This article was written by Erik Trautman, the founder of The Odin Project.
What every beginner absolutely needs to know about the journe...
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Just started the Odin project today (20/3/2025), and I am so excited to begin this overwhelming but fascinating journey myself! I am going to take the Foundations course and then move to the Full Stack JS course.
Thank you for making this awesome post, which made me motivated, and now I am ready to persevere and grind every single day !!
I'm just embarking on this long and arduous journey now. Which stage are you in? Are you still in the honeymoon period, or have you reached the cliff of confusion? I know we have a long desert of despair to cross before we reach the upswing of awesome. You know what my greatest fear is? My age. At 34, I'm constantly haunted by an inner voice asking if starting this journey is a wise move. 👍
I'm 31, and started TOP in Oct, 2025. So far I'm loving the journey.
im starting this today, is it beginner friendly?
This is not beginner friendly but it is something for which your future self will thank you for. It will make you the real developer not the one who always depended on others
Just do it
This post is gold!
You should probably also mention the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Just getting starting with The Odin Project.
Great article! My favorite line is:
"You're learning faster and more intelligently than ever before and, eventually, you will have absorbed enough best practices that your swiss cheese knowledge coalesces into a production-grade skill set."
Also, I found a little typo:
If you're able to identify a path and stick with it, you'll eventually push forward to the next phase instead of spending months or years chasing mirages across the shifting sands of the this desert.
All the best,
Dave Adams
I started The Odin Project today, and it really resonated with me. I’ve always had the mindset of “I can learn this in just a month,” but that approach hasn’t worked out well. I keep questioning whether the resources I’m following are the right ones and constantly second-guessing my choices: “What if I choose this one? What if that one is better?” All the self-doubt has kept me from starting a project on my own. I’ve been stuck in this cycle for too long. Thanks to this article, I’m now aware that this is just a phase and that I need to keep moving forward. I believe The Odin Project will be a solid starting point for me.
I am new as well. We can do this if we stick with it!
i started a couple days ago, i want to build a study group for morale, focus and inspiration. nothing like friends to share the struggle with!
Hi @johan20000819 I'm looking forward to working with you. I just joined and are beginning my journey today. Let's keep going everyone
I am glad to hear! maybe we could make a group chat on discord, of people in similar learning times
A study group sounds like a fine idea! I just started yesterday, coming from a surface level web design/graphic design background. I look forward to deepening my skills with like-minded learners!
Honestly this is just the advice I needed. I felt as I was stuck on the Desert of Despair for the longest time and because of it I took a step back from coding and my skills regress. Glad to find this article and the Odin project on my path to becoming a web developer
This hits home
Thank Richard, best wishes on working through freeCodeCamp!
What a cool journey we're on!
Hi there, I've just started the Odin Project, today is the (10/08/2025). I've done a few tutorials over the years, but I haven't built anything. I was in template and tutorial hell for a while so this article was definitely enjoyable because I don't feel as alone in my journey towards becoming a full stack developer.
I am 'restarting' The Odin Project today - Wed 15 Apr 2026. I have been down this road a couple of times before, but did not complete it. Looking back, I can see that the distractions came from the urge/curiosity - for lack of better words - in trying some other stuff that could 'make me money faster' - even though I always knew I wanted to end up as a software developer. I did make some money in digital marketing, learn testing automation, and project management, which are all good, but not fulfilling for the long-term goals I'm craving for. So now, I am back for a full commitment. I would like to work with a partner who is also starting or has probably gone in a bit, so we can do pair programming and pull ourselves up when the 'desert of despair' eventually comes. You can send me an email at ubongudotai@gmail.com or contact me on X @andreudotai. See you at 'Job ready'!.
I have no words to describe the familiarity, clarity and realism in this post, I will make sure to share it with anyone beginner in programming, so he takes the right path from the beginning of his journey.
I have been jumping between the mountains of resources out there, the frustration and despair kept growing inside me, but this post cleared my vision and thoughts without a doubt, drawing a clear a path in my head to what I should do.
I started the Oden Project on 25 June 2025, I will stick with only it, I don't have a vision into future, so I don't know what I will encounter in my journey, but I will make sure to keep my passion high and build as much as I can, I will keep moving forward until my name shine in the industry of Web Dev, wish good luck my friends as I wish all of you the same.
Same start date! Good luck!
I'm excited to see where this journey will take both of us, good luck ^^!
Excellent article. It really resonates with me.
I made it through a reputable boot camp three months ago, but I can see now I was firmly stuck gazing in fear over the Cliff of Confusion. I'm excited to fill in the Swiss cheese holes in my knowledge by working through The Odin Project.
