So We Meet Again Old Friend...Coding

I remember the first time I took a coding class in college. It was Intro to Programming in C. At first I was incredibly excited. I had an idea for an app that I really wanted to build. I jumped in two feet first and crushed my first Hello World program. I absolutely killed it (anybody who actually codes will be amused because they know that takes literally no skill at all). But something went awry somewhere along the way. After that initial Hello World program, it was all downhill. Now, as a biochemistry major, I was no stranger to a technical challenge but something about the computer stuff just lost me. I started failing epically. Not literally, I passed the class but the whole computer science thing just didn't click with me.

Have you ever had a teacher that was so bad at teaching that even the kid prodigies in the room would get lost? That's not what happened with me. I'd like to say it was but it wasn't. Frankly, I wasn't even present in class enough to really know whether the teacher was good or bad (I was going through a rebellious phase). And so I slowly but surely fell behind and skirted by with a C. Ever since then coding has been on a bit of a pedestal for me. It's like this scary thing that's almost like magic.

Now, eight years later, I've finally mustered up the courage to take another whack at coding. This time, it's a much different experience. This time I'm learning at my own pace, on my own terms. Most importantly, I have enough self-discipline this time to impose a strict and consistent learning regimen. Just like the last time I tried coding, this attempt is motivated by an app idea. I consulted with a software engineer and he recommended starting with Python. It is a remote-guided content creation app for small businesses and, based on what I told him, he said I could probably learn enough to code a rudimentary version of the app in 6-8 months if I really applied myself.

I've been learning Python officially for two days now and it is actually really fun. I found this website called freeCodeCamp.org and it is absolutely amazing. It is a non-profit devoted to teaching people how to code for free.

Wish me luck in this new adventure! As long as I don't go through another rebellious phase I should be fine ;-)