Sharpen Your Programming Skills while in quarantine
Tags: learning, productivity
Published: 2020-06-30 15:11:04

Chances are you have some level of expertise in programming and coding already, but you are stuck at home like the rest of America. Those who will come out ahead in the future are using this time to get ahead and sharpen their skills. There are a few things I wish I had known when was learning code for the first time that still inform how I learn it today. I hesitate to say “when I was learning programming” because “learning programming” is not a one-time endeavor. It is an ever-growing industry and process that is multi-faceted and complex. Here are a few resources to sharpen your skills and things to keep in mind to make it simpler for you.

There are many great resources available to get a quality programming education for free. If you have spent more than a few minutes programming than you know that the best way to do so is by experimenting and trying it out. But having a guide within a controlled environment/software can be exponentially helpful. Below is a list of free places to learn and become highly proficient at new programming languages.

•	BitDegree
•	Coursera
•	Code Academy
•	edX
•	Udemy
•	MIT Open Courseware
•	Google Android Training
•	Khan Academy
•	Code Wars
•	And many other options as well.

The only real constraint on learning a new programming language is time and ambition. The resources are plentiful and widely available to anyone. Many paid groups are doing discounted or free options because of the quarantine, look around and see what is best for you and get sharpening your skills. 

There are a few things to remember when learning a new coding language to get the best results. 
Switching tasks kills focus
Everyone learns at some point to at least partially deal with interruptions, it still hurts productivity. While it can be tiring it is ideal to just push through on some projects and finish them all in one sitting. It is advantageous to put on headphones, even if you aren’t listening to music. This signals to those around you that you are in the zone and you should not be interrupted. Get yourself a makeshift home office and have a separate space for your work and do the best to keep yourself focused.  Many have had success with certain medication or <a href="https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/brain-power-essential-oil-blend#:~:text=Brain%20Power%20Essential%20Oil%20Blend&text=Brain%20Power%E2%84%A2%20is%20a,and%20focus%20when%20used%20aromatically.">focus promoting diffused oils</a> can also help.

You NEED to know more than one or two languages

If you are one of these people who is good at JavaScript or C# and think you are good. You are sorely mistaken. Each new language is another tool in the tool belt. Imagine this, you are a contractor or a carpenter, but you only have a hammer and a screwdriver available to you. Chances are you aren’t getting that project done or it will be hacked together in a way that is not helpful to anyone or even really a good solution.  Get comfortable and proficient in a number of languages because there just isn’t a substitute for having a versatile array of knowledge of how to accomplish tasks and solve problems and this is the perfect time to acquire that knowledge. 

Looking up answers on StackOverflow is not bad

Many programmers have this hero complex where they need to be the one to solve the problem and it all needs to come from their mind and no one else’s. Popular movies and TV surrounding the space has propagated this idea. The hero goes into the basement, is up all night and emerges with the answer after having worked all night on an issue with no help. Looking up answers or asking others for help Is not a bad thing. The whole point of programming is to be able to accomplish something. Nowhere does it say that one person alone has to do it. If that desired thing is accomplished, then you have been successful. Resist the urge to think you can’t look up answers or ask for help. You are likely to just get stuck and just stay stuck.