I started learning programming between 2013 and 2016 during high school. However, the whole course was just Java (the one with the coffee), and only in the 5th semester did I start to see web development and fall in love with it. I did a graduation project using HTML, CSS, JS, PHP and a database, hosted via Xampp. But I'm from a humanities background and ended up forgetting everything. I studied History, now I work as an HR assistant and I always find myself wanting to study front-end development. However, many courses teach programming logic, and I understand it, but I can't visualize it. I'm very much a visual learner and this has prevented me from moving forward. I learn more easily if I see a
forloop being applied directly to a website, instead of being asked to do aconsole.log. I started The Odin Project today and I hope to learn a lot.This is such an eye opener for a kid like me who wanted to jump right into coding with all the cool looking courses that internet offered to make a life changing moment. This is a hard hit on my expectations while it also reminds me that path ahead is not easy as it may sound and I need the willpower and focus to push through. I just started the odin project today and I would like to learn it along with someone like me who is uncertain of this path and grow together. I have always believed that teaching others what you know and learning from them of what you don't is the best way of learning. Well please do contact me in discord -
noah_osmont._.or by mail to charancodes@proton.me
Such an eye opener. Honestly, I spent way more time reading, introspecting and grasping the teachings than I normally would, but damn is it worth it! I honestly wish someone would have recommended me this sooner.
As someone wandering the Desert of Despair for quite some time; it honestly felt as if the Mr. Erik knew me inside out. All my worries, problems, shortcomings and acute advice to overcome them, all condensed into one.
I would again request everyone to not just read it/skim it but rather absorb it (if that makes any sense) and *reread it again and again. *
BEST OF LUCK!
Hey all, I recently started the Odin project and have a fair idea of HTML, CSS, and JS, but am going through the foundations course right now, planning to take the full stack web developer path. I also have some experience in Java and cloud fundamentals in Azure. Looking for dedicated learners to pair up with so we can support each other in the learning process!
I come from a civil engineering background. Recently, I’ve been trying to automate my tasks through coding. In the last 2 months, I finished my “hand-holding” phase and have now set out a clear path forward with my tech stack:
Starting today (17/06/25), I decided to invest my time into The Odin Project to complete my first three goals: mastering HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and later I’ll move to FreeCodeCamp for Python.
My end goal is to build real-world solutions that solve problems I face in my field.
I’m always open to suggestions. If there’s a tool, concept, or path you think I should explore, feel free to share!
Just started my journey today, after making a tough decision to leave my marketing career behind, i'm 20 so i know i still have plenty of time to learn, fail, iterate and improve... reading this article also prepares my mind for what's to come, pretty sure i'd be back here occasionally when things get hard.
I just accepted a job to create a website for a local tattoo studio + I feel like I know what I'm doing but I'm suspicious of how easy it seems like this project is going to be lol. I've got experience in a few of the major languages I need to use because of my software engineering degree, but I was SO bad at that course because I thought it was intensely boring. Hopefully the Odin Project means I can find a passion for this and maybe go into freelance webdev:)
Thank you for this amazing post. This somewhat sums up my experiences so far. I took a bootcamp, I ended at the tail end of Cliff of Confusion and at the mouth of Despair. Felt like a fraud. I hope I can get past these, this time!
I’m 31, and I just started learning this TOP curriculum in October 2025. In the HTML and CSS course, I thought it was too easy, but when I entered the JavaScript course, I suddenly realized why people say ‘code is hard’. However, I’m loving the journey so far and keep pushing myself every day.
Thank you, TOP community, for providing this amazing learning platform for people like me.
while you are already just surviving and not living, sometimes the sheer volume of things to learn is overwhelming on its own. Add the current 'AI Rush' into the mix, and it makes sense why someone would need to step away from coding for a bit. Returning is often the hardest part. Like Andrej Karpathy recently noted,
But eventually, you wake up and realize you just have to push through the noise. It’s hard for everyone, and I am incredibly grateful for the internet, The Odin Project, and resources like NeetCode. I am tired of starting and stopping, so I am leaving this comment here as a hard commitment to myself. If I am ever on the verge of quitting again, maybe someone in the community will see this and drop a reply to keep me accountable. We are all in the same boat. There is no shame in struggling, we are all just learning, and there is no reason we shouldn't feel confident moving forward.
Started the odim project now 29/05/2025, and im in love with the project and the propose it has, i started by the foundations course and discovered this post made by the creatro that just gave me a map with all the steps i will face and problems i will have. i will not stop until i fell that im a real programmer and can do things with confidence.
thanks to everybody that put love to make this possible, i promisse that i will use it to make it happens and become a developer.
