#100DaysOfCode for the Experienced Developer

#100daysofcode #css #graphql #javascript

I've noticed that most people who do the #100DaysOfCode challenge are beginners learning to code. I've been coding for many years, so I wasn't sure if it was for me.

Here's why I've decided to start the challenge:

1. Play With Cool New Toys

There are so many fun developer tools that I haven't had a chance to try. For example, @vivgui told me about the joys of Tailwind CSS back in 2018, and I only got around to learning it a few days ago. Whoa, its CSS classes make composing UIs so much fun! There's also collaborative JS coding tool Glitch, which @danielfeldroy just got me into, and its cousin Observable for JS notebooks. And there's the realtime GraphQL engine Hasura which I'm eager to play with more.

2. Make Fun Stuff

Making stuff is fun. If I can't be at my local makerspace making art on the laser cutter, or in my art studio experimenting with messy mixed media painting, then at least I can code.

The Hard Part

I'm not sure if an hour a day is really doable for me. The toddler, business, family obligations, and stress are already leaving me exhausted. I'll try for an hour, but if some days I can only do 10 minutes, that's still better than skipping a day.

Overall Goal: Coding as Play

It's easy to get caught up in the mentality of "Coding is work." My intention with this challenge is for it to be fun experimentation and play. If it's not fun, I'll stop doing it. I'm hoping it'll help me make time for personal fun every day.

With that, I'm committing to #100DaysOfCode! Starting tomorrow I'll post about what I code each day.

Top comments (11)

Mathias Wrobel • Apr 16 '20

Would love to jump in at some point and doing this challenge, however I think the hard part is figuring out what is a realistic project to start on.

I'm familiar working with code, but in the context of a cloud developer/architect so i don't really know any specific language where i can just crank out a bunch of ideas.

Would love to learn more python, but any ideas for projects for something at my skill level?

makolyte • Apr 18 '20

I would suggest two things

Start the challenge by doing codewars problems. That way you are handed problems to solve and can build some momentum. It's tough to get started if you don't know what to work on.
Try going through the book "57 exercises for programmers." The last 10 or so exercises are really mini-projects. Same reason as above - it provides a structure for problems to solve, so you can build momentum

David Ojeda • Apr 16 '20

You can create serverless architectures using a cloud provider + Python!

I started Microsoft's 25 day serverless challenges in December, but only finished like seven. I failed to go on because they required way more than an hour for me.

You could also explain/design architectures that solve specific problems. The challenge is not necessarily to code, but to continuously learn and improve your skills 💪🏼

Audrey Roy Greenfeld • Apr 17 '20

Hi Mathias! If I were to do the challenge in Python, I'd create a new notebook a day on Kaggle and use each one to experiment with and learn a different Python library. After 100 days, that knowledge would really add up, and having a collection of 100 reference examples for working with different libraries would be useful!

For example, a day's experiments might be something like kaggle.com/audreyroygreenfeld/simp...

I might do some of my 100 days as Kaggle notebooks in Python or R, actually.

David Ojeda • Apr 16 '20

Thanks for this post, Audrey!

I'm also an experienced developer and I decided to start the challenge because I was struggling to code outside of work.

I'm not saying coding outside of work is necessary, but I needed some refresher on certain technologies and I wanted to meet new people.

I've been doing multiple things during the challenge:

Updating my personal website
Creating a writing app as a side project
Completing Udacity's front end nanodegree in under a month

It's been a great experience so far! I've had struggles to find one hour a day for it, but the quarantine has helped in the sense that no social events get in the way 😅.

Best of lucks in your journey, and I will see you on Twitter!