How did Bill Gates learn programming?
Bill Gates, one of the most successful people today and founder of a tech giant Microsoft, revealsin his bloghow he had learned programming and shares a list of sites which he recommends for learning programming and also the ones that he had used himself.
Bill Gates has taught himself programming since he was 13 years old, ever since the moment his school had gotten their first screenless computer terminal. Although he had access to most advanced technologies at a young age, he was always a supporter of self initiative when it comes to acquiring knowledge and constant self improvement.
When he was only 14 years old, Bill and his friend Paul Allen made a traffic counter based on an Intel 8008 processor. They made 20.000$ in their first year, which was an amazing amount of money for someone their age. At the end their business did not work out because they were underaged. Bill Gates enrolled at Harvard University in autumn of 1973. intending to graduating law. During his Harvard studies, Bill and his friend Paul had founded a partnership company Microsoft. Shortly after that, they dropped out of Harvard so they could focus on their company, while the rest of the story is quite well known.
Bill Gates said in his blog, that he used every free moment he had to learn how to code.
He stated that the introduction to computer science has changed his life path and that it greatly influenced his way of thinking. “Questions that programming has taught you to ask- How do I solve a problem? Can I find a pattern? What kind of information do I need?- are useful in every aspect of life . Computer science has shaped the way I look at the world”.
There are many free and affordable sources of knowledge on the Internet today. Through these sources, we can acquire vast knowledge in various areas in a relatively short period of time, and that’s why many successful programmers advise people to learn on their own with the online sources. According to the recommendation of Bill Gates, the sites worth mentioning are: Khan Academy, where lessons in the field of programming are available, but also in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Also there’s Code.org which is specifically tailored for younger users.
We are also going to list some online sources which are available for everybody:
YouTube, Computer Programming, Udemy, Code Academy, Coursera, Free Code Camp and many others.
Author: Milan Aljetić
