Coding is hard. Plan to be frustrated, even if you usually excel at learning new things. Even senior developers working in the field for several years still struggle to fully understand certain concepts. Give yourself permission to be a beginner and remember — hard != impossible.
Get out of your comfort zone. If you’re introverted, try pair programming. If you feel comfortable with HTML & CSS, spend more time learning JavaScript. If you’re not challenging yourself you’re not growing.
You ever used React? React Native? What about LESS? Sass? Node.js? The DOM? C? C++? Python? Django? Ruby? Ruby on Rails? Do you even Bootstrap bro? Don’t feel bad. Me neither.
Don’t compare your journey to anyone else. Each student joins Lambda with varying degrees of expertise, but it’s only those who remain determined, even in the face of adversity, that leave a Full Stack Web Developer.
The only way to learn coding is through repetitions and application. There are no short cuts. If you want to learn how to write in several computer programming languages you will have to study and practice. I recommend starting a personal project right away where you can apply what you’re learning each week.
Network and connect with other people who enjoy learning to code. There’s a whole world on Twitter I knew nothing about. After my second day at Lambda School, I admitted defeat on the #100DaysOfCode challenge thinking that I’d just have to give up in order to really focus on school. I woke up to several messages from other developers in the community cheering me on and encouraging me to keep going.
Have you heard of “rubber ducking”? How many times have you gone to ask a question just to answer it yourself in the process of explaining the problem? That, my friend, is rubber duck problem solving. Have an irrational fear of ducks? A kitty cat from tokidoki works just fine too.
Amanda Lane is a Full Stack Web Development student currently attending Lambda School. All opinions are wildly unpopular and my own.
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