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From HTML to Python and back: Learning to Code


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Coding is serious business!

So I've always been fascinated by technology. I love checking out latest inventions, gadgets, solutions and generally anticipating just how easy life can get with technology. It helps that I have a deep fear for drudgery. I mean, sitting for hours day after day, doing the same boring work, or having to do things manually?

Not me!

I first had a good understanding of how we can make our computers do what we want them to do in junior secondary school having to work with Microsoft excel. I remember being grateful to Bill Gates for creating something so cool. I could drag down my cursor across various cells and it automatically computes according to the function I inputted. That was cool to me.

Fast forward to 2015, I decided to try out coding as it was the rave around me. Many thanks to my younger brother who was pushing me to learn to code. I did try. With an HTML book in the "Head First" series, I liked it. They broke down the concepts with their unique writing/teaching style. I actually wrote some lines of code according to the lessons, feeling like a programmer. Let me tell you, I was sold!

Or so I thought, immediately I went back to school to round up studies, I abandoned it completely. It was always in my mind but somehow I just didn't continue. Add to the fact that I didn't have a laptop- a perfect excuse.

2016, I came back to programming and this time, it was python. My brother convinced me to try out python because it was simple and interesting. Also that I could write cool programs and even make apps with it, my soul rejoiced. Finally, I thought, I'll be able to make all those apps in my head. HTML then seemed useless and utterly boring to me, so I embraced python.

Played around with Python a little then got lazy. I'll admit I never found Python boring and it was even easier than HTML but for some reason I stopped. I developed an on-off relationship with code, one fueled by guilt. Something had to be done, so I just kept reading. My coding books, articles, then success stories. Reading other people's journey excited me. Then having most of the guys in my life being techies, I began to realize just how much it could pay.

I remember being on a date and his phone rang. I allowed him to take it and listened to his conversation. From his whole geeky talk which was a turn-on (I'm a real-life nerd, not my fault), to the main fire which was hearing him negotiate an amount for a work he had to do. Baby, I needed to cash in on this tech thing. I said nothing and went home, then intensified searching for all the tech related stories I could find. Actively sought out pay and allowed my mouth water.

Is money a motivation for going into tech? Hell yeah! 

Fortunately for me, that wasn't the only thing. I'm already in love with technology and the thought of wielding such power- building software, telling the computer what to do, automating my tasks, using tech for my future plans in agriculture and environmental issues, having a better possibility of encountering new challenges and feeling like I'm a problem solver is really important to me.

Last year, I picked up a nice book on HTML and CSS once again recommended by my brother and I actually not only read but did some exercises. I also talked to a cool software developer and he gave me really good advice that helped me examine why I have been inconsistent with my learning. He told me to learn for a year and take my time. 

Who knew the impatient yet perfectionist part of me was the problem all this while.

I mean, my brother had always told me to focus on one thing and be patient. He actually demystified this whole coding thing for me but emphasized patience. Maybe hearing it again from someone else made it sink in further. Either way, it worked. I'm going at my pace, giving myself to coding for 30mins to 2hrsmax daily and for the first time, I've been grasping better and actually consistent. Yaaaassss!!!

So, here I am, a proud code newbie, no longer trying to rake in the money immediately but actually enjoying the process of learning to code. Enjoying not understanding concepts immediately, enjoying writing code and seeing the beautiful results and putting a little "respeck" on HTML. 

I'm obviously very far from being called a developer but I'm proud of the tiniest progress made and the patience I've learned. For that I'm grateful and at this point that's all that matters!

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