Coding is currently one of the most in-demand skills in the global market. Studies show that there are approximately 700,000 tech job vacancies in the US alone, and a few million more around the globe.

After all, almost every industry needs a programmer—whether it’s for an online shop, website, or app.

Introduction

While the process isn’t simple, learning how to code isn’t an impossible task that requires a PhD or expensive classes.

Thankfully, getting into the basics of coding is now more accessible than ever.

From choosing the right program to joining forums, here are five tips to help you get started. Read on!

Tip 1 – Choose the right program

While it might be tempting to learn as many programming languages as you can, it’s best to start with just one so you can familiarize yourself with it before moving on to the next one.

HTML and CSS are some of the easiest entry points in the industry.

However, their main use is in building basic websites. If you want a good foundation, experts from Hackernoon highly recommend starting with Java.

It’s simpler to learn than Python or C/C++, but it has its uses in nearly every program—be it desktop software or mobile apps.

Tip 2 – Take some online courses

Online courses are a great way to develop your programming skills, primarily because you’ll be learning from actual professionals.

Websites such as Coursera and Codeacademy offer free coding courses if you don’t have the resources to enroll in a formal curriculum.

Of course, it’s definitely worth trying out the paid ones for more specialized lectures, such as Udemy’s and Code Avengers’. Subscriptions will usually cost around $20 a month.

Tip 3 – Practice it everyday

There’s a reason why programming languages are called “languages.” Programmer Neeraj Mishra explains that it’s a form of communication between computers. Therefore, you should be expecting similar grammar rules like syntax and proper structure, if you want to start forming complex programs.

Just like learning Spanish, French, or German, you need to devote a significant amount of time to get familiar with it. But how do you find time to learn a new language?

Gala Bingo claims that learning a new language is a fun, productive way to spend your work breaks.

Even if you just dedicate an hour a daily, it can help speed up your proficiency—until you eventually get to integrate it into your daily life. You’ll be able to build up your confidence soon enough and start taking on basic projects to further your learning even more.

Tip 4 – Join a community

Learning a new language by yourself can be difficult, especially when you’re used to working with a support system. Therefore, it helps to join online programming communities to give you proper guidance.

For instance, there’s StackOverflow, one of the biggest online hubs for developers.

It functions like a forum, so users can go ahead and ask their questions, while members provide tips and solutions.

There are also other communities such as Hashnode, Gamedev, and SitePoint—all with their respective expertise, from app creation to game development.

Tip 5 – Play some coding games

The only real way to be proficient at something is to test it out. An easy and fun way to do this is by playing a couple of programming games.

There are straightforward games like Codewars, where you solve algorithmic challenges via programming, and are duly rewarded with points.

There are also more engaging titles, like CodinGame, where you solve puzzles by tampering with the game’s code (e.g. programming the turret to shoot airships).

The important part is that you’re putting everything that you’ve learned into practice—all while having a little fun.

Bonus Tip – Why code at All?

Have you had a think about why you want to learn to code?

There is a ‘movement’ called ‘No Code’ in which much of actual coding is avoided. They provide tools for you so you don’t really need to use much code at all, if any. Especially for your first builds. There is a little to learn with this method too of course. But some say for a beginner you can make far more functional progress in 90 days than with actually starting to learn a programming language.

More Tips!

If you are interested in more tips, check out our article with 9 easy tips that help better manage email. It could be very helpful if you have too much email at work!

Conclusion

Learning how to code is no easy feat. But as long as you have the right resources and the dedication to see it through, you’ll have the basics mastered in no time. When you’re proficient enough, you can even start your own IT business, or look for a job that utilizes your new skills.

The post 5 Tips to Help You Learn the Basics of Coding appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

When you have not received a recent Windows 10 update, this is how to check for updates, how to download Windows 10 updates manually, and install them. Some of you may have used WUD (Windows Updates installer) for older versions and this article shows you the way for the current version. We cover incremental updates here, not how to upgrade completely from an older version of Windows to Windows 10. Please read on to see how.

Introduction – How to Download and Install Windows 10 Updates Manually

Sure enough, most people’s systems have enabled automatic updates to ensure their system is always up to date. It makes sure you have the latest tested updates to help maximize security by patching any identified security issues and making other incremental system improvements.

However, sometimes there can be issues or delays with the automatic update and so you may want to know how to download windows 10 updates manually, and install them yourself. Be wary though, because an update might not appear on a device because Microsoft identified it as being incompatible.

