How I couldn’t teach myself how to code
By: Bahar Pancaroğlu
Tags: Life Lessons, Learning, Self Improvement, Learning To Code, Failure

What NOT to do when you are self-learning a skill

Photo by Shahadat Rahman on Unsplash

I was pretty inspired when I heard Barack Obama announced the initiative “Computer Science for all” back in 2016. Having studied philology, I have to say that I am very far from computer science; nevertheless, the idea of learning coding did excite me very much. I was like “if kids are going to learn this stuff in public schools, I can learn it too!”. It was another language after all. Or, so I thought.

Why did I bother?

First of all, there is nothing like a good challenge. I have always been one of those romantics trying to revitalize the Renaissance-man (WOMAN) idea, that’s the very reason behind my constant urge to learn something, to have an idea about something. The fact that I earn my living by teaching does not ease the situation but multiply it as then comes to the “I need to be a role model” thing. Besides, I have always had great respect for my teachers who had great wisdom and intellectual capacity (obviously) and I like having the same effect on my students.

I must admit that another reason that triggered me into coding was fear or let’s say anxiety. The anxiety that I will fall behind the present. The anxiety that I will not be able to speak the same language as my students.

How it all went down:

In the beginning, I was really driven. It was really exciting to learn all those new things, move forward with the exercises. But, then it all went downhill. It became difficult for me to bring myself to it. Plus, it felt so damn lonely. I was suffering trying to make sense of this whole new world to me and I was doing it all alone. And, it was so easy to procrastinate since there was no one to monitor my progress. So, I quit silently. And, no one even knew I ever tried (until now).

Let my mistakes be your stepping stones

Set a clear goal

I probably wouldn’t have failed so badly, if I had set a goal to create an application or something. Visualizing my end goal is what keeps me motivated to see things through. I knew that, yet I failed to envision one for coding.

So, if you are a self-learner looking for new abilities to develop on your own, you should set the reasons why you should learn this specific ability from the very beginning. The more precise, the better. Write them down and in tough moments, when you feel like you might as well just leave, come back to this list. This will help you to set priorities and select skills that are actually important to your objectives.

Find partners in crime

If only I had someone to discuss my sufferings. Self-learning doesn’t need to be a lonely experience. By collaborating with other learners, you can get a new perspective. Just like a classroom, you can share ideas, exchange information, and inspire each other. So, you can try to convince one of your friends to join you on this journey. Or, just connect with other learners through online learning communities, forums, etc.

Make the time

“I will study whenever I find the time”. That is exactly how procrastination kicks in. Despite the flexibility of self-learning, it’s important to allocate specific time to your studies. Set fixed times during the week to work on the skill whether it is coding, a new language, or another skill. Setting a clear schedule or a time objective can help you stay motivated.