Have you ever felt like this? You decide to learn programming, feeling excited and happy about it. You set goals and dreams for the future. So, you begin studying, either at school or with free courses. You dive into your studies, staying up late at night and going to school or work the next morning. But then, you hit a point where some concepts confuse you, and you don't know what to do. There's no one to help you out.
After a while, you find yourself staying up late into the night, barely getting any sleep, feeling exhausted because your mind is tired from all the challenges you're facing. You also realize that you're nowhere close to achieving your dream job. This disappointment leaves you feeling tired, so you decide to take a break. Eventually, you put your goals aside and think they're no longer a priority.
As we know, we cannot equate learning to code with some of the skills you can get just by studying in class with a teacher. Even though you take some lessons in class, you still have to practice them independently. When you learn to code on your own, you have to generate your own motivation, which is a big challenge. So how do you ensure that you keep learning, and don't give up? There are five ways that can help you stay motivated while learning to code.
1. Have and hold tightly to your goals 🎯
Start by setting a goal & keep that goal in mind from the moment you start learning to code. This can make your actions clearer and you can know why you are doing them. Of course you don't want to spend time and energy learning to code in vain, right?
For example, maybe your goal is to have flexibility at work because you feel pressured by the standard rules regarding time, place and systems that run in the company you work at now. So you want to be a freelancer without having a boss.
2. Break it down into small goals 📝
When your goals are clear, you can start breaking them down into smaller stages that are easier to achieve. This way you will feel the burden is lighter. You can also give yourself appreciation when you succeed in achieving these small goals. But even though you have shared it and feel light, don't forget your big goal. Of course, not everything is easy and there may be difficulties that you face, but make those difficulties remind you of what your goals are and why you are fighting so hard to get them.
3. Consistent and sustainable 📈
One of the big pitfalls of becoming an expert at anything is having unrealistic expectations. For example, you target yourself to become a professional programmer in just 1-2 months. Maybe for some people it can be an extra or "unnatural" process, although I still feel this is quite difficult and almost impossible for general people to do. Especially if you are actively working or have other activities, of course 1-2 years is more reasonable.
Of course, this time depends on yourself and what your current condition is. Try to be wiser in setting targets and schedules, because the most important thing is that you can be consistent with what you set at the beginning. And continues to progress over time.
4. You are not alone 🤝
Always remember that you are not doing it alone, there are also many people out there who are your age and have the same goals as you. Build relationships, join communities so you can exchange lots of ideas, gain new knowledge from the friends you meet. An environment like this will help you to stay motivated in studying. Moreover, in this era it is very easy for us to find great online communities.
Apart from the many positive things above, there are also many people who recruit programmers from communities and they even become great people in them. So make sure you also make a positive contribution because when you help others, you are also doing it for yourself.
5. Stop comparing yourself with other programmers 🤼🏼♀️
Of course it is impossible not to see what other people are doing or achieving. But don't feel like you have to always be in line with other people. Everyone has a different situation and progresses at a different pace. Some people will have more time than you, or may learn certain things faster than you. Others will have less time or learn more slowly than you.
In the end, the progress of others doesn't affect you directly. Learning to code is a challenging journey, and if you're on that path, you deserve credit! Even if you feel completely lost, remember that progress takes time and persistence pays off! I hope these tips are helpful.
Maybe for some people it will be different, and surely you have other ways to stay motivated and enthusiastic about learning. But hopefully some of the things above are my own experience and some are what I got from other people and some of my acquaintances. Hopefully it can help you to remain enthusiastic about learning and achieving your goals.
Do you also feel the same way? Don't forget to leave a comment below and feel free to provide input and tips that can be useful for all of us!
This article was inspired by: [@sahilandsarra](https://www.youtube.com/@sahilandsarra)
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