
• Variable
• Tasks
• Render, File, Database
• Repeats
• while, for, foreach

22. Getting hung up
Syntax

23. Fundamentals
Why
When
What

24. Combinethe fundamental
building blocks to create
different experiences…

26. How
Programming
Secret #2
Problem Solving

27. Creative Process of
Solving ProblemsHow =
Ingenuity, creativity, & expertise

28. Visualization
Exercise

29. Problem Solving is
the process of
finding solutions.

30. Problem Solving is
the proactive and methodical
approach to
finding solutions.

31. Programming
Secret #3
Programmatic Thought

32. Programmatic thought is
thinking about how to get
the computer to do what
you want it to do.

33. Knowing what
the computer needs
fromyou

34. Computers are
crazy fast
but stupid.

35. Computers don’t
understand code.
They understand 1s and 0s.

36. Off state -> 0
Power
Switch
Output
Power
Source
Output
Power can’t flow

37. On state -> 1
Power
Switch
Output
Power
Source
Output
Power flows to the output
Output

38. Computers = bunch of switches
Output
Output
Output
0 0 0 1
Output
Output
Output
1 1 1 0
Output
Output

39. <?php
function maybe_show_top_bar( $is_ok_to_show ) {
if ( is_page() && $is_ok_to_show ) {
showTopbar();
}
}
is_page() showTopbar()
AND Gate
V
$is_ok_to_show
AND

40. Computers
don’t think or infer.
You do.

41. You have to
explicitly tell
the computer whatto do ANDhowto do it
step-by-step.

42. Programming
Secret #4
Learning

43. This profession demands
continuouslearning
and proficiency building.

44. Your Take-aways

45. Programming is easy
when you master…
• Fundamentals
• Problem Solving
• Programmatic Thought
• Learning

46. You can build anything
from scratch in code.

47. I’m Tonya
@hellofromTonya
hellofromtonya.com
@KnowTheCodePro
KnowTheCode.io
I teach at…