One of the questions you might have for me: Is learning to code hard?
Yes, it is.
I won’t tell you it isn’t because I have been trying my hands at it, and the result isn’t as smooth as learning other things.
Is learning to code worth it?
I don’t know. I just started.
But I have been observing a few things since I designed my first simple home page, Hello World.
How I Started Learning To Code
If you knew my story, you would have read how I started freelance writing as a student. Then, I started doing SEO with an agency, and now, I have started learning how to code.
In simple words, I love it.
If you’re a beginner like me, these ideas might help you stick with learning even when it is confusing, and you’re not marking progress.
Let’s set some record straight:
Currently, I am improving my knowledge of JavaScript after I have a good understanding of HTML and CSS.
I haven’t landed a job yet. I am on the lookout.
Here is my GitHub profile in case you want to see what I have done so far.
These are examples of what I built:
I will probably update this post once I Have a role or start building more projects that are used in the real world.
So, you’re learning how to code.
3 Things I Know Now That I Wish I Understand Before Learning How to Code
1. The language isn’t hard to understand, real-life projects are hard
Learning how to code or how things work isn’t hard. Using what you know to create new things is hard work.
This is something I have to understand after I begin to learn. Once you say you want to learn how to code, people will come with the same opinion: It’s hard. It’s difficult. It’s impossible.
You know what? It’s truly hard. But it’s like most courses out there. I have a background in architecture, and I can tell you coding isn’t harder than that. It’s not harder than being a surgeon or piloting. It’s not as hard as a degree in mathematics, if we are being honest.
But…
Building projects from scratch with what you have learned is hard. So, is surgical operations and driving an airplane in sudden air turbulence. The other day, I was trying to create a game with Javascript, and I couldn’t even figure out how to create the logic behind it.
My point is understanding the language isn’t the hard part. Building new things with it is the hard part.
To put that in a simple metaphor, learning French isn’t hard. Writing French literature is the hardest part, especially when you’re aiming to impress people who need to enjoy what you write.
So, remember when people say coding is hard? What they mean is building a project with coding languages is hard.
These are two different things. You can understand something and don’t know how to build things with it. Speaking English doesn’t mean you can use the English language in some specific situations, such as public speaking, debating, or writing essays.
2. Give yourself Time
You can learn how to code in six months. If you have the time and patience, you can learn many things in four months.
Will you become a pro? Hell, no.
However, you can learn a lot with a level of commitment every day. What you shouldn’t do is give yourself a deadline like everyone else.
You need to understand to know it works at your own pace. No rushing.
Check out my post on learning how to learn.
Whatever is hard during the learning process is a matter of being patient and trying to understand it again and again.
3. The biggest learning challenge is internship
Learning or training are great, but none of them will do you as much good as an internship.
How do I know?
I said earlier that learning to code is not that difficult after all. If you can master it in a few months, the speed of understanding it is short. But the hard part is using what you learn to solve real-life problems. That’s what recruiters are looking for, not another person with a portfolio of designs or objects that already exists. If you are given a fresh idea on this spot, how well will you fair?
So, get into internships as soon as possible or create products and show them to the world.
This is a very short post. I will have a lot more to say in a few years.
Good luck.
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