by Mike Stanley

Created on: May 29, 2009

Is learning Visual Basic really all that hard? For someone that has never written a line of code, the world of programming may seem somewhat magical. The thought of throwing together some characters and mathematical operators and creating a functioning application may seem rather daunting. However, in reality, Visual Basic is a programming language aimed at beginning programmers.

Although powerful enough today to build most any type of application including enterprise level, custom applications and commercial software, VB was indeed originally derived from the older BASIC programming languages developed for hobbyist and beginner programmers. Over the years VB has matured a lot, and now offers something for every level of programmer. The learning curve for VB is more dependent on how the potential programmer thinks. If you're the kind of person that sees the whole picture more then the pieces, then you will likely make a better interface designer. People that see the pieces before the whole picture tend to make better coders. This doesn't mean you can't do both, but rather just a general guideline for which might be your stronger skill. Both designers and coders are essential elements in the programming world, and few people are truly equal at both skills by default.

Having said that, there are things you can do to improve your weaknesses if you desire. There are several books available on software development, and if your serious about learning to program, you will find those resources indispensable. Even professional programmers must use reference material from time to time, as no one can remember (or knows) everything about a programming language. Beyond reading books and material on the internet, nothing will teach you VB faster then jumping in and trying your hand at it. Once you get your hands dirty with it, you will discover that typing out and retyping code will allow you to imprint the syntax of the code in your brain with much more ease. With the newer VB, such as VB 2008, the text highlighting and syntax helpers are much more robust, and offers a great deal of aid in keeping your code neat and easier to read.

The most important thing to remember about programming in VB, and most languages for that matter, is that commands are based on how humans think. In life we have conditions we react to, and because computers are designed by humans, they follow these same basic rules. Everyday we react to ifs, ands, buts, and cases. Sometimes things get

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