entry2:learning

So, I’m sure that I want to be some kind of programmer. I’m still working out the details, but my plan is ultimately to have the confidence to start looking for a position in the tech industry 12 months from now, at the latest. One year is simultaneously a long time and not all that long, considering all of the work I will be putting in after my regular work hours. It’s kind of a soft goal, as I will likely be modifying the timeline at some point, but it’s something to go off. I just have to work my ass off, studying and watching lectures and soaking in all of the knowledge that I can, eventually leading to me starting my own coding projects so I can have something of a portfolio that I can use in interviews and the like.

Ideally, I would be able to spend at least a couple hours a day learning this skill. If I lived by myself (ie, no gf) I would come home from work and study late into the night, and maybe I would have the necessary skill set in 6 months. But that is – unfortunately – not the case at this time. I do vow to dedicate every minute that I can to this project, I just wish it could be a lot more. Because I have the drive and motivation, and because I am so excited about the thought of being able to code software and solve problems for a living.

I’ve been surrounding myself with programmer culture for the last two weeks, trying to soak in all of the information that I can. I have been reading articles on Medium – I subscribed, they have so many amazing writers and articles, plus they’re ad-free. When I’m driving (which is a lot) rather than listen to music I have been listening to coding-related podcasts, like CodeNewbie, Developer Tea, Learn to Code with me, and Talking Machines to name a few. What’s more – I keep thinking of programming-related questions throughout the day, which I google and investigate when I have the time. I installed Ubuntu on my laptop (I don’t have a recovery disc or Windows on a CD anymore, unfortunately) because I have plenty of experience with this operating system, and it seems that linux is well suited for programming, as well as just being kind of nerdy and mystical.

Another thing that I recently started a couple days ago is the CS50x class I keep reading about – a free computer science class hosted on edX and taught by an amazing Harvard professor. I powered through the week0 lecture and the next day I watched week1, taking tons of notes. I have been picking at the additional videos for the week when I have the time, the most memorable of which so far being about Unix commands. So far, it has been very informational and I am excited for the coming lectures and to start coding for the class, I just need some good time in front of my screen to do it. I’ll find a balance, somehow. This is something I need to do.

tl;dr my plan is to surround myself with programmer culture, passively and actively learning every bit of information that I can, eventually starting my own coding projects and using them to qualify myself for a career in development.