5 Reasons to start the #100DaysOfCode Challenge

Karina.I — Sat, 26 May 2018 14:45:03 +0000

I started my #100dayofcoding challenge 92 days ago (Still Continuing). I spend at least one-hour coding for every day (even weekends and vacations) in a row and tweet my progress daily with the #100DaysOfCode hashtag.

Before that my progress of learning code was slow. I found myself skipping days and saying to myself that “It was a busy day and I’m tired now”, “I’ll do it tomorrow”, “I’m am traveling now” “It’s the weekend/holiday”. That’s why after reading an article about it I just took the challenge. Now I’m going to tell you why you should also start this challenge.

1. Push yourself to the next level

Who doesn’t want to see herself at the next level? If today’s fast-paced life is not giving you the time to engage in continuous learning you must take the initiative for yourself. As soon as you start coding everyday it will keep you on the path of learning and you will keep growing. And helps you become a better version of yourself. While I am working on this challenge the fulfillment of coding everyday boosted my self-esteem also.

2. Get a Systematic Lifestyle

After joining this challenge, coding will become a part of your daily lifestyle (like brushing your teeth, eating your lunch). And this consistency will help you to be a better developer. Achieving your daily coding goal and tweeting about it might even become more exciting than your weekend plans with your friends (It happens to me!!). And it gives you a good reason to stop procrastinating and start coding every day.

3. Build a strong profile

During this challenge, you will able to complete a lot of projects, learn about new things and could become master about any specific topic. These things will make your profile stronger and more appealing to employers. In addition, your GitHub profile will also look extremely attractive.

Alexander Kallaway(Creator of 100DaysOfCode) mentions some success stories of 100DaysOfCode in his blog

“I completed 100 days of code. Also, after completion, my title changed and I do half coding and half testing now instead of full testing. Each month more testing responsibilities will go spread through the team and I will get more coding responsibilities. I am thinking of starting 100 days of code again.” — Robert Jorgensen

“I’ve completed 100 Days of Code once. Going to start again in September. I haven’t looked for a job, but it’s helped me do my job better and got me involved in open source projects.” — Amy Carney

4. Practice accountability

When you go public with your goal you become more likely to stick to your commitment. Because people want to act in a way that is consistent with their commitment intentions. It will also force you to move towards the direction you want. and stay there. This type of personal accountability leads to a long-term commitment effect and makes sure you don’t give up.

“When you make your goals public, you receive a combination of responses you can use to fuel your desire to succeed!” (ref)

5. Connect with like-minded people

Go and search for #100DaysOfCode on twitter and you will see a lot of people joining this challenge and continuing them with a great spirit. You can get inspiration from them or you can give them a goal by your activity. They will give you the motivation on your dull day and help you to stick with your commitment

During the 100 days, I have built several projects, had a lot of fun, and made a lot of friends. And also planning to start a new round of it. So, take this challenge and start a new journey of your life.

Know more about #100DaysOfCode

Nevertheless, Karina Coded

Karina.I — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 18:44:30 +0000

I began/continue to code because...

I have done my undergrad in industrial engineering. Then I moved to the USA in 2016. After moving here I wanted to start a completely new journey of my life but don't know how. One day I saw an add on YouTube where some people share their stories how they joined a coding boot camp and after completing that they got a job. That excited me but I don't have enough money to join a boot camp. So, I searched for their course-curriculum and start learning according to it. that's how my story began as a programmer.

I continue to code because...

I enjoyed the power of learning, creating and solving something. But it was not an easy path for me.Learning code by yourself from scratch is really hard. It was tough to be motivated all the time and keep learning. I got stuck, demotivated several times. To overcome those I went many conferences, meetups, and workshops to keep me on my track and be motivated. It requires lots of patience and hardwork.

I recently overcame...

My fear of public speaking. I'm not a native English speaker, so it was always a hesitation to speaking in public. But I am always trying share my learning with others. So, recently I gave my first talk on React in React meetup Chicago. Also, I got selected as a speaker for a JavaScript conference which will be held in the mid of April.

I'm currently hacking on...

Building a web application using Django in the backend and ReactJs in the frontend. Also trying to make an android app using Python for Machine Learning and Augmented Reality. And trying to finding a job as a Jr.web developer (I am very excited to start a conversation with those who have an opening for Jr. Developer position)

My request to all seasoned developer/ programmer (both male and female).....

Please help us to grow and learn more. We want to learn from you guys because we know that you guys know better from us. And that's why we ask for help from you.

My advice for other women who code is...

Do things out of your comfort zone and keep learning and growing every day.

Finally...

I'd like to say thank you to all the people who made tutorials, blogs and make them free for us. Then thanks to those folks who give the answers to all of the silly and wired questions which asked on slack, stack overflow and other places. Thanks to the sponsors and organizers of conferences, meetups, and workshops who continuously helping us to learn and keep growing. And lastly, I like to say thank you to all the people in our community who always support us. Without these supports it wouldn't have been possible.

(This is my first attempt to write something. I will really appreciate your feedback to help me grow.)

DEV Community: Karina.I