PiratePhil wrote:
The most important part of learning is to read others people code, right?
Hello PiratePhil,
No. The most important part of learning to code is writing the code. The code should perform the tasks you want and be readable and maintainable so that you can easily change it later. You will never learn to write code by reading it alone.
There are tones of open source projects and apps written in python or php but just a few in SWIFT and especially of those that are listed in the app store.
There are tons of open source projects in Swift. It is now one of the most popular languages in the world.
However, in spite of Apple's "everyone can code" campaign, and the "playground" approach, Apple's own engineers have long since lost control of the language. It is not a language suitable for learning. It is one of the most complicated computer languages ever made.
Software developers like to think of themselves as smart and like to show off how smart they are with clever puzzles. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, they often choose the most difficult way to solve a problem rather that the easiest. This is why langages get more popular as they get more complicated. No one wants to master an easy language or framework, because that doesn't impress anyone. That being said, there is nothing wrong with impressing people, especially when those people are paying good money, which is what all this is about - money.
But this is a game you just can jump into. You have to learn it. You've already missed the boat on Swift, I'm afraid. Since you are just starting out, there will always be someone with at least 5 more years of Swift experience than you have. What you have to do instead is learn how to program. I suggest a local college or university. It doesn't matter what language they use. It will probably be Windows and C# or maybe Javascript. It doesn't matter. You have to learn how to program and that is going to take years. At some point, you will get good enough at it so that you can identify whatever the hip new language is going to be next year and you can learn that, on your own, before most other (older) people have a chance. They will be too busy maintaining horribly complicated Swift apps running on old legacy iOS devices. Those old greybeards will be unemployable in any decent companies. If you play your cards just right, this should happen in about 6-8 years.
I can't tell you what that hip, future language will look like. It will almost certainly be dynamically typed. These things all go in cycles. When the new generation forgets the mistakes of the prior generations, they repeat them. Swift is currently repeating the static typing failure. If my prediction is correct, that will be good for you because dynamic languages are so much more pleasant to use. But the bottom line is that you have to learn how to program. The language you use, and the platform you develop for, are the most inconsequential parts of the problem. Your programming skills will still be with you when Swift is long dead.
