If you're interested in learning programming in Hamilton, you have quite a few options. You could always study at a university and do a degree in computer science, IT, or a similar subject that involves classes on programming.
There are also plenty of online options for those wanting to study programming and you can learn how to code from anywhere in the world if you have a computer and a decent internet connection.
Then there's private tutoring, which provides a cost-effective way to learn whatever you want either in-person or online.
All of these are viable options for anyone living in Hamilton with an interest in coding and the best choice is likely a combination of all three, but before we talk about those, let's look at why you should study programming in the first place.
Reasons to Study Programming
Lots of people recommend studying programming, learning how to code, and looking for work using these skills, but why should you?
For us, these are the best things about learning how to code and becoming a programmer.
Collaborate on Projects with Others
Despite what the stereotype of a programmer is, you need to have social skills and work with others. While coding itself is a solitary activity, most projects will require a lot of collaboration and it's something that some people love about programming.
If you weren't sure about programming because you were worried that it wasn't particularly sociable, don't forget that there are opportunities to work and collaborate with others.
Develop Lots of Different Skills
Learning to code requires a lot of different skills and qualities. Beyond knowing a particular programming language inside-out, you also need to be good at problem-solving, critical thinking, time management, communicating with others, and even being creative.
Flex Your Creative Muscle
Programmers need to regularly come up with creative solutions to abstract problems. As a programmer, you'll have plenty of opportunities to think outside the box and be creative. It mightn't be an out-and-out creative role, but programming isn't devoid of creativity but instead requires quite a lot of it.
Learn Constantly
Your programming or coding course is just the beginning of your education as a programmer. As technology advances, programmers regularly need to be at the cutting edge, which means you can never stop learning.
If you're a lifelong learner, programming is the career choice for you and fortunately for you, there are plenty of excellent programming courses all over New Zealand.
Work from Home
If you enjoy working from the comfort of your own home or while travelling, programming is a great career choice. More often than not, you'll just need a computer and a decent internet connection to work as a programmer from anywhere in the world.
Your Career
Last but not least, the reason so many people study programming is that there's plenty of good work out there for programmers.
Not only is demand for programmers pretty much always high, but programmers also tend to make good money, especially compared to other career choices that require the same level of education.
Where To Study Programming in Hamilton
If those reasons have you convinced and you want to start learning how to code, here are some places in Hamilton where you can learn more about programming.
The University of Waikato
At the University of Waikato in Hamilton, you can study computer science to learn more about programming.
The university is internationally recognised for its computer science research. This is the #1 ranked university in New Zealand for research and if you'd be interested in a future in computer science research. It was also ranked in the top 100 universities in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings for 2023.
You can study computer science as a Bachelor of Computer Science, a Bachelor of Science, or a Master of Science course. There are also graduate and postgraduate certificates and diplomas available.
The Bachelor of Computer Science (BcompSc), for example, allows students to learn about areas like object-oriented programming, mathematical sciences, data structures and algorithms, logic and computation, and take elective classes as part of their specialisation.
The Bachelor of Science also overlaps a lot with the Bachelor of Computer Science but provides students with a greater choice of electives.
There are also plenty of great programming courses in Auckland.
Wintec (Waikato Institute of Technology)
The Waikato Institute of Technology is part of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology and offers IT programmes with a focus on employability, practical learning, and vocational study.
There are certificates and diplomas available in computing, information technology, and information technology technical support.
There's also an option to study a Bachelor of Applied Information Technology that allows for specialisations in network engineering, software engineering, database architecture, or web development.
After your degree, you might consider studying a graduate diploma in applied information technology available at Wintec. Specialisations include network engineering and software engineering.
Postgraduate options at Wintec include postgraduate certificates and diplomas in applied information technology and applied informatics as well as the master of applied information technology.
If none of these courses is of interest, you can check out the best programming courses in Wellington.
Learn How to Code with Online Learning Platforms
Studying at a university or institute of technology isn't the only way to learn how to code and there are plenty of great online platforms that can be used by aspiring programmers in Hamilton, across New Zealand, and around the world!
There are online courses available for free and others that you have to pay for and while many are great resources for learning new skills, they don't always come with internationally-recognised qualifications like academic degrees from a university.
That said, in certain industries, your skills and experience can be worth just as much as academic credentials and even after completing a relevant degree, you'll constantly be learning to stay relevant as a programmer.
Codecademy
Codecademy is a free online platform full of programming classes and courses. If you're new to programming, this is a great place to start as you can learn basic programming skills quite easily without having to spend any money.
Coursera
Coursera is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) where you can study almost anything online. The courses on Coursera are mostly free and many of them were created in collaboration with the world's best universities or tech giants like Google, AWS, and IBM.
The courses are usually free and you can choose to pay for your certificate upon completion of the course.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is an online educational platform that was formerly known as Lynda. Now, it's only accessible to LinkedIn users, but it does offer courses in programming, data science, design, marketing, leadership, and professional development.
Upon completion of a course on LinkedIn Learning, you can display your certificate on your LinkedIn profile.
Udacity
Udacity is another educational platform like Coursera but with a greater focus on industry. Popular programming courses include Data Engineering with AWS, C++, and Introduction to Programming.
The latter covers the fundamentals of front-end development, HTML, CSS, Python, and JavaScript.
Udemy
Udemy is another platform that offers a multitude of different courses. However, unlike some of the other platforms we've mentioned, you have to pay for most of the courses on Udemy. Some of the most popular courses on Udemy cover programming languages like C++, Python, Java, C, and C#.
Don't forget to check out the best programming courses in Christchurch.
Get Help Studying Programming from a Private Tutor
Private tutoring is a great way to learn new skills including how to code. You can hire a private programming tutor to help you with your studies elsewhere or to completely teach you how to code.
There are tutors in Hamilton teaching popular programming languages like Python, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, C++, Swift, and SQL.
The great thing about learning to code with private tutors is that you can learn exactly what you want and need to learn. If you want to learn to code for a specific kind of job, they can teach you the necessary skills without wasting any time on anything else.
A tutor that's right for one student mightn't necessarily be right for another so make sure you carefully choose your tutor.
Fortunately, you can browse tutor profiles to see what kind of tutoring they offer, how much they charge, and what their other students had to say about them.
A lot of tutors also offer their first lesson for free so you can always try a few different tutors out before choosing the right one.
Generally, online tutoring is cheaper than face-to-face tutoring and you can save a lot of money if you're willing to choose group tutoring.
However, with group tutoring, you won't fully benefit from being the only student in the session and having each class tailored to you and what you want to learn, but if you and some friends, family members, or programming classmates need some extra tuition, it can makes things very affordable.
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