by Shaylee | Jun 11, 2015
Coding is hard. Pep talk anyone?
Teaching beginners isn’t easy…
I’ve been learning Web Development on my own since January. I’ve utilized online resources and taken classes from local tech meetups and I’ve come to realize that a lot of experienced programmers suck at teaching. Zed Shaw touches on this subject (Early vs.Beginning Coders ) and I think his insights are spot on. He also addresses this topic on the CodeNewbie podcast ( CodeNewbie )
It’s not you … it’s me.
If you are struggling to learn a concept it does not mean you are dumb. It means that you need to find a different approach to how and what you are learning. Remember that not all resources are created equal. Some are suited for a beginners and others are not.
What…me teach?
The best way to learn and master a new skill is to teach others. As beginners we can provide great insights for those starting their journey. We should all strive to become more active in the blogging community and create educational resources for those who consider themselves “code newbies.”
Until Next time!!!
From one code newbie to the next! You are smart, you can do it! It just takes practice, persistance and patience 🙂
by Shaylee | Mar 5, 2015
Coding: Where should I begin???
There are many different resources at your disposal when you are learning to code for the first time and it can be overwhelming. Trust me, I know. I fell into the endless rabbit hole of online resources, books, and YouTube videos. In my opinion the hardest part of becoming a novice coder is trying to decide what language to start with. I originally thought on starting with Java or Python ( very ambitious of me I think ). After doing some research I found out that Python is much easier to learn which makes it very popular and marketable. So with that, I decided Python would be the most practical choice.
After a while I realized Python wasn’t working for me. I wanted something I could get up and running and actually see the end result of my creation. Up until this point I had been reading books and working on Codecademy following along with the Python course. I was getting frustrated with the material ( when you start learning about “loops” you will know what I’m talking about )and wanted to see what other courses were available. I saw HTML & CSS and remember I learned a little bit in high school so I decided I would give it a try and take a break from Python.
I’ve been hooked ever since. Finally, after a month of going back and forth, I finally figured out where I wanted to focus most of my attention….Web Development. I’ve been coding for almost three months and would like to offer a few suggestions to get you off on the right foot:
- Pick a language that you can start creating with right away. In my opinion, HTML & CSS are the obvious choice to get you started, if you have little to no experience.
- Develop a learning plan. I recommend starting with these websites:
- Create!!!! ( Start a blog on Tumblr to hone your skills )
This should get you started on your journey. More tips to come as my journey continues….
( Mar 5th, 2015 )
