With 2022 already settled into our minds, I figured now would be a good time to start logging my programming journey. As of this post, I have dabbled a bit into Javascript animation on Khan Academy, and am currently taking Python and Web Development courses on Udemy. Why? I definitely don't want to be a teacher for the rest of my life. In the future, I still like the idea of making a game, or at least being a part of a major gaming project. If I could be in the team making the next major Zelda title, or take part in developing a new IP that blows everyone's mind, it'd be amazing! But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I still got a long way to go before any of that happens. I might even change my mind, too! Who knows?
As things are now, I've found that the internet is such an amazing resource for education. So much stuff you can find for free, and for people like me, who like a more structured approach, you can buy courses for fairly cheap on sites like Udemy. Amazing! No longer do we live in an age where you need to accrue a huge college debt to learn higher skills and I love it.
Let me be honest though...I still feel like ABSOLUTE DOG-FECES at this coding stuff. I started my 100 Days of Python course back in November, and I'm still on Day 10. Granted, I haven't been studying every day, and I have been focusing more on my Japanese, but still. I am making SLOW progress. And even though I am giving myself lots of time to think, I still feel like I'm so dumb when it comes to programming.
The funny thing is, even after finishing this course and completing a bunch of projects, I'll probably still feel like I know nothing. They call it the Imposter Syndrome, where you constantly doubt your abilities and feel like you're not actually good at something you do. Basically, it's the opposite of being over-confident. In my case, I know I'm a beginner, but still, sometimes it feels bad trying to do a challenge and feeling super lost and dumb.
And this is something that seems to be VERY common among my classmates, and people I've spoken to about their own journeys. Programming is HARD and takes A LOT of dedication, but it's definitely not impossible.
For anyone reading this trying to learn programming but doubting themselves, know that countless others before us have felt the same thing. The most common advice I've gotten? KEEP TRYING. Don't give up, keep trying, break down your problems into small chunks, and just try working them out one at a time. You might feel dumb now, but after lots of patience, trial-and-error, and experience, we'll all get there.
This advice applies with any skill really. There's the 20-hour rule, which says that it takes us at least 20 hours of dedicated learning and practice before we start to grasp the basics of things. I definitely put in more than 20 hours and am starting to be able to make basic flow-charts of how I want to approach my problems, so I have made progress. It's just the mastery stage that is gonna take a while to reach. AND THAT'S OKAY! Take your time, we're gonna be alive for years to come, so no real rush, yeah?
LET THE STRUGGLE BEGIN!
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| The journey will be long and hard, but if you stick through it, you CAN succeed |
Peace
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