Technology seems to be advancing at a rate we never expected. With internet connections improving, AI tools being released, and new medical breakthroughs, it’s clear we’ve entered a new era. As we see these changes, it’s only natural more people are becoming interested in the technology industry (I’m one of them). However, coming from my non-technical background, a subject like coding can feel overwhelming. I tried coding before, while I was a college student and failed to understand any of the material. Technical skills weren’t a part of my degree program, so I figured coding wasn’t for me and focused all my attention on marketing.
One summer, I saw a coding challenge in my email and my curiosity started again. After looking at and trying different resources and courses, I settled on freeCodeCamp’s Responsive Web Design course. Completing this certificate was challenging (to put it lightly), but I did learn how to adjust my study strategies to help me learn HTML and CSS.
Run the code
This is my top recommendation for any beginner coder/programmer. After you’ve finished a step or added something to your project, my suggestion is that you run the code. The benefit here is you’re able to see how/if the code you added changed your work. Coming from a non-technical background, seeing the changes visually helped me understand the concepts over simply remembering them. This understanding becomes more useful when you want to create something more complex.
Running your code more often can also save time overall. Several times I would work on code for a couple hours or even days and then run the code to only discover I made even more mistakes than I thought. This experience increased my frustration. Save yourself some time and learn from my mistakes.
Take Smart Notes
While I was completing this certificate, I remembered the advice about handwriting your notes to improve your memory. This is another study strategy that was useful to me. Once I started the projects, I realized my notetaking could improve. Below I included some of the notes that helped me complete the project:
- Make an outline of the project
- What is working?
- What isn’t working?
- What do you think the solution is?
- How did you find the solution?
- What concept do you need to study more?
Embrace the discomfort
In many academic environments, we’re taught to know the answer and to make as few errors as possible. When the teacher or professor asks the class a question, the expectation is that you raise your hand because you have the correct answer, not because you have a question. For me, finishing this certificate reminded me of the value of the wrong answer. Enough wrong answers helped me find the rights ones.
I also enjoy being a beginner. Like a lot of people, my career and education are all related to the same subjects. I chose marketing because I loved it, but also because I understood it. At the same time, I think there’s value to exploring a subject that doesn’t come naturally to you. I’m not one of those people who started studying and immediately understood how coding works. But I love a good challenge, and this was a much-needed reminder that I can complete something that isn’t easy for me.
For anyone who's curious about freeCodeCamp, I suggest you give it a try. I see so many people asking if they're too old, if it's too difficult, or if it's too late. The best way to figure out is to set a time commitment and see what happens. I never viewed myself as someone who would have technical skills, but now I do. I surprised myself and maybe you will too.
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