Many people have become interested in learning to code in recent years.
Websites likecode.org,codecademy, andfreeCodeCampare becoming more and more popular.
There area huge number of coding coursesout on the web, and also available on YouTube.
But coding isnt easy.
Here are some of the challenges we all face when learning to code.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
If you are learning to code by yourself, chances are you have other responsibilities in life.
The point is, everyone is busy in this life.
So how do you find the time to code everyday?
I agree with that.
So then the question becomes: How much time should you dedicate everyday to code?
If I can only get half an hour per day, does that still count?
This is the question only you yourself can answer.
It is very hard to estimate how many hours you should code each day.
Some people suggest to keep it short and sweet.
15 minutes is good enough.
If you want some motivation you might give that thread a look.
There are days I just could not understand a single concept/code snippet from the book I was reading.
It just wasnt sinking into my brain.
Programming is not easy.
It requires you to concentrate, especially when you are learning new stuff.
So that there is a balance when it comes to my day-to-day study.
So, to put it bluntly, it’s crucial that you love what you do.
Which leads us to the next point.
This kind of fulfillment cannot be borrowed or replaced, or even worse, faked.
In life we all have all kinds of responsibilities we need to commit to.
You might be a husband, or a wife, or someones parent.
you better take care of your family, or you have a job you better attend to.
Or maybe you are a student that needs to finish your diploma or degree.
With all the duties that are lying upon us, where do we find the time to code?
The truth is, sometimes you dont or you simply just cant.
There are days that I skipped coding.
The longest break I took was two months.
But after that, I went back to coding immediately.
And I found out that I had forgotten a lot of stuff I had learnt.
God, do I really have to re-read all the chapters and re-do all the quests again?
This is the moment you just have to persevere, have to grind it out.
But thats okay, I will make it up by learning more tomorrow.
There is no way to sugarcoat this but to keep on going, keep on keeping on.
Go to a coding forum or Twitter and express your frustration.
But once youve done that, immediately go back to coding.
Keep yourself motivated, in any way
Self-learning is very different to attending school.
There is no one around you when you are coding.
Most of the time you do it alone.
And most of the time, you are alone.
So you better find some kind of motivation to keep yourself moving forward.
I check this sub reddit all the time (r/macsetups) because a lot of people there are developers.
And they are using all the same powerful hardware to create the software they wanna create.
There is nothing more rewarding than that.
Also reward yourself, and make it a habit.
It could be small, or it could be big.
It could be a hot shower at the end of the day, or a cold beverage.
Tell yourself that you are doing a great job.
It is often needed when learning to code.
Do not fall into the fallacy of learning for the sake of learning.
I felt that there are moments that you just want to be lazy.
Do not fall into that fallacy of thinking I am learning so thats good enough.
I will think about jobs later, when I am ready.
This is something I should be doing more often, to be frank.
To reach out to potential clients, even if it is building website for free for families and friends.
So next time when you walk into an interview, you might show what kind of work youve done.
It will add value to your resume.
The first step is always the hardest.
But you have to do it no matter what.
All of the above are challenges/situations you are gonna face on the road to becoming a developer.
Last but not least, happy coding!
Enjoy what you are building, whether it is your project or your own future.
My name isXiang Zhou.
Currently located in China.
Planning to go back to Singapore soon.
I used to live in Singapore for almost a decade.
I am a former student of Singapore Polytechnic, I dropped out at the end of year two.
After that I have been learning web development on my own till this day.
My goal is to become a web developer in an English speaking country.
it’s possible for you to find me onTwitter,Github, and on myblog.
