Is learning coding hard?
Many people will say yes, it is hard to learn code. And it’s a sad fact that a lot of these people give up and fail. But what these people don’t realize is that there’s no such thing as an ‘instant coder’. It takes a lot of time and practice to get good at coding. If you assumed you’d be able to write programs for IBM after only a week – or even a month – no wonder you’re finding it hard.
Now if you’re looking for the magic bullet that will turn you into an instant coder – you won’t find it here. But what you will find is an explanation on why many people find coding difficult – and how to make it easier.
Why Coding is So Hard
A lot of people get excited by the ‘learn code’ craze. They expect that they can become a code pro just by completing a tutorial or two. So they find some code tutorials online, complete them, but then realize that they’re not getting anywhere. They’re not a code pro, and they still don’t have a clue how to produce a website or app.
This is when they’ll give up and say…
“It’s too hard for me!”
“I’m not smart enough!”
“I’m just not cut out for coding!”
But that’s not necessarily true. Coding isn’t hard, it just requires more time and practice than you might expect. To be a competent coder, you need to learn how to produce products, not just write code. To be a web developer, you need to be able to make a website, not just write out HTML tags. To be a mobile developer, you need to be able to create an app, not just construct objects in Objective-C or Java.
See the pattern?
Most coding training doesn’t cover these things, so it’s no wonder people get frustrated and give up. The reason you might think it’s ‘hard’ is because you’re not getting results. But you must understand that in order to develop your coding skills, you can’t just mindlessly follow instructions from a tutorial. You must take charge and start making.
Starting Your Own Project
The key to advancing your coding skills is to let go of the tutorial and start your own, self-directed coding project. This can be an app, a website, or whatever is relevant to what you’re learning. It doesn’t need to be a gargantuan undertaking – just a small project that will help you apply the skills you’ve learnt.
Remember that coding is a means to an end. Your end goal should not be just to learn code, but to produce a product. Doing this will give you the experience you need to become a code pro, while also giving you a result you can be proud of.
And when you’ve completed your first product, start another one! This is the way forward. The more you get used to creating things, the more you will learn as you go, and the easier coding will become for you.
If you use Treehouse, you’ll get the opportunity to create as you learn. The training walks you through how to make projects like simple websites, web applications and mobile apps. If starting a project sounds scary to you, you might want to check it out.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