This article follows on from my very popular article ‘How to Manually Download and Install (older versions of) Windows Updates‘. That is for Windows 7 or Windows XP etc. (up to Windows 8.1). However, WUD (the Windows updates downloader in its older form) is not applicable for Windows 10. This article shows what to do for the current version.

RELATED TOPIC: Did you know you can pause windows automatic updates? You can learn how to pause or stop completely windows updates here.

General description of the steps

First I will show you how to check for updates. There is a possibility this can trigger your downloads, so worth a try. You might have already done this and if not I have screen copies so it should be easy to follow.

Next we will look at how to find the system type and the build information for your Windows 10 OS. This will be helpful because you will need to know up to which update is your system. To get where you are going you need to know from where you start!

Then I’ll show you where and how to identify the updates you need. There is a trick to this!

You will then need to go to the right place to find them, and I’ll show you how to get there.

And finally for the manual download part, I’ll show you how to actually download the patches.

That is all made very easy with some examples and screen shots.

Finally, I will show you how to manually install Windows 10 updates to your device.

The Procedure – How To Download Windows 10 Updates Manually (And Install them)

Step 1: Start or go to system Settings

Click the Windows 10 icon on the task bar, then the gear icon for Settings.

Windows logo icon, Settings icon

You may need to click on the Home icon.

Home icon top left in Settings

Step 2: Go to Windows Update

The last settings category ‘Update and Security’ is the one you need, which is for Windows 10 Update, recovery and backup.

Alternatively to both step 1 and 2, you can type ‘windows update’ or possibly just start to type ‘update’ into the task bar search box and watch for the results to show ‘Check for Updates’.

Check for Windows 10 updates using task bar search

Step 3: Check for Windows 10 Updates Manually

Click or tap on ‘Check for Updates’. This will manually trigger the check.

Ideally there will not be anything else for you to do. This is the quickest way to initiate manually to download and install windows 10 updates.

If for some reason you know it is not up to date, then proceed on to step 4.

Check for Windows Updates (yours might not say ‘You’re up to date’).

Step 4: Check out your Windows 10 Build information

If you are continuing on from step 3 you can get to your build information from ‘Windows Update’ in Settings.

Scroll down and click or tap ‘OS Build Info’.

You will then see something like the screen copy below.

Take note of the System Type (eg. Windows 10 64-bit, x64-based).

Check and record the System Type as you use it later to download the correct Windows 10 patches.

Scroll down further to Windows Specifications. This shows you the build and version information (among other things). Take note of these (eg. Version 1803).

Your data will be something like in the screen copy below.

Your Version and OS build may be different!

Step 5: Identify the required KB number updates in the Windows 10 Update History

Click the following link to go to the Windows 10 Update History files location (this will open in a new tab).

Locate on the left hand side the Windows 10 Version number to match your version. Above that will be the updates you don’t yet have.

If necessary click to expand the version(s) above yours. In the example shown below there are four (knowledge base) KB numbers (along with the OS Build number).

List of Windows 10 updates to manually download and install.

You can click each one to read more about the updates. For example you can read that OS Build 17134.112 was released June 12, 2018, and applies to Windows 10 version 1803. They tell you any already known issues with the update and known work arounds you can use if they are relevant to your system. Worth reading if your system hasn’t already downloaded and installed the updates to see if you can see why.

You need to record all of the relevant KB numbers since your last update.

Can you use the old Windows update downloader?

No, the older version of Windows updates downloader is not for Windows 10. The way to get the updates files now that you have identified them, is shown in step 6.

Step 6: Search and Find the Updates Files

Click on the following link to open the Microsoft Update Catalog. This is essentially the Microsoft Windows updates downloader for Windows Updates, drivers etc.

Use the search bar top right to enter each of your KB numbers.

Enter your KB numbers to search.

Look down the results to find the matching Product (Windows 10) and System Type (e.g. x64 based systems) cumulative or Delta update.

Click ‘Download’ (as per screenshot below) to prepare to manually download Windows 10 updates.

Look for the Updates file that matches your system details, and click to download to, well, manually download windows 10 updates!

Step 7: Manually Download Windows 10 Updates

Then in the pop-up window, select the .msu file, and repeat the search and download one at a time for each individual file or cumulative files, to manually download Windows 10 updates.

Note: Before you do the next step, make sure you have all your work saved and any other Apps closed (and also add this article to your favorites first!). This is because the installation process will restart the computer.

Manually download Windows 10 updates.

Step 8: Manually Install the Update

Find the Microsoft Update ‘.msu’ file in your downloads directory, and double click it to commence to manually install Windows 10 updates.

As I wrote above, make sure your device is prepared for restart (work saved, applications closed, etc.).

