Most of my images and experiences about programming involve people who have a traditional, formal education in computer science. I knew so many people who were computer science majors when I was a student and at the time, I figured it wasn’t for me. I enjoyed marketing and loved the creativity the field offered. Why bother with learning a subject that seemed too challenging?
Cue to many years later, here I am, a marketer who is learning Python. This is a development that has shocked even me. But being able to learn and push myself is something I need for professional fulfillment. If I don’t actively look for new skills, I can learn and use I start to feel lethargic.
Of course, learning is different when you’re using online resources and teaching yourself. There’s no homework, no professor, no exam, and no final grade. You either understand the material and can use it in projects or you can’t. How you gain that understanding doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you do understand it.
I realized I need the material to be interactive so all the pieces can come together. I started with using freecodecamp to learn, but after a couple of weeks I felt comfortable with looking for a new resource. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew I wanted to find a new approach so it would “click”. Python, like HTML and CSS before, is teaching me how to learn and how to be unafraid of failure. Starting as young as 4, I was constantly in learning environments where you raised your hand only if you were certain, you had the right answer. Now, at 27, I’m pushing myself to try anyway. It sounds simple, but even recently there are times when I felt a little bit of hesitance before I ran my code.
“What if it’s not right?” “What if I have a syntax problem?”
Then I remember, if I’m wrong nothing changes. I’m still at the lost risk stage of using Python. When I was adding CSS to my projects, I would write down why I thought my answer was right before I ran the code and then check to see. Or when my code didn’t work, I would write why I thought it was wrong and what I should change. This helped me recognize the patterns and understand the logic.
Now, when I wake up, I’m excited to learn more about Python. This simple change of being open to trying a new resource and method of learning has changed my attitude about the entire process. Which brings me to my question, what if, in some moments of learning a new skill, it’s the style of learning we don’t understand? Instead of the subject itself. And, ultimately, if that’s true, how can we use this to create a better learning environment for ourselves?
Top comments (2)
Lol I'm developer who uses Python for dozen years, but recently tried Coursera training on digital marketing 😂 Very same ideas came into my mind.
What I could recommend: learn very basic concepts like loops and conditionals, and after that try to solve real world problems. No I don't mean creating a full-fledged WebApps. Just try to automate some workflow you have or play around with examples, try Codelab from Google or deploy simple demo apps on Vercel.
Learning any programming language is hard for only one reason: you cannot learn programming itself. You have to set up lots and lots of tools, understand software that helps building software like IDEs, VCS, etc.
Yeah, I think the beginning of learning a new topic is both exciting and overwhelming. Loops is actually the section. Thanks for your advice!