Today, I found myself pondering what it truly means to be a beginner in the world of coding. A newbie might wonder: Is coding really that difficult? Is programming—essentially giving instructions to a computer—some kind of magic?
I'm going to answer these questions to the best of my ability, drawing from personal experience, which I believe will give the most honest perspective. I remember the first piece of code I ever wrote in HTML—it was three years ago. It was a simple H1 tag that said, 'Hello, world!' (Of course, right? 😂). I was so excited to work on a YouTube clone, thanks to a tutorial. I felt like a genius! The best part was launching the website live using the 'Live Server' extension—my very first VS Code extension. Every time I hit Ctrl + S, the page would refresh instantly. Man, that feeling was exhilarating! From designing buttons, padding divs, to styling paragraphs, it all felt like magic. I used to wonder how web and mobile applications worked—it seemed so mysterious. Honestly, creating my first website felt like an achievement reserved for geniuses, something I never thought a regular person like me could do 😂😂👨🏾💻.
As I ventured deeper into the world of programming, writing, and deploying code, I began to realize something:_ coding isn't reserved for 'very smart people' or geniuses._ Instead, the coding world is built for those who are tough, resilient, and mentally strong—not for the faint-hearted. When I created my first application, I was nearly convinced that I’d land my first job or get paid for a project within days. But after a year or so, reality hit hard🥲🥲. I learned that to be good at coding, you first have to struggle and, quite frankly, suck at it🤨 .
Yep, 'to be good at it, you have to suck at it'—that's the phrase I'd tell any beginner seeking guidance in this field. The best programmers are the ones who have faced the most bugs and errors. You will be surprised to find out that even the most experienced ones still have some learning to do and they google for solutions .To achieve and truly learn, you have to make mistakes—there’s no way around it. You'll encounter bugs that might take days, even weeks, to solve. When you finally crack the code, it feels like a major victory, but that joy is short lived. Before long, you’re staring down another bug or challenge, forcing you back to the drawing board to rethink your approach.
The journey to becoming a great programmer mirrors life itself—it's full of challenges. Ever wonder why so many developers give up so quickly? It’s because the lack of motivation and the weight of constant setbacks can be overwhelming. The truth is, you’re not going to land your dream job overnight. You won’t become a 100x developer in a snap. It takes time, experience, and a level of commitment that many beginners struggle to embrace.
Watching a single tutorial on HTML, CSS, or React won’t land you a job. As a web developer, one thing that helped me grow was paying close attention to the websites I visit every day. Take LinkedIn, for example—try to figure out how they enable users to upload videos, files, and pictures. What backend technologies might they use? How can I implement similar features in my application? Should I use Amazon's S3 or another service for file uploads? When you visit your favorite online store, ask yourself: How do their filters work? How am I able to search for a specific product? What technologies do they use to fetch products and sort them into categories? These questions are crucial for understanding real-world web development and pushing yourself beyond the basics.
Working on projects that solve real-world problems is the true start of your journey to success as a developer. It’s not just about a sleek interface or beautiful design—it’s about what the system actually does. When you shift your focus to creating solutions that have real-world applications, you’ll naturally start to level up your skills. You’ll learn more, expand your thinking, and ultimately stand out. As I mentioned before, bugs and errors are inevitable, so don’t give up when you hit those roadblocks. I’ve had countless sleepless nights designing databases, wrestling with what to include, what to leave out, and what’s truly necessary. Wrapping my head around these decisions often leaves me with headaches! But whenever I’m on the verge of quitting, I remind myself: nothing worthwhile comes easy, and neither should this. So, keep pushing forward.
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