An entrepreneur whose company trained programmers at Facebook and Google shares his best advice for learning to code

If your goal isn't immediately clear, try thinking about what you're already good at and what you enjoy most in your current role. Doing so can help you find your focus.

Some examples of general attributes or areas of interest could include solving human problems, thinking about systems and optimization, and managing complexity, Ellison said.

"The area of interest is more important initially than the technology and the tools, which are just really a means in order to get there," he said.

Ellison suggests mobile app development as a starting point for a few reasons: it's lucrative, it's a familiar platform that most people use everyday, and it involves developing for a single form factor and operating system.

Unlike full-stack or front-end development, focusing on developing something like an iPhone app can be much more simple. That's because it involves developing for a single platform, meaning you won't have to worry about accommodating as many different screen sizes or operating systems at first.

"It's just so relatable and it's really straightforward to be able to plug in," he said. "We love mobile as an introduction."

Apple's Swift programming language for iOS is particularly accessible to newcomers, Ellison says. "You can use the same powerful tools that professional developers are using," he said. "And you can feel like you're doing a lot even though you don't yet understand a lot."

Once you've learned the basics, one of the best ways to move forward is to start working on projects, especially with other people. "You really need to start building stuff and start working with other people as a prerequisite," Ellison said. "And then, don't worry so much about the actual technologies. Just get started."