I having been learning to code for about 5 months now and the journey has been pretty awesome. Yes there are moments that are frustrating but I try to remember that it just provides an opportunity to learn and grow. Here are my tips on how I stay motivated and enjoy the journey.
It’s ok to fail
So a lot of people post on the forum getting frustrated that their code isn’t working or they were stuck on a problem for two days. It is totally normal to get stuck and not be able to see the answer. There have been plenty of challenges where I tried 15 different approaches until I found the one that worked. But that struggle gave me an opportunity to read more, listen more and explore more.
"From complete beginner to google in 6 months" (yeah ok )
A few months back I ran into a video that had a similar title. Of course it is click bait but it is also very harmful for beginners. THIS IS NOT THE NORM. What this person in the video casually mentioned was that they had a four year Math degree from an IVY league school and tinkered a little bit with code in the past but that didn’t count. I am not a math major but I am pretty sure they teach you how to solve complex problems which sounds kind of useful for programming.
The point is not to be mad at someone who got a job in a small timeframe but don’t internalize that and think to yourself “Maybe I am not smart enough because I am 6 months in and nowhere near Google ready.” That’s just not healthy at all.
Try to enjoy the learning process
In conclusion, try the best you can to enjoy the learning process. Struggle is to be expected and it is ok to frustrated but don’t think you are not smart enough for this. Try to look at the positives of learning. I love the fact that there is a wealth of information available at my fingertips. I also love the fact that I can research topics on the forum and learn from professionals that give really awesome advice.
I’m with you! I agree it’s best to focus on the fun of the challenge rather than missed milestones you think you should have hit. I have pledged myself to keep making mistakes in the field, as I know it is inevitable, but also to provide myself feedback so that I can learn as I go. I like Ray Dalio’s idea of striving to be an “effective imperfectionist” rather than falling into the trap of being a perfectionist.
I’ve been at it for a little over a year and I’m just now starting to build the confidence to improve my portfolio and prepare for interviews. I saw that same click bait video of Clemente’s and I can attest even with my analytical ability being pretty high, I had A LOT to learn in self discipline. Everyone has different strengths and different support systems to draw upon, so we can’t all expect to fall into the same timeframes with landing jobs or acquiring skills at the same speed.
I find my biggest challenge lately is not necessarily on setting aside time or putting in the effort but on focusing on a reasonable scope of topics/ projects at one time. So I try to confine myself to just this FCC curriculum for now.
I like that perspective! I fall into that trap a lot. I keep waiting for things to be perfect before the project is “done”. I just have to remember that projects will always be a work in progress and ever evolving.
Yeah it is tough to stay disciplined sometimes especially when you have to work on things that are hard. When I first started with algorithms, I had no clue how to even begin with solving the problem. I felt like an idiot. But I learned that I just need to practice every single day and develop an approach to solving problems. Now I actually enjoy coding challenges.
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