I’ve been trying to learn how to code by myself since March 2012 and though I now know a hell of a lot more than I did then, I still feel like I don’t know much at all. It isn’t easy learning web development by yourself, especially when you don’t come from a programming background. I’ve gone through almost every tutorial you can think of and I frequently find myself thinking “Damn, it would sure be nice to have someone next to me or that I could e-mail or call whenever I get stuck learning something”. This usually happens when spending hours scouring through StackOverflow and Google when stuck on how to do something or learning a certain concept that could easily be explained in a matter of minutes by someone who’s been down the same road before. I, however, will not let this stop me or slow me down. Now that I’ve decided to become a software developer, there is no safe place code can hide in. I will find it and I will conquer it! I therefore wrote a small list of goals I will accomplish to make this happen, as well as a list of things I need to do to get there. Please feel free to add to this in the comments section and provide any advice you may have. Any changes, additions, or advice will be greatly appreciated!
What do I want to accomplish?
- Get an internship or Apprenticeship with a web developer to learn, grow, and to ultimately get a job as a developer.
- Get a mentor that’ll lead me in the right direction, provide constructive criticism, and teach me the stuff you can’t learn through books/tutorials.
- Network and meet new interesting and smart people.
What I think I’ll have to do:
- Blog *consistently* about what I’m learning (maybe once/twice a week), not sporadically like I’m currently doing.
- Write to other people learning to code, as well as experienced developers. Also, try to help other people learning to code if they need help with things I’ve already learned (great learning opportunity).
What I know I’ll have to do:
- Reach out to decision makers in tech companies to explain who I am and *why* I’m doing this, the goals I’m trying to accomplish, and the value proposition of hiring me as an apprentice/intern.
- Continue to work my ass off everyday learning software development.
danny garcia 
I think it is great that you are pursuing this goal, keep it up.
This is not a downer in any way. The scouring of the internet never stops because the Web tools and technologies that we use are constantly changing and there is no way to know everything that you will need to know up front. After you get comfortable with the current technologies you are learning you will branch out and learn other new technologies and the scouring skills you are learning now will continue to help you in the future.
This is very true. I know that as a software developer, knowing how to “Google the problem” is a very important skill to have. But it does get frustrating at times when learning how to code for the first time and I therefore value the importance of having a mentor. Thanks a lot Dewayne.
hey,dannygarciame ,i start learning code at march too!! And i applied gschool also.
just looked at you github,maybe you haven’t dig enough tutorial out,but Im constantly finding, give my github a peek ha ! github/thisiswei . you will find wonderful things 🙂
Hi luwei! I will definitely check out your github. I’ve completed many more tutorials than what you see on my github, though I just recently started pushing the tutorials I’ve completed on there. From now on, I will definitely be pushing all my work on github. Thanks.
I’m in a very similar situation. My advice:
1. Write lots of code. It won’t all be good, that’s ok.
2. Find a project (your own or not) you are passionate about contributing to. Tutorials only get you so far because you’re always given have the destination, problem, and solution. Need to start thinking and learning as a programmer who will be solving problems.
3. Pair program to see specifically how better developers think and work.
Good luck!
Thanks a lot for the advice, I should definitely start working on my own project. I’ve honestly felt intimidated by the thought of starting my own project because I feel like I don’t know enough, but that’s the only way I’ll learn how to think like a programmer. Thanks again.
Never be afraid to ask for advice or help! We’ve all been where you are at some point in our developer history and know first hand how much getting pointed in the right direction can change things for the better.
Thanks!
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