Introduction

Exactly a year ago I started learning to code, and since then I have learned many things, approaches and some common changes that I could make in my coding journey that could improve my overall performance!

When you get into coding as a newbie, you never know which is the best approach for learning and what should you do as a beginner. I always share more of my insights in learning and tell others who are starting out what not to do and what to. Let's deep dive into a brief blog where I tell you some things that no one will tell you as a beginner and what to follow etc. Let's start

Points to remember

1. Overwhelming yourself by learning too much

You will often find yourself learning a bit too much at the start as you are excited for the journey, but remember - slow and steady wins the race! I did the exact same mistake and learnt too many things at once,

-> C++

-> Python

-> Development and what not :p

But after a while, I realised that I was doing it all wrong. I stick to learning the basics of programming in C++, learned OOPS, and some basic hackerrank questions too, only then I made some progress in learning.

The point I am trying to make is multitasking is good, but focusing on one thing is much much better!

2. Not getting feedback

You need to constantly get feedback on the type of work you are doing and what progress you are making, maybe from a senior or a mentor that you trust!

You will always think you are making great progress in terms of coding, development, or whatever it is, but you will realise that you lose direction very soon. To not make this happen you have to take constant feedback from someone who has been through your times similarly.

3. Not being consistent

Try to code at least 1 hour daily for the next 30 days and come back here seeing your progress! Many people do the mistake of focusing on intensity of their learning instead of consistently putting in the effort.

You may be de-motivated sometimes and feel like giving up, but trust me, you will thank yourself for doing after few months! I have been consistently coding or learning new concepts daily ad implementing them too, and I have made great progress!

4. Not having a plan

If you just keep revising and learning new cocepts in coding daily and don't have a plan or approach what to learn and what to practice in the coming days, you are going to slip off and run out of motivation very soon.

I too did this in the beginning and started learning C++ without even knowing what path I was going to pursue in the future, today I regret not starting with Java instead of C++! Although I can still learn java and go ahead, it will not only waste my time but also will distract me from other topics I am learning like Web development, etc.

5. Google is your best friend

I know this maybe very common to some people, but I see many beginners who ask me questions that can simply be solved by a simple google search. Knowing what to google and where to search for a specific concept or code!

Stack overflow, w3schools, mdn docs can be some lifesaving websites if you know how to use them correctly.

Conclusion

These were some points that I wish someone had told me when I started my coding, development journey 1.5 yrs back. Although 99% of the learnings will happen along the way and not reading a blog, it is a good practice to read learnings from people who are already ahead in time than you.

I post content daily on twitter which is mostly about front-end development tips, Javascript, and general tech, so make sure we are connected there as well :).

I'll see you the next sunday, 9.30 am with some more insights and experiences that will help you level up in your learning journey.