Motivation on learning to code?
Learning to code requires a lot of self-discipline and involves a lot of trial and error. So it will come as no surprise to you that the motivation to persist time and time again, is crucial to success. But how do you keep yourself motivated during those times when you feel you just don’t get it or the times you feel lost?
First, some context. During my first boot camp, I was working as a full-time teacher in China. Luckily I had many hours in the office rather than hands-on teaching, which allowed me to spend more time learning to code. However, it was my second boot camp, that really helped me on my journey to become a better, more well-rounded developer. The world was battling the pandemic and it seemed to be the perfect time to get better at something I enjoy.
People code for all sorts of reasons, but many professional coders often share one major motivation — a well-paying job that allows for a great deal of freedom. Personally, my goal was (and still is) to work at a company like Google or Amazon. Of course, most people have heard how great it is to work for a tech giant, specifically at a FAANG company. Traveling around silicon valley as an interpreter, I had the chance to experience life inside Facebook, Twitter, and Google. I was amazed at how much they had transformed the eight-hour stuck-at-a-desk workday into a more relaxed, “work anywhere” kind of vibe. The free snacks and meals were also a plus.
So how did I get started? Well, after returning from China, I was home and thought to myself “is this what I really want? There must be more than teaching, right?”. It was at that moment I decided to change my life — I decided to learn how to code. As most developers do, I started learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, it became clear that I wasn’t getting very far on my own.
After two weeks of coding, I noticed that I would spend a lot of time annoyed and frustrated that I couldn’t get things to work the way they did in tutorials. I decided to enroll in a boot camp and it was the best decision I could have made. Of course, there were other options but for me, as someone who never enjoyed math, statistics and so on, it was the best choice. It was tough, but the thought of being able to build websites and software independently was the driving-force I needed to keep me going. There were days when I would spend hours on end, looking at a screen not knowing how to solve a problem, not knowing how to “google” the solution. Instead of giving up, I kept going with one goal in mind — finish the task so that I could get my application to work. All the while, in the back of my mind, I still wanted to be able to build my own applications.
I didn’t expect coding to be as difficult or as overwhelming as it was at times. I was told that in completing my first boot camp, I’d be job-ready in 6 months. This may be the case for some people who are really talented, or for those who pick things up quickly, but that was not my experience. Most of us just have to realize that this is only the start of our journey, and that’s ok. We can keep learning, and with web development, this is essential anyway.
Knowing I wasn’t yet ready to work as a software developer, I said to myself “what can I do to learn more? What can I do to improve my skills?”. The first solution I came up with was to keep coding, even if it was only for a couple of hours each day. I had to make every minute count. Then one day, I was browsing Facebook and I saw an ad — Practicum by Yandex wanted beta testers for their new online boot camp. This was exactly what I needed. The whole experience was positive! I had the chance to learn from mentors who were ready to answer my questions, and I was part of a community of students who helped each other. This is critical when learning to code as you simply cannot do it alone and working with others to reach a shared goal will always produce much better results. After almost 10 months of the Practicum boot camp, I’m at the finishing line. With so much knowledge gained over this time, I’ll try to summarise some key points for you:
- Always keep coding
2. Find a mentor
3. Focus on a specific language (don’t try to learn everything at once)
4. Stick with it
5. Don’t take criticism to heart — learn from it
6. Find a community and help others — It’s the best way to see that you understand it yourself
7. Take breaks when you get stuck. Trust me, you will get stuck
8. Never stop learning
9. Don’t forget why you started and where you want to end up. For me, that’s working at a place where I can make a real impact.
Overall, the experiences I have had over the last year and a half were both challenging and rewarding. When I finished my first boot camp, I was angry for not being able to do the things that I was supposed to be able to do. Now I am grateful for it since it taught me both how a boot camp should be, and how it should not be. As I am finishing the Practicum boot camp, I realize I have become a better developer. I hope with the skills that I’ve acquired, I can accomplish my goal of being able to work for a FAANG company.
If you want to be part of a great Bootcamp reach out to me to get a discount to start your coding career.
If you want to know more about how I keep myself motivated or how to get better at coding reach out to me on Instagram or Twitter.