Okay, so that completes how to manually download and install windows 10 updates.

If you find any problems or have any other tips, please add them in the comments below.

Summary of How to Manually download and Install Windows 10 updates

I have shown you how to download Windows 10 updates manually including where to find the KB number and then use the Microsoft Update Catalog to download the MSU file. The old Windows update downloader is not for Windows 10 so this is how to do it for the current version. To manually install Windows 10 updates you find the downloaded patch files and double click for the update to complete.

The post How To Download Windows 10 Updates Manually (And Install) appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

What Are Time Wasters?

According to the Collins English Dictionary, a time-waster is something that causes “you to spend a lot of time doing something that is unnecessary or does not produce any benefit.”  With that being said, how does this apply to you?  What are the things that you find yourself being distracted by instead of focusing on starting your IT business?

What Are Your Time Wasters?

Maybe you are spending hours on Facebook, Twitter, news sites, blogs, Pinterest, Tumblr or other sites.  Maybe it’s a smartphone app that continually draws you in or you just can’t stop constantly checking your email all throughout the day.  Or maybe you are simply wasting several hours a day playing games.

This is exactly what I was doing years ago.  I would spend hours on end playing computer games when, instead, I could have been focusing my efforts on something constructive like starting my own business.

Don’t get me wrong, some of these things can be fun or feel like a stress relief.  But you need to ask yourself what is more important to you: spending countless hours on these things that, in the end, may have no real tangible benefit or time spent building a profitable business that you may even be able to hand down to your children one day?

Many smartphones, such as the iPhone, track your usage week to week.

You can’t ‘make time’. Just assign it differently. This may give you reason to focus on the time usage report right now.

Shifting Your Priorities

Let me ask you this.  What would happen if you took all the time and energy that you spend on time wasters and shifted it towards starting a business?  Think about all that you could achieve.

I’m not saying that your life has to be all work and no play.  I’m simply saying that, instead of spending countless hours on things that are distracting you from getting things done, you should spend that time and energy on starting your business.

Getting Rid of Time Wasters and Focusing on Your Business

So, you may be asking yourself, where do I even begin?  How do I rid myself of these distractions so I can focus on starting my business.  To help you with this, just follow the steps below.

Step 1:  Identifying Time Wasters

The first thing you need to do is go through and list out on a piece of paper all of the things you would consider time wasters that are distracting you from building an IT business.

Remember, this could be something as small as jumping on Facebook for 5 minutes, constantly checking email, or something as big as spending 4 hours playing flappy bird every evening.

Time wasting is not only about non-work distractions.

Remember that a time-waster is something that causes “you to spend a lot of time doing something that is unnecessary or does not produce any benefit.” Or low benefit for your time resource.

When you start your business, remember you can start small without employees. An advantage of outsourcing customer service early on (once you have learned typical needs) is more time to focus on your business.

Step 2:  Killing Time Wasters

Now that you’ve identified the time wasters, let’s come up with a plan on how to get rid of them.

If the time waster is a game or an app and you are having a hard time avoiding it then it may be necessary to completely remove it from your computer or phone.  This may seem extreme but if this the only way you can stop yourself then this may be what you need to do.

If you are being distracted by a specific website, web browsing or email then there are several tools you can install to block these sites from your computer for a predetermined amount of time.

ColdTurkey
ColdTurkey is a Windows application that will not only help you block distracting websites but also block applications (like games) that may be distracting you from getting things done.

SelfControl
SelfControl is a free Mac application that can help you block certain websites or email for a predetermined amount of time while you focus on your goals.

Freedom
Freedom is a cross-platform (including Android) application that completely locks you out of the internet for a predetermined amount of time.  If you need to get back on the internet before that time period is up, you have to reboot your computer.

Anti-Social
Anti-Social is another cross-platform application that only focuses on blocking social media sites instead of everything.  This is good if you are only having trouble staying off of these types of sites.

Web Browser Plugins
If you want to focus solely on blocking websites in a specific browser, there are also these free browser plugins available that will do just that.
LeechBlock for Firefox
StayFocused for Chrome

Remember, the key here is to remove access to these distractions if having access to them is too much of a temptation for you to waste time on them.

Step 3:  Starting Your IT Business

Now that you have gotten rid of your time wasters, you should use this new freed up time to focus on building your IT business.  If you are not sure where to begin, then I highly recommend downloading my free guide on How to Make Your First $1000 as an IT Consultant. (Pats self on back!)

Step 4:  Getting Help

And finally, if you ever get to a point where you feel stuck when trying to start your IT business, post a comment below or contact me through my contact form and I’ll be more than happy to help.

