My journey while learning how to code
I began the class imagining how I’d be an expert at coding by the end of the class. Well, not completely but at least with the basics of it. I knew I could pick up creative and logical skills faster than anything else, but now that the class is getting over, I’m not quite sure if I was able to do that this time.
In the first two weeks, it was all fun, coming up with a creative concept and learning about all the cool things that coding would do. But then we actually started coding, I was so confused and frustrated. I tried my best to understand what was being taught in the class but I was still stuck. Later, I ended up reading books and watching videos trying to teach myself everything right from the beginning. I spent nights practicing the syntaxes and the structure of codes. Luckily, I was able to catch up with the pace of the class and I was able contribute to code in our final project.
But even though it’s almost done, I still have this intense feeling of anxiety. At this point I know that there are lots of important questions I should be asking, but I don’t know what they are yet or how to articulate them. Even though I know how to code on Python, I feel something is missing because I’ve never learned how the internals of the computer actually work. I would want to dive deep into the areas of computer science, algorithms and data structures after this class.
On the contrary, an important thing I have realized is that coding is one of the most valuable yet, creative skill that a designer must have. It literally helps to construct stuff out of thin air that doesn’t even exist yet. Even though I’m a slow learner, I shouldn’t quit and keep trying. And one day, I could really be an expert in coding.
