If you’ve ever wanted to know how much you don’t know, give coding a try! Are we all just masochists thrilled by our own defeat? Perhaps… but, I’d like to believe we aspiring web developers and software engineers, are mostly curious and filled with wonder at all there is still to learn in our endeavor! Self-awareness for me is key as I learn.
I’ve learned to recognize my perfectionistic tendencies which look like me not starting something or not showing my skills, because I don’t feel ready yet. In the past, I have continued to take classes upon classes to show some unknown (my own brain) that I deserve to be in the room. Someone is always ready to sell you what you don’t yet know. I know because I paid them. And guess what? After I learned that thing, there was something else to learn!
I’m a former educator and therefore, I value continuing education. I find myself teetering the line of wanting to learn more for my love of learning and wanting to learn more because of self-doubt. “Maybe if I just learn this next thing, I’ll feel more confident!”
Some things I love so far about the coding world are that there are many free resources, which allow for accessibility of learning, the encouragement to use resources as you write code, rather than memorize, and that the technology is always evolving, so even the “experts” continue to be beginners!
Having a beginner’s mind is a beautiful thing, to approach with wonder and to explore what is new. When I notice self-doubt, I acknowledge it and try to open up to curiosity for what is to come. It’s a process, not a destination!
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