Click the following link if you want to attract more customers to buy your product, be it a service business or hardware products.

I realize that there may be better tools or techniques out there for getting things done.  If you have any advice on what helps you stay focused, please share it below.

The post Kill Your Time Wasters and Start an IT Business Today appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Why Should I Offer Mac Support?

There are two main reasons why you should offer Mac support with your IT business.  The first reason is because more and more businesses (and home users) are using Macs.  Because of this, the demand for Mac support continues to climb which means that there is a greater need for people to support them.  Simply put, offering Mac support is another way to generate additional revenue for your IT business.

The second reason why you should offer Mac support is because it’s a great way to get your foot in the door with a prospective client.  Think of it this way.  Let’s say a prospective client has 20 PCs and 2 Macs.  Your competitor tells the prospective client that they will support all of their PCs but won’t touch their Macs.  You, on the other hand, offer to support all their PCs plus their Macs.

Which IT business do you think they will choose?  The answer is the one who will take care of everything.  Not only do they want all of their systems to play nicely together, they also don’t want to have to deal with multiple vendors.  This alone helped me land multiple clients who had mixed environments.

This also means that if you would like to become a computer technician, you will gain an advantage if you develop the ability to support Macs.

If you are interested to become a computer technician as a job, refer to my popular article on 9 Tips to Help You Become a Computer Technician.

But I Hate Macs

It’s funny how many people have an absolute hatred toward Macs (or any Apple product for that matter).  If this is you, you should put aside this personal hatred and think about what’s best for your business.  Can you imagine a car mechanic who would not work on cars that a third of his potential customers drive?!  If supporting Macs is going to bring in more revenue, I highly recommend you consider adding Mac support to your service offerings.

Macs Intimidate Me

Maybe you don’t hate them but are just intimidated by them.  This seems to be the case with a lot of techs who have never had their hands on one before.  If this is you then you may actually find that using and supporting one is just as easy (or easier) than a PC. And much of what you already know from PC support is applicable or gives you a head start for Mac support.  I highly encourage you to give it a shot and see for yourself.

So Where Do I Begin?

The first thing you need to do is get your hands on a Mac or OS X by doing one of the following.

Buy a Mac

(Use this Mac Price Guide)

Build a Hackintosh

Install OS X Inside a VM on Your Windows PC

Next, you need to learn how to use a Mac.  Here is a very good tutorial that covers almost everything in under an hour.

Learn The Mac In Under An Hour

And finally, you need to learn how to troubleshoot, repair, and support Macs.

For OS X and software related support, I have put together these two guides.

The Ultimate Mac Repair Quick Reference Guide

Top 10 Mac Repair Tools

Warranty Support

If the Mac has a hardware issue you will want to check the warranty coverage.  Apple products typically come with a one year warranty.  If the buyer chooses, they can purchase AppleCare which will extend their warranty coverage for a total of three years.

If it’s under warranty, you will want to take it to the nearest warranty repair center and have them repair it since the parts and labor will be covered.

If the machine is out of warranty, you can attempt the repair yourself.

For hardware related repairs, refer to my PC and Mac Tool Kit list. Also, iFixit has every guide you will need with step-by-step instructions on how to repair, replace and upgrade almost every version of the Mac.  They also sell every tool necessary to perform repairs including parts.

iFixit Mac Hardware Repair Guides

iFixit Repair Tools

iFixit Mac Parts

Summary of Why You Should Support Macs With Your IT Business or Computer Technician Job

The demand for IT businesses to Support Macs continues to climb with their growing popularity, this can form an increasing work base to your IT business, and also is increasing the number of computer technician jobs with this requirement. You can get more work as it will help you land clients who have mixed environments and so need both Windows PC and Apple Mac support. If you want to become a computer technician, it will make you more employable. You can post any questions you have related to offering Mac support below and I (or someone else in TheTechMentor.com community) will be more than happy to help you out.

The post Why You Should Support Macs With Your IT Business appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.

Wondering how to Start your own IT Consulting Business? Starting an IT consulting business can be a very rewarding experience.  You get to be your own boss, set your own schedule, build a profitable company and make money doing what you love.

But even though this all sounds nice, you may be wondering how do you get to this point?  How do you actually become an IT consultant?  In the following article I hope to answer this along with some other common questions about IT consulting.

Becoming an IT consultant may seem like a pipe dream to you.  However, if you have a good understanding of how to troubleshoot, repair and support computers then you can probably make money at least on a small scale as an IT consultant.  Countless people start their very own IT consulting businesses this way.  They start out small and then make the jump into full-time IT consulting once they have enough revenue coming in.

