Struggling at Learning?

Karolina Jiménez — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 05:27:42 +0000

Almost two years ago, I decided to change my career, so I had to adapt my learning skills. It has not been an easy road, but I have learned so much and not only in the technical aspect, I have learned more about myself.

Before changing my career, I didn't ask myself the best way for me to learn was, I just read and then applied what I learned. But now, as a Developer, I have been challenged every day to learn better.

When I started this new path, I was trying to apply my old learning style, get the theory (read the book, documentation, learn the requirements), and then use it (do your work).

Who could tell that by just highlighting in a book what a variable was wouldn't be useful enough when trying to build something from scratch.

Learning under that style was a disaster; I wasn't making any progress and was feeling more lost every day. I must confess, and in case someone else might feel the same, that I cried, I got angry with myself and frustrated.

While moving forward, I was able to acquire better skills for my learning, but I struggled. I looked at tutorials and got bored and impatient; this would take me to place the video speed to 2.0 (I bet some of you must have done the same 😂). At the end of the video, I was able to grab some knowledge, but I was not getting deep enough.

A colleague recommended me to watch "Learning how to Learn", but the 2.0 speed attacked again. So I wasn't ready for "Learning how to Learn"?

After some introspection, I identified some of the elements that were/are holding me back:

Gets easily bored and impatient: I am/was the one looking for the TLDR;
Afraid to fail: I am/was thinking I needed to understand still MORE to begin.

I am now trying t understand better my Learning Style, a simple google search under that keyword took me to some excellent information and some unnecessary 70 questions questionnaires about which is your learning style.

There are several different Learning Styles categories, but the three most relevant I was able to identify were:

Visual Learners: those that need to see pictures and graphs to visualize.
Auditory Learners: those who need to hear the information.
Kinesthetic Learners: those who need to engage in an activity to grasp a concept.

Source: https://www.inc.com/molly-reynolds/how-to-spot-visual-auditory-and-kinesthetic-learni.html

My research allowed me to understand that I am more a Visual Learner and found some tools and tips on how to improve my study session as a visual learner.

By having these tools, I feel more prepared to tackle my learning. I am taking more notes, forcing myself to be patient and not 2.0x the videos - I am giving a second try to "Learning how to Learn" now. I am planning thoroughly, setting myself more clear daily goals, and trying to improve more with each day. It is still a work in progress and not a perfect plan, but moving me forward.

If you feel frustrated or stuck with your learning skills, go back and check if you have been trying to learn in a way not suitable for you. It doesn't matter how many times you keep trying and adjusting your learning as long as you improve yourself.

“No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back.” — Turkish proverb.

Nevertheless, Karolina Jiménez Coded

Karolina Jiménez — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 00:47:37 +0000

I began to code because...

I was lost... I had just finished my Bachelor's Degree in Commerce, was working full time and halfway through my thesis. Then one day, I realized that nothing of what i was doing was fulfilling me, nothing was exciting neither challenging, there was no purpose. Nothing was taking me to the next step of the ladder. That's when after years and years of having a voice next to me telling to learn code hit me like a stroke.

For the first time, I took it seriously and didn't fell asleep during my study time (maybe just a couple of times). Being able to build something from scratch and knowing that those lines that I had written could help someone in the future, gave my breath back.

I am still discovering that path, but everyday that passes I am more sure that it is the right one.

I recently overcame...

My constant negativity, this by learning to be more resilient.

I want to brag about...

The fact that I have been able to understand more everyday.

My advice for allies to support women and non-binary folks who WANT TO code is....