When I first started learning to code it seemed like there were so many languages. I didn’t know where to begin. I tried taking edX’s cs50 Harvard course but quickly lost interest. The course was a lot of oversimplified jargon, and the language they utilized was C. I stopped after three weeks.
After that I kind of meandered through online sites trying to learn how to program. The sites out there, while I’m sure they mean well, aren’t usually good for beginners. Although, I will say that freeCodeCamp is top notch, but I wasn’t aware of it until recently. It was a relatively dark time.
The fall semester was approaching at my university and I literally decided if I’m going to do this then I need to go all in. I changed my major from English to Computer Science. What followed was the most difficult semester of my life. I barely got through the computer science course I was taking, and the math courses I had to take were extremely difficult (for me at the time). It was all very basic, but I’d been a liberal arts student for way too long. It was train wreck that taught me a lot of valuable lessons.
The upside to that catastrophe of a semester was that I fell in love with struggle. I’d never had a hard time in school, and that made me apathetic. My will had become a stagnant cesspool of unhappiness. I decided it was best to keep pushing myself and see where I could end up.
Anyway, my point is that if you want something you have to be resilient. The most worthwhile things in life will always be difficult at some point or another. Be strong and never give up. This not only goes for those that are learning to program, but to anyone that’s trying to follow their heart. Don’t give up. Never.
If you enjoyed this post please let me know. I’m toying with the idea of blogging mostly about programming, computer science, and how to cope with pains that come along from trying. Let know what you think.
“Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear”. - Dan Millman