As a person who started 4 yrs ago, and near to "job" ready, gotta confess that it wasn't easy... but it was EXTREMELY FUN & REWARDING! I'd say that you won't regret this thing if u do it properly...
I was thinking of coaching some beginners...
Anybody interested?
I have wanted to take this course for years and I am finally able to. I am so excited to dive in! I am grateful for this article because it breaks down the reality of learning development and the journey through each phase... all the way to employment. This was a great read!
This article clearly shows all kinds of troubles we will face this one is really is a good one for starters, I just started this "THE ODIN PROJECT" today and I will re-comment after completion.
All the best to you all.
This is a great article that clearly describes the arduous journey of web development without exaggeration. On one hand, it discourages the naysayers and dispels the fears and intimidation associated with code. On the other hand, it also warns those who are overly hopeful or irrationally exuberant.
Thank you so much! It made me realize that my feelings lately are valid. It motivates me to be not scared of trying new things. Btw, I'm just started Odin project today. I really hope that I can finish this until the end of the lesson. :)
Erik Trautman’s breakdown of the four phases of learning to code resonates so strongly with my own experience and what I’ve seen in others. The ‘Hand-Holding Honeymoon’ really captures the excitement of early tutorials and gamified challenges, and the way he describes the sudden drop into the ‘Cliff of Confusion’ mirrors the shock of trying to build something from scratch without guidance. I particularly appreciated the explanation of Resource Density and Scope of Knowledge — it’s such an accurate lens for why the Desert of Despair feels so overwhelming, and why persistence and focus are critical. The Upswing of Awesome perfectly captures the bittersweet stage where you can build functional apps but still feel like a newbie under the hood, highlighting the importance of feedback, best practices, and polishing one’s code to professional standards. This article isn’t just motivational; it’s a practical map for anyone serious about surviving and thriving in the coding journey."
Thank you for the guideness sir, i really love to learn by self taught and this odin project also doing that way with documentation. i think today my motivation was so high because of its my phase 0 ,but gradually i build learning as system not just a goal , i will do it consistently and im also so eager to take my first step on this and good to see you all foks, stay with touch i will update it...
Just started the Odin project today (17/09/2025), and I am so excited to begin this overwhelming but excellent journey! I actually think I am gonna do the Foundations course and then move to the Full Stack JS course, but still thinking about Ruby on Rails.
Thank you for this awesome post.
Amazing post; I loved it. I started learning code 1.5 years ago, but I think I need to relearn due to fundamental gaps. So, I decided to start from scratch by following the Odin Project. Pray for me, guys. I also pray for everyone who has started this journey or wants to start. Best of luck, everybody!🤲🏻
I just started this coding phase yesterday afternoon after my Chatgpt recommended Odin Project as one for me who have no coding background. I will give my best and strive to accomplish this journey. Seeing this post, have added more motivation to me.
I am open to learn and work with friends around the globe.
Just found The Odin Project today. I have tried other courses on Udemy but it did not work well, now I am on college 3th. period in IT Management and I hope to join the area asap. Excited with the project and I promised to myself I will do my best and I will get there!
Starting The Foundations now.
I happen to have saved the bookmark to the Odin project 2 years ago after giving up on software engneering and moving in the direction of data science. The journey hasn't been easy but every lesson gained is worthwhile. The post goes beyond software engineering and speaks to other IT fields like data science, bioinformatics etc.
I find this very useful as I remake my way into the software engineering space.
Thank you! It was very inspiring and informative I Just started the Odin project today, and I hope to figure it out slowly day-by-day
It's Day 1 for me so If anyone wants to form a group to help each other or just a study buddy, I'm up for it.
Wow! I must say I am really impressed with the motivation in this whole context. Thank You So much Erik Trautman for the Great article making us know the journey ahead which all beginner level wed developers are taking.
7/16/2025
This is the beginning of my New Years resolution. I was excited when i started to read all this information then i got a little worried about my abilities to do this kind of thing but now I am feeling a bit more confident with myself and can't wait to get really going on it.
Hi Linda,
Even getting started is an awesome step! I hope you keep with it!
What an awesome read. I feel like I have been spinning wheels for a while now, but I am beginning the Odin Project, and I already feel good about where it will take me. This is a bit scary, I find myself right up to the cliff right before the honeymoon phase ends, then I end up finding a new tutorial. I need to focus and get to and through the cliff and desert. I feel like -- as with most skill development -- the desert is the scariest but most necessary part.
Great post, didn't know that others are struggling as well. Felt like a failure for taking longer to finish smaller projects.
Gives me the encouragement to continue the journey, thank you Erik Trautman and the Odin community.
