FreeCodeCamp is awesome!
Just some story to share about me.
Last year, i felt anxious in my life. For the past three years, my previous company have been treating me very nice, even during the pandemic time.
Initially, i spent after-work hours to read work document/code, because of the eagerness to be part of something great, and to be useful and contributing. I really appreciated myself for such hardwork in the early years, that eventually help me to succeed the given tasks.
But somehow, things were not so encouraging for me anymore. I knew myself, i was a technical person. And i realised what i would do for next few years would be nothing but repetition of my past few years, nothing new, nothing challeging.
I felt stagnent. I felt i am not learning anymore. Sometimes, i even doubt myself whether i was learning too fast, until i become so at ease at work. Is being TOO USED to this relaxed condition good for my life, ain’t this the work-life balance people looking for. Questions emerged in my mind.
- Why i dislike my job?
- Were the tasks too easy?
- Why? Was i too skillful or experienced?
- Why? Because my hardwork in previos years had rewarded me such situation…
- Can i spend spare time to learn thing from Internet, just like i used to do? Of coz, but, after day-to-day work, why not rewarding myself with entertainment and foods instead of staring at computer again?
- Eager to learn, yet bound to some reason not to learn, why?
- So it was me? — that made me dislike my job ?
Those guiltiness came from nowhere. And it was dark.
Feeling so low in life made me crave for the energy and passion i once had, when i was so determined to learn new things. I kind of nostalgic about the times when i was in college, where i would even spend times watching Photoshop youtube videos, even though nothing related to curriculum.
I am still me, what had happened to me…
Then, I felt it was my time to break out of comfort zone , after three years of original work and life. To leave this depression feeling, i told myself the reason was lack of oppoturnity to learn. Then i quit that life.
Then, i took a month break while exploring how to learn in this new internet Era. Duriny those time, i had my time with CS50W and w3schools. It was another story. Eventually, when i need to think of a final project, or personal portfolio, which job market recruiter like to see, I felt clueless again.
Then i realized it was not enough, or maybe my foundation was not solid, do i need to learn from other source again…Then i dig into forum of developrs. From social media, i found links to here. And, what make my eyes sparkling was “Machine Learning”. Isn’t that the hottest topic when ChatGPT had intruded our world ? Then i knew this is the HP potion to replenish my life. But, when i clicked into it, it was scary. I knew i was not ready for it, because of my weak Python skills.
Then, i decided to re-learn, from fresh again, from the beginning!
So, i embark onto this journey — the journey of self-learning. I know it might be lonely, clueless, sometimes “knock my head onto wall till solution pops out”.
- Responsive Web Design - with my previous knowledge in CS50W, i grasp the concept and completed it very soon. The course was well-designed.
- JavaScript Algorithms & Data Structure. - Javascript is amazing, i have to look at solution/Hints sometimes, to understand the concept and know the built-in function Javascript. The course was well-designed.
- Front End Development Libraries - Redux is crazy. But luckily i could get the test passed with my mere knowledge of React, and jQuery. I wonder if Redux is popular in today’s solution?
- Data Visualization - took sometimes, but i love to practice the examples from d3.js with CodePen, awesome!
- Relational Database - My previous knowledge with SQlite had help me suffer thru this. I remember there was one time that my code was 90% done, then somehow all went missing. I nearly rage quit. Luckily only one project was affected, and that reminds me to always backup my progress.
- Back End Development and APIs - i felt really cool how we could use Replit to run server and deploy a simple web application with mongoDB.
- Quaity Assurance - this really widen my view. But the sudoku solver was crazy, i had to refer to internet sample for that.
- Scientific Programming with Python - those tutorials videos were great, but the quiz could be better, in terms of hands-on.
- Data Analysis with Python - Really excited to feel like real data analyst to use Jupter that i heard of, but in VScode
. The last-part of advanced Python video about multithread still clueless to me. Luckily those tutorial ipynb notebooks were so useful for local practice. - Information Security - those projects were cool, but it’is a shame that i could not make the realtime multiplayer project to be playable. I guess some staff removed those out to pass the challenge.
- College Algebra with Python - this is easier, i guess it was designed as supplment, i attempted this whenever i felt stucked at Machine Learning with Python
- Machine Learning with Python - this was my nightmare, I nearly gave up on this, it was very very challenging for non data analyst background like me. I stopped for awhile doing other things to boost my confident back like codeWars, or go to forum to help others, while refresh my knowledge.
Now, i feel really really satisfied, not only i proved that i could do self-learning, also i could fulfill my promise in the beginning — to learn machine learning. And while i am typing this, i felt i have make peace with my past.
Just like any of you reading this post, sometimes i feel deeply discouraged, and agitated that how my code won’t work. It is perfectly normal. Don’t worry, join the community, learn to know what you don’t know, and learn to tell people which part you don’t know, and then let assistance come to you, no matters it come from forum or google or chatGPT.
A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. -Elbert Hubbard
If you are still reading, i appreciate your patience listening me bragging about my life and FCC challenges. And lastly, thanks to freeCodeCamp, Mr Quincy, and all freeCodeCamp staffs and contributers!
Cheers to FreeCodeCamp!
#FreeCodeCamp_is_awesome!
#FreeCodeCampIsAwesome!
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