Aug 1, 2020.
I made a resolution to kick off a #30days of learning today where I would learn a new programming language. I hope to replace this section with a link to a post explaining my schedule and mission statement for this journey - yes, I have some quirky ideas I can't wait to explore. For now, this is a placeholder so I can ship this post and kickstart the journey!

About This Article

In Jun 2018, I was into my learning journey into Flutter when I created the following post to help share my learnings and connect with other enthusiasts:

Flutter: Learning Resources for Beginners

Nitya Narasimhan Jun 8 '18 6 min read

#flutter #flutterfyi #fluttercamp #beginners

Two years later, I still hear from folks who find it valuable. So as I start this journey, I hope this post does the same for Kotlin!

Bookmark this post to get updates as I add new resources! And drop me a comment if you have recommendations or insights!

What is Kotlin?

According to the Kotlin website, it is an open-source modern programming language that can be used for mobile cross-platform apps, server-side development, web development, data science and native experiences! For the latter, current support includes Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, iOS, WebAssembly and more.

As of 2019, it is also Google's preferred language for Android development just 2 years after first being officially supported - a remarkable journey!

Over the next #30Days I'll start unpacking the buzzwords and diving into the why and how of software development with Kotlin in a series of posts covering concepts and code.

Follow the kotlinfyi tag for my article updates, or post your own!

Why explore Kotlin?

There are many reasons to do this and it helps to have the right goals and motivation. Here are mine:

It's a popular language, and likely to be in demand.

The TIOBE Index has it at #27 in July 2020 (a small move up the rankings) while the 2019 Octoverse report listed it at #4 in the fastest-growing languages that year. Even the IEEE Computer Society Trends Section ranked Kotlin at #2 in popularity, only second to Python. In summary, it can't hurt to learn it - and it might even help!

It's the preferred language for Android development

Despite COVID challenges, data shows that Android still dominates the global smartphone market. With Kotlin being the preferred language for Android app development, it's likely the better bet for mobile devs.

Added incentive? The Microsoft Surface Duo is a unique foldable Android device and I can't wait to start playing with the dual-screen SDK and samples

I want to learn in public and reclaim the term 'beginner'

I recently wrote this post on why I felt we needed to reclaim the term beginner and make it something that empowers people instead of undermining their confidence and contribution.

I'm a "Lifelong Beginner". Are you?

Nitya Narasimhan Jul 25 4 min read

#beginners #programming #essays #discuss

With this journey, I want to walk the talk and learn in public, sharing my successes and failures in a way that destigmatizes the learner journey and revels in the joy of creating value, gaining and sharing knowledge.

Where do I start?

That is exactly what this post is for. Bookmark it to be notified of updates. Over the next #30Days I will be adding resources to it daily as I start navigating, learning and sharing my own journey through the Kotlin universe!

Join me!

Documentation

1. Kotlinlang.org - official docs for the language!
2. Develop Android Apps With Kotlin - Kotlin for Android dev.

Courses & Codelabs

1. Google Android Codelabs
2. Kotlin Bootcamp for Programmers - Udacity, 2020
3. Developing Android Apps With Kotlin - Udacity, 2020
4. Advanced Apps in Kotlin - Udacity, 2020