Others may already have the finances to float them while they launch their business or their life may be set up in a way where they can start a full-time IT consulting business right away.

And yet others start by using a combination of these two scenarios.  This is how I started my IT consulting business.  I picked up a part-time job while I built my IT consulting business during my free time.  Once I had a good client base and some contracts in place, I quit my part-time job to work full-time in my IT consulting business.

If you are considering starting an IT consulting business then deciding on which of these scenarios to use will be one of the most important decisions you will have to make when launching your business.

Let’s take a look at some common fears when starting an IT consulting business.

I’m Worried I Don’t Have Enough Experience

If you are worried about not having enough experience then you are not alone.  This is one of the most common fears people have when wanting to start an IT consulting business.

Since your primary service offering when starting out will be computer repair, you will obviously need to know how to troubleshoot and repair computers.

You should also know how to set up and support basic computer networks as well.  You will see that most small businesses are using the same network products that residential clients do.  You most likely won’t see enterprise level equipment unless you are supporting large businesses.

With more and more small business applications being hosted, most small businesses will not have servers.  The ones that do have servers will typically be using them to host one specific line of business application or store files.  If you are starting out and don’t feel comfortable taking on clients with servers yet, then simply don’t take them on.  In the meantime, you should dedicate some time to learning how to support servers.

You can take comfort in the fact that you don’t need to have any IT certifications and that you don’t even have to have a college degree.  Your clients won’t care about these things.  They will be more concerned about your ability to do the work that you have agreed to do.

I’m Worried I Don’t Have Enough Money to Launch my Business

One of the great things about starting an IT consulting business is that the cost to get started is very minimal compared to other businesses.  You can literally start your business out of your home with very few tools.  And with the ability to ship parts to yourself overnight or run up to your closest electronics store, you don’t have to keep that many parts in stock.  Since hard drive failures will be the main issue that will need remedied right away, I do recommend keeping, at minimum, a standard 3.5 and 2.5 inch SATA hard drive in stock.

Other expenses will include the cost to incorporate your business (get an accountant to help you with this), getting a domain name, creating a website, getting business cards and a phone (if you don’t want to use your personal).

Your biggest expense will be your general and professional liability (E&O) insurance.  You can start an IT business without this but I wouldn’t recommend it.

I’m Worried About Going At This Alone

When starting an IT consulting business by yourself, you don’t have to go at it alone.  There are other people and services out there that can help you out.

When you are dealing with a technical problem that you are having trouble with, there are services that you can call upon to help you out via remote support when you are in a bind.  Some of these services offer level 2 and level 3 IT support remotely and charge by the project or by the hour.  There are also other services that will manage your client’s servers for you for a flat monthly fee.

For your bookkeeping questions, you can and should hire an accountant.  You will want to make sure you are managing your books properly to avoid unexpected surprises when tax time roles around.  When you have legal questions, you will also want to hire a lawyer.

And if you have a question about running your IT business, you can also reach out to me as I am always happy to help.

I’m Worried I Won’t Make any Money

Another common fear is that you won’t make any money to live off of.  This is obviously a huge concern when you are making the jump from a reliable paycheck to a new IT consulting business.

The best advice that I can give you is that you need to have a very good plan in place and work incredibly hard and securing new clients from day one.  Check out my free guide at the end of this article that will help you come up with a plan to start making money as an IT consultant right away.

What Does a Day in the Life of an IT Consultant Look Like?

So what does the day to day life of an IT consultant look like anyway?  Well, every day can be different but when you are first starting out, your day will mainly consist of marketing your business and trying to find new clients.  This could include things like going to business networking events, cold calling, going door to door, asking people and business that you’ve already helped for referrals, and reaching out to people on Linkedin.

As you start landing some clients, your days could be more split between marketing, sales and responding to support requests both on-site and remotely.  You will also have to manage invoicing and other internal tasks that are a part of running any small business.

Later, as your business grows, you may be managing an employee or two, spending time on marketing and sales, and tackling the occasional support request.  If you don’t have someone to tackle your internal tasks then you will be taking care of those as well.

Next, please post any questions you have below so I can help you out.  I look forward to hearing from you and helping you start your very own IT consulting business.

Great!  So How Do I Start my IT Consultant Business?

If you found this advice helpful, then the first thing I recommend you do is to download my free guide on How to Make Your First $1000 as an IT Consultant.  I put this guide together to help you develop a plan to start making money right away as an IT consultant. You are ready to make money by starting an IT consultant business?

The post What You Should Know About Becoming an IT Consultant appeared first on TheTechMentor.com.