If you're like me that wants to learn programming but is having second thoughts when to start because you are overwhelmed.
This post is for YOU.
By the way, I've also made a video on my Youtube channel discussing this topic. If you are not into reading, I highly suggest watching it.
Now, disclaimer: The reason why I made this post is because I wanted to help beginners like me and what better time to do it than now as a beginner myself which you can relate to.
Before I started my journey, I've always been having second thoughts about starting due to 3 reasons.
One of the reason is that I feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
The second reason is that unlike other self-taught programmers, I can’t quit my job and have to learn programming on the side.
The third reason is that I don’t have the patience to wait for that long to see results.
In this post, I will be sharing how I overcome these reasons and directly got to work.
To avoid feeling overwhelmed, what I did is that I split the task into doable pieces. The key is to remove as many barriers and friction to do the thing so it will be easier for you to actually start learning.
Identify what path do you want? Is it game dev, app dev, web dev, or machine learning?
Do not worry too much, it doesn't matter what you choose here because you can always change paths in the future.
As long as you start, your problem solving skills will always be transferrable to other paths.
Do NOT overthink it.
Time spent learning here is 100x better than time spent wasted over analyzing which path to take.
Research the roadmap for the path you have chosen, again, do not overthink this. You do not need to strictly follow it. Use it as a guide only.
To make it even easier, learn the first thing you see that catches your attention, just make sure it's not too advanced for you.
After having a roadmap, choose a course preferably that is free and recommended by other programmers.
At this point, I HIGHLY discourage you to take out your wallet and sign up for paid courses or bootcamps. There are many free resources online that provide the same, if not, better value than those paid ones.
After finding a course, with all my heart I say this, STICK TO IT for at least 2 weeks to see if its for you.
Do NOT hop from one course to another as you're just making it hard for yourself because you're overwhelming yourself. Again, the goal here is to make it easier for you to learn.
Make a schedule, this will be your system that you will follow for the upcoming months. This schedule is open for revisions and should be adjusted accordingly to make it easier to learn, again, our goal is to lower the friction in actually starting and doing the thing because we want to create momentum.
Next point, if you have a full time job like me and want to learn coding but can't find the time to do it, don't worry, I'll help you. Here's what I did:
Try 30 mins to an hour of study session per day.
After getting home from work, try to code for at least 30 mins to an hour. After that, ask yourself...
Do you feel like it's too short and want to do more? If not, stick to it. If yes, do NOT adjust it yet.
Try to do it again tomorrow. I want you to do it for at least 1 week straight before adjusting it.
This is VERY important, we want to make sure that our schedule will be followed even on our most busy days.
Afterwards, if you still feel like it's too short, add 1 hour to it. Make it 2 hrs.
Now, do 2 hours everyday for a week. Ask yourself again.
Can I do 2 hours everyday for these upcoming months?
Only stop adjusting it when you think you can stick to the schedule CONSISTENTLY.
Remember, it's not the intensity that matter, but rather it's the frequency of learning.
1 hour every day for 7 days a week is MUCH better than 7 hours learning in 1 day.
Prioritize focused hours.
Do NOT bite more than you can chew.
If you think you can do 4 hours every day, good for you. But for most who have a job or going to a university, I suggest doing 1-2 hours only.
And bonus tip to increase your focus, after every session, let tomorrow's session be something you look forward to.
As simple as pausing your code in the middle of something and coming back to it tomorrow, I guarantee you, it will increase your productivity because you will always be excited to continue what you have done yesterday.
Remember, always have something easy for tomorrow. Starting your session coding easy problems creates momentum and increases focus.
My last point, if you don’t have patience and you think it takes too long to learn programming.
I’m sorry to say this but…
You must understand that everything worth doing takes time.
If it's that easy, everyone will be programmers.
Results don't come fast like we see in TikTok or Instagram.
Learning to code is boring. Learning a skill feels boring. It's not always fun.
It's like school, there are some days that are fun but most days are going to be dull and slow. We have to acknowledge that reality.
One thing I did to overcome this problem is I look at every day as 1 step closer to my goals. Make a stat point out of 365 days and for every day you learn, mark 1 point.
That way, you'll get to see how far you've come and be reminded that when it hits 365 out of 365, it means you have spent a year learning the skill and have known so much.
Who knows, maybe you'll already have a job by then.
Always remember that consistency is key. A 30-minute study is always going to be better than 0 minutes.
Anyways, if you've come this far, I want you guys to comment down below how long have you been learning to code and why?
And for those who have not yet started, I want YOU to start after reading this. Please, do not read any more posts or watch any more videos.
Get up on your bed, open your PC and code.
That's all. Thank you for reading. I’ll see you guys next week.