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Nazareth Seferian
745 PointsHow do you stay motivated when you're learning programming "for the heck of it"?
A couple of months ago, I decided to use some free time I have available to learn programming from scratch. It is not directly related to my current job, nor do I have a clear plan about how it will fit into my career at any given point. The first couple of weeks I was very motivated by the novelty of the whole thing, but I find that this is now waning.
I still want to learn, but a lot of other tasks are getting in the way. What are some of the tried and tested methods to stay motivated and keep regularly visiting Treehouse to learn? Also, just out of curiosity, what is the average dropout rate at Treehouse - is this information available?
3 Answers
Cosmin Cioaclă
21,339 PointsBuild stuff.
Just pick a small project and bring it from start to finish line. Then, pick another project pertaining to something new you learned, but also incorporate what you have learned so far.
Build build build.
Gavin Ralston
28,770 PointsIf coding isn't a passion for you, the novelty is wearing off, and you can't see how coding fits into your personal or professional life at this time, but you want to have those skills to put on a resume anyhow... it's going to be difficult to keep that edge. :)
Instead of just learning more syntax, or a new language/framework, just stop where you are and try to find a problem you want to solve.
Practical application of what you know might be far more fulfilling than just absorbing more new information without using it.
Surely at some point in your professional or personal life you deal with information, the presentation, collation, distribution/dissemination.... something that could use a tool to make your life easier?
Then when you start building your solution, maybe you'll hit a wall and need to research just enough to get you over it.
This will let you learn organically, picking up the knowledge and skills you think you may need on your resume at some point without feeling like you're dedicating a large portion of your busy life to theory and what seems like trivia.
Whatever you do, don't continue to pursue the nebulous buzzwords "code literacy" so you can attach it to a resume. You'll burn out hard if you're just chasing a label that essentially reads like any other milquetoast terms you could apply (and wouldn't require any study at all): "Goal oriented", "Solution focused", "Works well with others", "Team player".
Nazareth Seferian
745 PointsThanks, Gavin. That makes a lot of sense and is a strong argument.
missgeekbunny
37,033 PointsI actually have this issue from time to time. While my skills in coding do benefit my job I sometimes just become busy with my other commitments or with obsessing about bringing my writing up to par. The way I cope is when I feel like I'm getting in a code rut, I try to reconnect with the community that I'm learning the code in. Sometimes being alone behind your computer while you have other things going on is just demoralizing. When you connect with other people who are doing what you want to do or who are learning about what you want to know about it helps you remember why you started in the first place.
If you don't know about anyone around you can always check out Meetup.com. I know I'm in a fairly small city but there is a java, python, javascript, WordPress, and ruby group around me.
Nazareth Seferian
745 PointsNazareth Seferian
745 PointsYes, many people say that, and Treehouse is great in that you sort of build as you go along. But once the course is over, the "build build build" must also be driven by something. Is it only intrinsic motivation? Or is there a way to keep that motivation going, rather than to expect the motivation to keep YOU going?
Nazareth Seferian
745 PointsNazareth Seferian
745 PointsPlus - thanks for the reply :)
Cosmin Cioaclă
21,339 PointsCosmin Cioaclă
21,339 PointsI guess it all depends on why you are trying to learn programming. I genuinely enjoy it very much and changed careers to accommodate this passion. I think working in the field definitely keeps the motivation going, though.
Nazareth Seferian
745 PointsNazareth Seferian
745 PointsYes, but which comes first? After all, you can't get a job in programming if you don't know the language. If you recognize that coding is becoming an essential skill and want to give yourself a career edge, there is a certain amount of intrinsic motivation. But it isn't a source of boundless passion and, in the meantime, life is going on and you have to juggle coding classes with your other commitments.
I was just wondering whether the people at Treehouse--both learners, and instructors--had any insights on this motivation, or on how to stay productive.