My 100 Days of Code Challenge Experience

Deciding to participate in the 100 Days of Code Challenge was one of the best decisions I’ve made this year. This challenge was created by Alex Kallaway, and the premise is simple. Dedicate at least one hour a day to coding. Document that study time by tweeting about what you learned each day, keep track of it in a journal, or log your progress in a GitHub repo. The point is to make time for the 100 days to code.

I had seen this challenge before on Twitter, but really didn’t think it was for me. The idea of publicly announcing my progress was nerve-racking. Although I've been coding on and off for a few years and had been intending on building a side project to get back into React, I had little motivation to start up again.

I saw another developer who was posting his 100 days of code challenge progress on Instagram and could not help but start to feel the excitement of getting back into coding. I kept thinking about how I could also incorporate this challenge into my daily schedule, and it seemed manageable.

After about a week or so, I created an Instagram account specifically to participate in the challenge as well and began sharing my progress through that account. Here’s what I gained being part of the challenge:

Getting Comfortable Learning in Public

I could have completed this challenge on my own without documenting it on social media. But the problem with that is there is no pressure to stay accountable. It’s easy to slack off on your own, but this can’t be done when other people are waiting to hear from you which helps set accountability. Reading this article about learning in public also made me understand the value of experiences like this.

Time Management

Knowing I had to make time for this, I had to get clear on my daily schedule and learning goals. My main goal was to brush up on JavaScript and build React projects. I started with the Intro to JavaScript course on Codecademy and added other resources as needed. Most days one hour of code was manageable, but some days I had to get up earlier to fit in the time. Soon, coding was an everyday habit for me.

Being Part of a Developer Community

Probably the best benefit was meeting other developers through Instagram who were also completing the challenge. We could share various resources and encourage each other. Having a supportive community helped me stick with the challenge especially when I was feeling overwhelmed or stuck.

Final Thoughts

After completing this challenge, I’ve continued to code just about every day. Not only has this become a habit, I feel like my skills have improved immensely. I always encourage other developers to participate in the challenge and make adjustments to the rules to suit their needs to be set up for success. The point is to make the commitment and start!

Have you done this challenge before or want to join in as well? Do you have questions or want advice to help you start? Send me a message so we can brainstorm ideas to get you started.