Motivation is the wrong reason.

I had the privilege of speaking as a guest speaker at the Re-inventing Self in Tech programme. It was an honour because it provided me with the opportunity to discuss key areas often overlooked in the EduTech sector: 1. Motivation; 2. Building Systems; and 3. Experiential Learning.

Motivation: While it's commendable, I firmly believe that motivation alone isn't sufficient to embark on or sustain a tech career. This is because motivation is primarily driven by inherently inconsistent emotions. What happens when you encounter boredom, lack daily motivation, struggle with understanding a concept, or face challenges securing an internship or job? Motivation can only offer temporary drive. You need something more stable, a more substantial reason.

Building Systems: Certain systems foster growth and the development of positive habits; mere wishing for success isn't enough. Building a system requires self-understanding and honesty about your strengths and weaknesses. With a better grasp of yourself, you can research industry skill trends and identify sustainable skills. Seek professional advice from experienced individuals at adplist.org and utilise roadmap.sh to understand the requirements for acquiring those skills. Additionally, understand your learning patterns and seek a mentor, friends, or a supportive community to hold you accountable on your journey.

Experiential Learning: Believe me, you'll likely forget about 70% of what you learn within a week. That's why I discourage beginners from immediately purchasing courses. Once you understand the roadmap to your desired career, utilise a crash course and start applying your collective knowledge to build something first. After engaging in at least three to four challenging projects, you can then look for a well-structured course to purchase. With this approach, anything you learn from those courses will stick much better. Remember, the power lies in utilising knowledge, not simply possessing it. Learn through doing.