Life in tech
In part 6, we looked at a number of training options to help take your knowledge and skills to another level.
In this final part of my Getting Started With Coding series, we will review what we’ve covered so far and then try to answer the question that will, at some point, inevitably crop up. “What do I do next?”. Continue reading “Getting started with coding – Part 7 – Next Steps”
In part 5, we looked briefly at version control, in particular Github and the primary benefits it provides. In part 6, we cover some of the training resources available to help you take your knowledge to the next level. Continue reading “Getting started with coding – Part 6 – Training”
In part 4, we discussed some additional tools to help your coding. In part 5, we look at version control, which is a way of tracking changes you make to your code (or in a wider sense, documents, information, etc.). As it is such an important topic, I think it warranted its own post, even though technically it is just another tool in your kit. Continue reading “Getting started with coding – Part 5 – Version control”
In part 3, we looked at different editor options. In this post, we look at some additional tools that you might find useful to round out your coding experience. Continue reading “Getting started with coding – Part 4 – Tools”
So you want to start following examples you’ve found online or in a book to learn more about your chosen language from part 2. Which editors should you consider to start knocking up some super useful scripts? Part 3 looks at three broad categories, giving some suggestions along the way. Continue reading “Getting started with coding – Part 3 – Editors”
In part 1 of this series, we addressed the key concerns people starting to code might have and also set out some key reasons why you should give it a go in spite of those, often unfounded, concerns. In part 2, we cover off how to go about picking one of the languages to learn to code in from the numerous choices. Continue reading “Getting started with coding – Part 2 – Languages”
If you work with computers in any aspect of your life, being able to code can be a very powerful tool. All too often however, I hear people say things like “it’s too difficult” or “I’m not a developer” and they never take more than their first few steps. This post, the first in a series on getting started with coding, addresses both the fears of taking your first steps and the benefits of starting that journey. The remaining posts then give you all the help you need to overcome those perceived obstacles and have some fun along the way. Continue reading “Getting started with coding – Part 1 – Introduction”
Over the course of my IT career, I have used a few different platforms to create tools that help me in my day to day work. Initially, VBScript used to be my scripting tool of choice when I was a Sysadmin. When PowerShell was released, I quickly embraced it and really liked it’s human readable verb-noun structure. It saved my bacon on many an Exchange deployment/migration. I’ve also dabbled in various flavours of Visual Basic over the years to create some small applications but I am no developer, by any stretch of the imagination.
Over the last 18 months or so, I’ve been looking to learn a tool that was more cross platform, easy to pick up and could be used across the board for not only my networking tasks, but anywhere I could save time and do things more consistently. I probably spent far too long dwelling on the options but about this time last year settled on Python.
This discussion is about Python but that assumes that you have chosen Python yourself as a language you wish to learn. If that isn’t yet the case, the discussion below on which version of Python to use could also be applied to which language you should settle on and the sections further below apply to any programming language you finally set out to learn.
Don’t get hung up on whether to use Python 2 or 3 (or Java, Go, Ruby, C, etc. for that matter). Whilst 2.x fans will argue it has a larger support base including more modules and libraries, more deployed code etc. it is well known that 2.7 was the last version that will be released on that track and the creator of Python, Guido Van Rossum seems to be committed to the 3.x train. I have been learning 3.x because I found that everything I set out to do in my first months learning Python had suitable modules available.
The key is not to spend too much time on this decision though. Take a look at them both, read up on some of the arguments in favour of each and then pick one and stick to it. Most modern Linux distros seem to have both versions installed so if you are really unable to flip a coin, learn both…but learn at least one of them!
As a quick note on why I chose Python over other options I would have to say:
When I say tool kit, I’m talking about setting up your environment to make working with Python and the code you create more enjoyable. There is nothing worse than trying to learn something new and having to jump through a load of hoops before you get to the good stuff. Take GNS3 back in the early days. I can remember spending up to an hour on some occasions just to get my lab up without crashing. Not fun. The bullet points below briefly cover off the main points you should be getting in place:
The best resources are to be found on-line and there are countless websites that have great content relating to Python on them, with the Python homepage being a great starting place. I haven’t found any really good video based training to date that would pass as a course as such but there are lots of books available on the subject. My favourites so far have been:
Read the reviews, use Amazon’s ‘Look Inside’ feature to see if the style suits and start building a reference library to consolidate that knowledge.
All those tools and all that knowledge will still make your journey a tedious one if you don’t apply it to the real world. Find a project that could use your Python skills and put them to the test. I initially struggled trying to learn Python from a network engineer perspective as it involved ugly screen scraping techniques on kit without APIs. What I found really useful was when we started using a dashboard application in house that is built on Ruby and converted all the Ruby scripts to Python. I now feel much more confident about tackling more difficult tasks. The key is not just to type up the scripts you find on-line or in a book but to create something that you needed anyway. This will be so much more rewarding for you in the short term, which will motivate you further in the long term. If you are struggling to find a project, buy a Raspberry Pi and a related project book to get your teeth in to.
Regardless of what field you work in, if you use a computer on a regular basis and have a number of tasks you repeat, I strongly suggest you look at Python as a great tool to help you get those tasks done quickly and more consistently. You’ll soon start seeing that you can use these skills all over to help make life easier.
[sourcecode language=”python”]
print("Till the next time")
[/sourcecode]
2014 was a slightly strange year for me in some respects. I moved in to a new leadership role, delivered some big projects successfully with the help of my team and got lots of the smaller jobs off my plate, but it still felt like I could have achieved a lot more. The good news is that I’ve been tracking everything that needs addressing so have a good idea of what my team’s priorities are for the coming year already.
My aim is to make 2015 the year of automation. Not in any one area anywhere I think I will hit my two key goals, those being to get a ROI on my time and to standardise as much as possible and I will be using those goals to measure where to focus my efforts. I am already familiar with PowerShell from my SysAdmin days and have built a number of tools in Visual Basic over the years but will be taking what I have learnt about Python over the last few months to a new level. I have already started taking related scripts and creating my own modules and already have ideas on how I want start making bigger applications that are more object oriented.
I also plan on blogging more about my automation journey so expect some Python posts in particular.
2014 was the year of steadying the ship, ensuring nothing critical fell through the cracks and hopefully helping my team develop personally. I’ve heard people across the industry quote how 2015 will be the year of SDN, IPv6, NFV, blah, blah, blah. I make no such claims, although out of those, I would put my money on NFV and maybe blah. For me though, this year will be about brushing down some old and not recently used skills and giving them a high polish. I won’t need to become a fully blown developer but the skills I intend on picking up will be useful in many areas of my life, both at work and otherwise.
Till the next time.