Learn to code in 2023, get hired, and have fun along the way

The 5 months: step-by-step

1st Month: The Big Picture

Before, we get to coding, make sure to understand the Feynman Technique and the Trunk Method so that you are truly learning over the course of the next 5 months instead of just using your short-term memory. This will help us learn faster and more efficiently.

The Feynman Technique

  1. Gather all the information about the subject.
  2. Teach it to a child.
  3. Identify knowledge gaps.
  4. Organize + Simplify + Tell a Story.

Trunk Method

Rather than asking yourself what is going to change in the next 10 years, ask yourself, what is not going to change in the next 10 years.

You can adapt to the 2nd, not the 1st question. Because you can't be sure if your prediction is right or wrong.

The principle of the trunk technique is to focus in the fundamentals of any given field, the things that will not change and see how them have similiraties with concepts across other fields.

The tools could become obsolete but the underlying core concepts behind will remain, so even if you're using a new better tool tomorrow, you'll be ahead because you understand what is the solution that tool brings to the table.

How to Learn Anything: Faster and More Efficiently

Get the real reason behind trying to learn something new

Get clearly the reason behind trying to learn something new, THE REAL REASON

You might be after more financial freedom.

Ask yourself, How not learning this will impact my life down the road in my life

TODO: Create a Google Drive Document with the answers of why you're trying to learn this thing and print it, put it in your desk where you can look at it and think twice before cheating on yourself.

Identity creates action

You have to fake it until you make it. We have an identity and we behave in order to fit that description. that being said, stop referring to yourself as "someone learning to code", instead, you're a programmer who is improving his skills in HTML, JS, CSS... Fake it til you make it.

We don't want to contradict ourselves

Set your intention

The more specific the path to follow for improvement the more likely you are to complete it. Some questions are very useful specifying your goals. So every time you set a goal, remember asking this questions:

  1. What are you going to do?
  2. When are you going to do it?
  3. How are you going to do it?
  4. Where are you going to do it?
Plan your project before you start

Plan ahead of time what you're going to do, what do you need? How can I achieve this? Ask someone who already did what you're trying to do, how his/her roadmap was.

Think less about the goal, and more about your system

The problem with goals is that they're binary, so you either achieve it or don't, so instead of tracking goals, set a system that help you achieve, break it down into smaller daily pieces daily to do list.

Make it easy to win

Set up achievable goals, instead of learning to code in 1 months practice 1 hour today, learn something new, start a checklist with easier, simple tasks.

NOTE: Tip, try to break small milestones into pomodoro sized goals. Try it and log how it went.

Don't break the streak

Consistency checklist are useful, when you track on a checklist how often are you doing something soon, you won't want to miss a day because you'll lose your streak.

If you miss a day, don't beat yourself, but make sure you won't fail 2 days in a row. You can miss but try to never fail 2 times in a row. But if you do, get up and running the next day.

Make it simple to take action

Set your environment in a way that it is easy to take action, the easier to take action the better the results.

Remove distraction triggers

Block distracting websites on phone and desktop, avoid tentation.

Add correct action triggers
  1. Triggers are what starts it all. It's how we start forming habits. Both good and bad
  2. Habits are how we start taking action on systems
  3. Systems are how we keep following systems and don't stop
  4. Roadmap gives us the path to a goal
  5. Goal is what we want at the end
It will suck(but it gets better)

Trying to learn something new and difficult sucks, sadly often is enough to discourage us from learning something new. But this is a perspective thing. If you reframe the way of thinking you could improve the outcome instead think of it as follows "it is difficult but that because is important what I'm learning"

Accountability is key

Yell the world what you're trying to do, share it with your family and peers, make yourself accountable.

Beware of the trap of thinking that because you shared something that is progress, you actually have to do the things you share.

Consistency beats cramming

Avoid cramming because you'll forget the information, instead use spaced repetition, which is the tool you probably didn't know but need

Remember active recall and spaced repetition.

Active recall To put in your own words what you just have learned

Spaced repetition To space your practice and recall sessions in order to learn properly

Sleep

Sleep, no seriously, sleep (is the cheat code for life)

Know your limits

Learn to understand between the difference between something not sticking because it is difficult and because your brain is just tired.

Multitaskers get nowhere fast

Even though sometimes it may look that you just cracked the code for multitasking, don't, overall multitasking is bad, you'll often think that you're learning lots of things when in reality you're not learning anything.

Learn by doing

There are two kinds of learning, active(doing something) and passive (reading something, watching a video, listening to a podcast...)

Check your direction and course correct

Chances are that if you just start going without any feedback loop you'll start going on circles

Any long term goal needs that action, feedback, response

Recommendation, each week track this:

Make it rewarding

Look at what you're going to do once you have completed the goal or got the job you're looking for, the concerts you'll go, the financial freedom you'll get, you can start reaching and connecting back with friends, you won't be stressed thinking about a tight budget. You can now allow to plan for the future

What about when I get bored?

This will happen and it is normal, but just keep doing and try doing this little things:

Throughout the months, you will be building lots of projects. In order to help you, I have compiled a list of assets like free images, templates, icons, logos, etc. that you can use to make your projects look nice. Bookmark this list of free resources.