So I have always wanted to learn to code, and a few years ago I didn’t know how to. After lots of Googling and some wasted time, I have done the following :
What I know about myself now is that I actually like to code, but I like some areas more than others. I would say I’m at journeyman level - I wouldn’t hire myself, but I am far from a beginner. I’ve coded a simple Java game and a simple Unity game. I also read way too many articles when I didn’t know what I was doing.
I like web and game development the most. I dislike data analysis, data visualization and security. I found it easier to learn to code in general when studying gamedev, because I could relate everything to gaming examples. (I’m a gamer)
So…where do I go from here? I did a broad sampling of stuff, so maybe full-stack? Focus on one field? It seemed that coding is like all areas in that you eventually specialize, even though there are key shared principles. What’s a good combination of employable and fun?
(Full disclosure - I skipped some of the parts of FCC and Odin I didn’t like or that I found too hard to get through, which is why I didn’t complete them. I have also not done all the projects.)
Make a large, complex project in the area you are interested in pursuing - either web or game development, since those are the areas you enjoyed the most. In order to accomplish certain goals, you’re going to have to learn some stuff that isn’t particularly interesting or approachable on its own, but very necessary for real-world software. One of the biggest hurdles for self-taught developers is the space between “I know how to code” and “I can build and maintain software projects” and most of it just comes down to time and practical experience.
Build projects & lots of them, without which you won’t gain confidence / build your coding muscles.
In my case, below worked very well
HTML & CSS projects building from Frontend Mentor along with small team
Repeating this step for JS and React
You can try this or any other project building platform as well
Check JD of various types of jobs available in your locality or place you want to move to ?
Get connected with developers in that area and get their feedback as well.
From my experiences, you will enjoy coding more when your project is impactful and being used by loads of customers out there and it’s bring something good in their daily lives
End of day, there is nothing perfect in this world; one needs to do lots of compromises and enjoy daily tasks.
“Computer science education cannot make anybody an expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment can make somebody an expert painter.” - Eric Steven Raymond, Developer and Author of the famous book, The Cathedral and the Bazaar.
So basically, build a lot of projects. Get as much hands-on experience creating programs as you can.
