DEV Community

I've Never finished a "Learn to Code" Program

Vicki Langer on February 21, 2020

Recently, it really hit me: Liquid error: internal There wasn't a problem with any one of the resources I used. They all did their thing and taugh...
Collapse
 
vickilanger profile image
Vicki Langer

I've heard Repl.it is cool. Though, I learned about them well after I was looking to learn JS. I've looked at playing with Glitch, I think it's similar and has the ability to work with Python.

Good luck! I couldn't (didn't let my self, I guess) wrap my head around JS. I think at this point, I could go back and learn it rather quickly though.

Collapse
 
andystitt829 profile image
Andy Stitt

Thank you for showing that I'm not the only one who has left a wake of unfinished coding courses! I'm sure many, many people can relate to it. Especially those of us who came to this profession from a different one and didn't have a formal computer science education.

Collapse
 
vickilanger profile image
Vicki Langer

That is exactly why I wrote this! I came from managing aircraft maintenance. Which by the way, is not a computer science or IT field. I knew I couldn’t be the only one with a ton of unfinished courses, tutorials, and the like. I tried blaming life and my inability to finish things. When I realized there was more to it, I knew it had to be more than just me.

What did you do prior to coding?

Collapse
 
andystitt829 profile image
Andy Stitt

I did nonprofit administration. Started as an executive assistant and then managed scholarship programs. I eventually took over managing a website and rekindling an interest in web from when I had built a website on Tripod in 1998 as a bored teenager. 12 years later, here I am!

Collapse
 
meesudzu profile image
Du

Just find some things I need, do some things they want.
No more.
xD

Collapse
 
vickilanger profile image
Vicki Langer

Exactly

Collapse
 
vunderkind profile image
mogwai

I love this so much! So often I read fun stories of people finishing stuff and wonder, where are my wayside warriors, ahoo!

Collapse
 
vickilanger profile image
Vicki Langer

Yeah, I tried to beat myself up about not finishing anything. I tried telling myself it was ADD. I tried telling myself I was failing, over and over and over. Then, I realized there were mostly good reasons for me to have moved on from each of the things I have used to learn.

Collapse
 
heyjtk profile image
JTK

I have no formal instruction in Vue, Python, or SQL - the three things I work with most on the job 😂

Collapse
 
vickilanger profile image
Vicki Langer

I see no problem with that.

Collapse
 
drm317 profile image
Daniel Marlow

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

🙂

Collapse
 
sheriffderek profile image
sheriffderek

But... I heard that freecodecamp and TOP and Udemy courses are all "really great" for everyone. Are you saying.... that this isn't true?? ;)

Collapse
 
vickilanger profile image
Vicki Langer

FreeCodeCamp is really great for everyone. I think it's a fantastic place to start.

Did you read the post? I'm a little unsure because the first 3 sentences detailed how there wasn't a problem, all was taught well, and they just weren't a good fit.

If after reading this you didn't catch that there are lots of reasons for peopleto not finish a course, I'm not sure how to help you.


Collapse
 
vickilanger profile image
Vicki Langer

I've signed up. Thanks!