Learn how to code

“I was flabbergasted by how simple and clear it seemed, and so I attended the optional course. It was terrible, and I learned close to nothing. Stubborn as I am, I went on to pick a thesis on spatial analysis with R, and spent the whole summer 2019 reading the theory behind it and the documentation to the packages I needed until, one function after the other, I had a working script that went from raw data to the tables and maps I used for my dissertation.”

“I learned to program by trying to make mods for Morrowind when I was in high school. I didn’t know what I was doing and just tried things until what I wanted happened. My first real programming language was C++ and I learned by reading C++ Without Fear: A Beginner's Guide that Makes You Feel Smart; that was when I was 21/22. During this time and my initial time in university, my programming style was just banging things out until I got something working.”