We can do this, continue to learn and develop.
This is my first week as futur web developer but when you feel lost about where to begin or how to take the first steep, it's important to remember that every successful journey start with a single small action..you give with this post more hope and I will make it possible my career .
Today is (11/05/2026), am just starting the Odin project and starting from foundational to full stack ,As a Highschool graduate who was unenable to join University ,this has really given me hope and motive towards my goal of becoming a professional web developer .Thanks so much ,i really needed this🥰
This is my third time trying to complete the odin. Maan, it's been a roller-coaster but I won't stop I am now even going to college for CS.
Actually, it is crazy that I've never read this piece of art, this actually has shaped the way I see programming, thank you Erik. You've inspired a kid from Dominican Republic to make a living in USA and be a programmer!
Hi everyone, I just started the Odin Project today. I’ve always wanted to learn how to code (not sure why), and I have a cool app idea I’d like to eventually develop. I tried making my app the easy way (ChatGPT), and asked it to explain / teach me along the way. Needless to say, I ended up with a shitty app and learned nothing. Excited to be here and start over learning the real way. I’d love to join in some of your groups to help each other along the way. Cheers!
I stumbled across The Odin Project today on reddit while trying to find the best resources to start learning how to code. I'm a complete noob in the world of code so have a huge mountain to climb, but am motivated daily to keep moving forward. Today is the first day of my journey with TOP!! Not sure what path I'll take just ready to rock and roll!!
I’m finally starting my web development journey with The Odin Project today (July 7th, 2025). Honestly, I wish I had started sooner, but I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer. Reading this post really hit home, and it perfectly sums up the ups and downs of learning to code. I’m dropping this comment here as a reminder for my future self to look back, see how far I’ve come, and keep going no matter how hard it gets.
Just started the Odin Project today (06-0602025), and i am so happy about walking this path of life. i will be starting the foundational courses and then choose the next course which is best suitable for me.
Nice to read I'm not the only newbie. Thanks for the spot-on post about the learning process. I have not experienced it in this context yet, but as a teacher I do recognize all the phases in my students, and myself! I'm curious to know if there are more people starting the Odin Project, and are willing to share experiences.
I'm starting the Odin project today and I've never been as excited to learn a new skill before. I appreciate all the hard work that has gone into the project and this post has given me a good understanding of what is required.
Time to lock in!
I decided to wholly jump back onto this horse today after a few attempts to study but finding my moral dying at the honeymoon stage. Am excited to get back into it, and this article has painted a challenging yet fascinating picture of the actual journey ahead. Thank you for this piece of useful information
just started The Odin Projects today, I'm very excited to go by this course and learn Fullstack Javascript course. it will be helpful in my web developer journey. Thanks to The Odin Project that they provide such type of course materials.
2026 and following a small bump in the road, I'm taking my career in my own hands and starting The Odin Project today and Full Stack JS course next. Good luck to everyone else out there struggling and happy coding!
Beyond all the valuable insights, this article was incredibly fun to read. This is possibly the best article I could have found to get me started on this journey. I'm super exited. Let's make it happen.
Who else is here on 27/06/2025? I had heard about The Odin Project before from a friend ,but never really dug deep into it...I've always struggled with the problem of finding the right resources and the feeling of not doing enough. 1 year down the line ,here I am once again ,only that now I'm ready to put in the work and stay consistent. I can't say that I'm a complete beginner -- I do have a background in web dev, but I want to solidify my fundamentals and foundation ,and I believe that The Odin Project is the perfect platform to achieve this. Let's keep learning. Cheers!
Day 1: March 10, 2026!
Wish me luck!
me too!
This is an insightful article, it is expected one sees this before going into coding so it will be like one has cheat code. You have an idea what to expect and how to navigate through it. A big thank you to the founder for putting this out there, its a good one
Created an account just to say this really motivated me. I thought I was the only one experiencing difficulties while starting to code. I really hope I don't give up on learning, I just started re-learning cause I got so overwhelmed knowing that I don't know a lot of things. This really helped! Just started learning on Odin Project today June 25, 2025
Thank you for the heads up on what to expect! I’m extremely excited to start this journey 🙂 This gave me a great preview of what to expect and knowing that if I get a little discouraged it’s normal and to push through and keep going.
Thank you for having crossed the desert and for bringing this awesome feedback.
My mother tongue is Spanish, so there’s an extra challenge I have to manage — “English.”
But I want to go through it and make it.
Hand-holding honeymoon, here I am.
