At first, coding seemed like something that I would never understand. Syntax, algorithm, boolean, array — nope, I was simply too scared. (See picture below!)
Then, the pandemic hit.
Now, 2 years later, I’m happy to say that I’ve come a long way, from zero to something, slowly making my way into the beautiful and complicated world of coding.
Here’s a little recap of how it happened:
Usually, the first thing that most people learn on their coding journey is HTML and CSS. So, that’s exactly what I did too. Starting with simple webpages (I remember feeling so happy once I got “Hello World!” to first appear on my webpage 😂), to more complex with headers, footers, and buttons.
I started enjoying it, sometimes not getting up without fixing my errors that would take hours to just figure out.
The point here, is, that it’s crazy when I look back at when I first started and now, and how sometimes all you have to do is take the first step.
Had I not taken the first step, I wouldn’t have come this far, and worse, would miss out on such a huge and opportunity-filled career cluster.
Further, I’ve learned to be patient. When it came to errors, it would often take me hours to simply fix a small mistake in the code, after which I would laugh at myself for making a silly syntax error that would prevent me from moving on with the project. Despite all the annoying errors in the code, I wanted to see how the project would turn out, so I kept on going and going, till I figured out that all I had to do was insert a simple punctuation (like the semi-colon)!
I’ve also learned how to think, solve problems, and be creative because at the end of the day, that is what coding is all about. Think: What problem needs to be solved and how can I solve it? Solve: What tools and technology do I have at my disposal that will help me solve this problem? Being creative: How can I stand out from the millions of similar projects out there?
Coding has also taught me to interact with the rest of the world who, just like me, are equipped with the tools to innovate and share the same interests. Things like hackathons, Slack channels, and Discord meets have all been crucial to my learning journey. After all, all you need is laptop and wifi!
Finally, the most important of them all: From coding, I have learned how to learn. Yes, that sounds a bit weird. Learning how to learn? What??
I first learned about this concept when I watched this Ted Talk. It’s this idea of changing your mindset and before trying anything new, whether it be skill, a subject, or a sport, finding the best way that works for you. Learning faster, better, easier. That’s what it’s all about.
Yes, when you first type in “Python”, you’ll get about 2.54 billion results on Google. That is overwhelming, to say the least! But, if you know how to navigate this new world, and you know you want to do it because you have a “why?”, then there is nothing that should stop you from taking that first step.
