Tips For Self Taught Developers

It can be hard to know whether you are learning the "right" things when teaching yourself to code. Or if you are making any progress at all.

I know this struggle. There were a number of topics that didn't "click" at first so I figured I wasn't cut out to be a programmer. Things like recursion, data structures, or object-oriented programming are hard and can be nasty to work through the first time you see them.

The following tips will help you work through difficult topics, get unstuck, and stay motivated on your coding journey.

Triangulate your information

Getting your coding information from one source is like fighting with one arm tied behind your back.

When I first started learning to code, I would follow one course or one book. When I got stuck on a topic I figured that I would never understand it. But the reality was much simpler: I needed to hear or see the information differently. There are so many teachers and so many different learning mediums on the internet. If you feel stuck on a topic, switch teachers or try a different medium.

You aren't stuck because you can't do it. The information just isn't presented in a way that works for you. Find information that does.

Build, build, build

The struggle is real...really good for your programming.

There is a place where many self-taught developers have given up their quest. Some call it "Tutorial Hell". Others call it "Tutorial Purgatory". Either way, you don't want to be there. Tutorials can be good to expose yourself to new ideas or methods but they lull you into thinking you know more than you do. Building things on your own, however small or simple, forces you to test the knowledge you own. The struggle reveals a lot.

If you have a course or tutorial in mind, set yourself a deadline for when you must be done "taking the course". Then have a project in mind that you will use your new knowledge on.

Embrace the struggle. Escape "Tutorial Hell".

Use spaced repetition to review

The less you need to look things up, the more enjoyable programming becomes.

Your best programming will happen when you are in the zone, the ideas are flowing, and everything is clicking. The best way to ruin that flow, however, is to stop to google something simple like syntax 🤦‍♂️.

Notes can be a great way to organize your thoughts when learning something new but the problem with notes is that they aren't designed to be systematically reviewed. A better process is to take your notes and adapt them into a series of flashcards that you can use a spaced-repetition algorithm to help you review the topics that are causing you trouble.

I use tools like RemNote or Anki. They have built-in algorithms that help you translate your notes into spaced-repetition flashcards quickly.

Happy coding! Let me know if you end up trying one of these tips.