Best Learning Pace

You Can Do This!
1

Hi there, it’s now 14 days since I started learning the Responsive Web Development course. I did my first certification project today, the Survey Form, and passed smoothly.
My question is, is this a good learning pace? I am working part-time and study at night times and I feel I am not studying enough. I spend 4 to 5 hrs a day, but only 3 to 4 days a week.

2

Hello there and welcome to freeCodeCamp.
When you are learning something it takes time and each and every person has their own learning pace that they learn at. Some people have a fast pace, some have an okay pace and some have a slow learning pace. If you feel that you are learning quite a bit, and you understand the work properly in the time that you are learning, than that is absolutely fine. If you feel like you progressing slowly than that is also absolutely fine, as long as you understand the work.
Remember doing other things is also important. If you do one thing continuously for too long your brain can become tired and your brain needs rest as well. So you have to find the balance that works for you. There is no specific set amount of time that one needs to learn anything. It depends on ones ability to learn, process and understand.

3 Likes
3

Yeah, though I feel the pace is slow, I am glad I am understanding the topic. Thanks for the reply

1 Like
4

  • Don’t compare with others, but yourself of yesterday. If you are doing better then you’ve picked up the pace

  • Have weekly goals & make sure to keep increasing + improving on these each week

  • Have a set of flash cards and do use them during your travel, normal working etc

  • Make note of each day’s progress somewhere ( I prefer to use Google doc )

1 Like
5

Thank you so much for the points.

1 Like
6

The frustration you seem to be feeling is normal. It takes a LONG time to really see the benefits of learning to programme, and so often feels like your not doing enough or learning to slowly.

There is a reason self taught developers are so rare. Learning to programme is hard, and doing it all on your own will take years longer.

However, there are things that can help direct your learning to fast track you a little.
But they are not easy and require a commitment.
Its also something most people don’t like to hear :sweat_smile:

No matter where you are in your learning journey, you can do these things:

  • Find a small community, this can be in real life (Tech meetups) or online (Discord) ** This community will need time to get to know you, which means interacting with it regularly.
  • Create a small project on your own, it can be just one html page.
    (This will teach you about editors and local environments)
  • Build with others.
    As a complete beginner you might not have much to contribute at first, but keeping up to date with the changes, reading through other peoples code and talking about it will give you some familiarity with programming in general, making the next project you take part in much easier.
    (This will often make you feel lost and inadequate, however it will give you a huge boost in learning to work as part of a team, great for getting a job later)
  • Complete one full course.
    (Its very easy to let doubt get in the way. Completing your first course will give you confidence in yourself and let you see the benefits of your efforts)

The first course I finished was freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design. This was a turning point for me.
I didn’t get on with JavaScript, so a community member suggested I try C instead.
I’m currently doing a free CS50 course and am part of a community with mentors willing to help me when I get stuck and am taking part in the community project.
(I tend to spend an average of 2-3 hours a day actively learning/building, 5 days a week)

7

Wow! That’s very encouraging. I will maintain this pace as long as I move forward in my goal of becoming a software developer. It’s also nice to know you completed the Responsive Web Development. Congrats to you.

1 Like