The Mental & Emotional Challenge of Learning [to code]
If you ever wanted to learn to code, but struggled to get going or keep going — then this series is for you.
As a budding [code] mentor, I find that a major hurdle to overcome in learning [to code] is an emotional and/or mental blockage of the learning process, particularly relating to confidence and self-worth.
To Learn [Code] or not to Learn [Code]
You will see that I keep writing about learning, and then subtly implying learning [code], and this is purposeful.
I think a lot of times, we forget that a hurdle we face when learning anything is our own doubts, fears, and moods.
“Your doubts and fears have no bearing on whether or not you possess some silver-bullet talent.”
If we start out overwhelmed and feeling down about our own ability to learn something, we will surely give up. It’s totally possible to talk yourself out of learning [to code], but know this: Your doubts and fears have no bearing on whether or not you possess some silver-bullet talent.
If you are feeling this way, I still think you can learn to code! The struggle is not the code itself, but rather your learning process.
It is also about the amount of time you tend to want to give yourself to improve. If you have no budget in your time for improvement, then it will be hard to improve your learning process and plan for your success.
If we work on our learning process and self-improvement we can probably learn anything 🧠💣😲!
Things I need to do to ensure I learn stuff:
Learning to code is not going to happen for you if you just move through the codecademy course and apply to junior positions. You must actually *learn*, just like you would anything else.
Self-awareness about what it takes to learn something can really help. What makes it to the list of “Things I need to do to ensure I learn stuff”?
- Recognize your learning style (it could be hands-on) and account for it when you come across content that’s not your strength. Make flashcards, write things down on paper, maybe do that 2x over. Tell someone else what you learned, etc.
- Realize that despite your learning style, you’ll need [time] to study. There are new terms involved with any new subject.
- Your mood and energy level matter. Give your best brain to learning something new — even if this means waking up 20 minutes earlier so you can do it before work. If you will be reading about new [boring] terms, ideas, etc then when you are tired and/or depressed it might not be the best time to absorb those things.
- Marginal, frequent engagement works better for absorption. Do not think you can code for 2 hours in a week and not struggle the next week with forgetting everything. 20–40 minutes a day would SUPER help you with retaining, motivation, and focus — after 2 months you will be so much better off! Track it if you don’t believe me.
- Plan out a realistic end-goal and give yourself time to achieve it. This could be “I want to get my code published (to open source? on the job?)” or “I want to build a website that solves a problem” or “I want a new career path”. No matter the goal, make sure it’s realistic. You will have to dedicate time to learning — and not just any time, but probably your best, most ripe for learning time.
Nice list. But what can I do if it seems like my brain is working against me?
So a list like this is only so helpful, because of course these things are good ideas — but what can you do if it seems like your brain is working against you?
Good question. The point of the series is to explore and face the challenges we endure emotionally and mentally that stop us from learning [code]. We will do this specifically by becoming more aware, strength training (for the mind!), defining a clear path to successful learning, and lastly executing on that path.
Sound good? Still with me?
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