After multiple failed attempts on trying to learn how to code in the years prior to 2018, I finally made a breakthrough in 2018. I had tried learning from various sources only to stop learning either after encountering tough concepts and problems or because I was occupied by my full-time work.
In 2018 after having quit my full-time job, and after having started a failed startup, I was ready to tackle programming again. This time I picked Harvard's famous CS-50 course. After quickly going through the week 1 lecture and making a successful program via scratch, the course dived into C. It was here where my issues with the problem sets started. However, I stuck to my task, and slowly but surely I made progress.
This brings me to the title of the post "Patience is a virtue." Many times during the course of solving a particular problem set, I hit brick walls. I recall during many problem sets when I initially looked at the problem, I had no idea where to begin from. I was lost and the thought that preoccupied my head was "I can't do this" or "Boy! this is tough". But something funny happened as I persevered through the problems, slowly the problem set began to unravel and my code slowly took shape. Yes, there were multiple occasions when I referred to google's guidance. In the end though, when I was managed to solve a problem sets it felt so good.
This high only lasted for a little while though, because then another problem set followed, and with it, similar thoughts surfaced all over again. Again, slowly but surely I got through the problem set.
Going through the course in 2018 made me conscious that I needed to persevere and keep at it, and I will be able to solve the problem. I also learnt from experience that while the struggle is great, reaching out for help is key. As I look back now, I remember struggling through PSETs for weeks and even months, and not seeking out as much help as I should have. I am yet to complete my CS50 studies which I intend to do in January itself.
I am looking forward to carrying this momentum going into 2019 and hoping to land a job sometime soon.
(This is my first post. Also, I don't know if it belongs in here.)
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