Thank you for such an eye-opening article! I started a course on Codecademy about a month ago and I agree on the handholding part. It felt good to 'achieve' something, but in the end I actually didn't know exactly what I had achieved, apart from memorizing some basic syntax. I was doing puzzles without the context necessary to understand what I was doing and why I was doing it.
I'm now reading through the Foundations part of the Odin Project and it's obvious that this is a project built by people who know what you need to actually get somewhere. And that certainly helps me to stay motivated and focussed.
Thanks for the advice, I just started the Odin project, on 9 sep 2025, I am totally new to coding and developing and would like to participate in groups to increase our collective chances to persevere through these phases. Good luck guys and gals.
So The Odin Project has led me here as of 22/10/2025, this post really gave an insight on how pursuing this will have its ups and downs. I just want to thank for the information that is provided here really amazing!
it's august 23 i will follow along the course of this odin project i will see what are the changes happening to me and if i am able to build projects, what i wanted is to build an iot related or any good website and secure a job successefully at the end of the course what important is that i keep learning and not giveup and be updated as per industry standard and make plan and follow along that my goal is to get a job at 1 jan 2026 or before it.
Have been trying to code but have been stuck in this honey moon / Cliff of confusion / Desert of despair, have learned over a long time "Longer then id be willing to admit" and have massive gaps in even simple areas.
focusing on
HTML & CSS
JavaScript
React
Python
PostgreSQL
Goal is to be able to fully write ML/RL without need of following guides on simple syntax. And to be able to build out front end/back end
06/17/2025
I wanted to mark the date, when I'm starting my journey of becoming a developer. I have tried before, but this time I'm dedicated to finally reach my goal. Starting the Odin project on 11/11/2025. Cheers to all, who dare to challenge themselves. YOU CAN DO IT.
today i started the Odin project, definitely in the honeymoon stage right now ahaha im very excited and have a big project in mind down the road :) this was a great post on putting things into perspective !
I first attempted TOP and edX’s CS50 back in 2022. I barely knew what I was doing then and ended up quitting halfway through. I had IT and my final year to focus on, so I stepped away.
I finally graduated in December 2023 with a degree in Environmental Biology, and since then, I’ve been trying to find myself.
Today, April 24th, 2025, I’m back on the horse.
I’ve put this off for a long time, but reading this article gave me the push I needed. If I had come across it back when I first started, maybe I wouldn’t have quit. It’s helped solidify my resolve, I’m going to push through, no matter how hard it gets.
I’m writing this as proof for myself. Something to look back on if I ever feel like giving up again.
Thank you for the words. They made me feel like I caught a glimpse of the future, and now I have the tools to face it head-on.
"I’ve really been going back and forth, jumping from one resource to another trying to learn different coding concepts. Reading this post means a lot to me—thank you. It’s motivating, as always, but more importantly, it reminds me that I’m not alone. Almost everyone learning to code seems to go through these same struggles. I’m currently working on building more persistence and consistency in my journey."
the odin project seems an interesting road to walk.
I have a lot of scatered knowledge about coding and stuff, but what I need the most is a way to get passed the CoC and move bravely to the DoD.
so, I decided to take on this odin road, maybe It will get me where I want.
started the Odin Project today, and I'm all set to start this journey to become a developer. This post was great way to make new developers aware of the challenges they might face. After finishing 1st year of my 4 year CS degree, I've realized my degree isn't going to help much and so I'm ready to figure out my own path.
nothing feels better than starting with a post like this that gives you the perfect picture of what lies ahead...just started the odin project.
let the journey begin...to other starters like myslef, see you on the green side
Interesting!
I have been trying to learn web dev close to a year with no progress at all.
Very frustrating to have gone through tutorial hell and yet unable to do any coding on my own.
Reading through this material has given me view to task ahead and roadmap to follow.
Thanks
I've made an account here just to say that I've never read something as relatable as this post. I was trying different things before sticking with android development and now I'm clearly in the desert of despair phase. Right now I'm taking a break.. hopefully a break, and I picked up the Odin project today as I was also thinking about building a personal website sometime in the future, thank you for this awesome course and this blog post.
I've been doing these "roundabouts" for about three years, I've been so inconsistency and this really puts it into perspective. If you see this post and you're interested in joining my discord server where we keep ourselves accountable and share knowledge, please join this link
Here I am first day of August 4th, 2025, deciding to embark on this journey to hopefully change my life. I have very little experience in this field, so I know there will be difficult times ahead but Im not going to give up. I wish everyone good luck and future success!!!!
I'm starting today 31/3/2025. I have no experience with HTML/CSS/JS......But I'm willing to learn no matter how difficult it gets, I'm gonna show up everyday, go through the material and build stuff on my own...Good luck me!
Yeah same with Me, just do it