The Joy of Learning to Code

My Coding Journey (Week 2)

Last week I started learning to code. I couldn’t have wished for a more promising start. Everything clicked. I felt confident, and I was desperate to learn more.

But my second week didn’t start so well. Juggling two jobs, raising a young family, and finding time to code isn’t easy. On top of this, the weekly session with Code First Girls whizzed through content so quickly that I fell behind while trying to solve an error in my code and I couldn’t catch up.

I followed along happily as we explored user input and loops. But functions and modules were more complicated. They seem to float around in the ether, just waiting to be called upon, and spring into action. When writing a program, we have to know that functions and modules exist, when we need to use one, which one to use, and how to call it. Maybe this is a “paradigm shift” for me. My mind keeps tripping over it.

In the middle of the night, when my baby can’t sleep, I browse my phone to keep me awake while feeding the baby. This week I came across an article: To the Brain, Reading Computer Code is Not the Same as Reading Language. Before reading this article, I had assumed that this might be why I was finding it so hard. After all, I’m not especially good with languages. But the article concluded that learning to code is neither the same as learning new languages, nor the same as learning Maths; we use a different region of the brain when we learn to code.

Interesting? Absolutely. Reassuring? To some extent. But still, my experience this week has brought back memories of secondary school: sitting in Spanish class and finding it difficult to recall vocabulary; sitting in Maths and falling behind ever so slightly, only to find that the teacher had progressed so quickly that I couldn’t jump back in. These memories, and the feelings they evoke, amplify my inner voice which tells me that I’m not cut out to code.

But the fact that I’ve had so little time to code this week has given me more space to reflect. I’ve been able to question my self-doubt.

Why is it that so often we remember negative experiences more than the positive? Perhaps it would be more helpful for me to remember how I used to spend my Saturday mornings reading Latin in the sunny old rectory of a Catholic church in Somerset. Father Michael Lewis, an erudite and generous retired Catholic priest, gave up his Saturday mornings to help me study Latin in preparation for my Masters in Theology at Durham University. Poor Father Michael had infinite patience; I was not a natural. But I delighted in the experience of being in that bubble, stumbling over ancient texts and bringing them back to life.

As I reflect on my past experience of learning languages, I’ve come to realise something important. We mustn’t allow our past educational experiences to shape our current ambitions to learn. Just because we found it difficult to do something similar in the past, doesn’t mean that we can’t make progress with it now (some 30 years on!).

We mustn’t allow our past educational experiences to shape our current ambitions to learn. Just because we found it difficult to do something similar in the past, doesn’t mean that we can’t make progress with it now.

It also reminds me of the main reason why I’m learning to code. It’s a hobby. I know that I will never be the world’s greatest computer programmer. That’s not my ambition. My goal is not to know how to code, it is learning how to code. The difference is subtle, but it is liberating. If my goal is learning to code, I can focus on the process and not the outcome. I want to find joy in the process of learning to code. Like those sunny Saturday mornings studying Latin in Somerset, I want to delight in learning something new, and seeing text come to life.

If my goal is learning to code, I can focus on the process and not the outcome. I want to find joy in the process of learning to code… I want to delight in learning something new, and seeing text come to life.

This realisation has helped me to rescue a week that got off to a bad start. Rather than hitting the books (or search engines) to learn as much as I can, as quickly as I can, I’ve decided to go easy on myself.

Embracing the Joy

Firstly, I’ve started to build a game for my 6 year old son. It’s extremely simple, but it’s already helping me to reflect on the knowledge I’ve gained, and apply it creatively in the context of a game. My son loves the game so far, and he’s learning about keyboards and coding when he plays it. I plan to keep building the game and introducing new elements as I learn more. It’s brilliant fun!

Secondly, I’ve found a YouTube channel that has very accessible introductions to Python (Programming with Mosh). As I watch the videos when I’m away from my desk, it doesn’t feel like I’m “working”.

Thirdly, I’ve started to read a children’s book on Python! When I was tidying the children’s bookcase, I came across a book that I had bought from a charity shop for 20p several years ago. Usborne’s Coding for Beginners Using Python is a super book, full of colourful illustrations and simple explanations, as well as fun short exercises for learning to code. This week I’ve been flicking through the pages to review my knowledge while the kettle is boiling or when I’m cooking tea.

And finally, I’ve put myself on “cruise control”, at a slow and steady pace. When starting new projects and activities, my inclination is to go full throttle. I still want to complete my Codecademy course and Code First Girls course within 8 weeks, but I don’t need to know every topic inside-out. This is just the start of what will (hopefully) be a long and enjoyable learning journey. If I slow down, it’ll be more likely that I’ll enjoy the ride.

Goals for Week 3

My goals for the coming week are:

• Complete the Functions modules in Codecademy
• Watch the Functions and Modules YouTube videos from “Programming with Mosh”
• Have fun!

Key Takeaways

This week, the personal lessons that I’ve learnt are:

• Don’t let your past educational experiences shape your current ambitions to learn. Just because you found it difficult to do something similar in the past, doesn’t mean that you can’t make progress with it now.
• There is joy to be found in the process of learning to code. If you don’t have to work to a set deadline, you can take pleasure in the process of learning to code, rather than focusing on the outcome of knowing how to code.
• Slow down and embrace the joy!

My weekly coding articles

Week 1: Hello World

Week 2: The Joy of Learning to Code

Week 3: Coding Like a Mother

Week 4: One Month of Coding

Week 5: All Progress is Good Progress

Week 6: Learning to Code: Practice and Projects

Week 7: My First Coding Vlog!

Week 8: Learning to Code in 8 Weeks

I hope that sharing my own experience might encourage other people (and especially women) to explore coding or other tech topics.

About the Author

Dr Elena Gorman is a UX Designer specialising in User Research. Before changing careers into UX in 2022, she worked as a Project Manager, including for tech-related initiatives, such as the TechUP Programme at Durham University, for The Alan Turing Institute at Newcastle University, and the Creative Fuse North East project at Northumbria University. Elena is also the Co-Founder of Women in Tech North East, a free community of over 800 women and non-binary people who are interested in tech. Elena has a PhD in Theology from Durham University and has published research on female martyrdom in early Christianity.