5 Beginner Tips for Staying Motivated
I've been learning Javascript for a few months now and sometimes it feels like I'm not getting anywhere. There are a few things that I do to motivate myself to keep going. I'm sure that many people out there, just like me, are struggling to grasp concepts and measure improvement. Here are a few things that I have found that have helped.
Subscribe to job websites. This has helped me a lot. When I'm doubting myself and wanting to quit I'm able to log on to my email and see all of the job openings in my area and the estimated salary of each. I enjoy coding for the most part, but it's nice to know that people need the skills that I'm attaining.
Talk to people on LinkedIn. I've only just begun my journey of being a developer and I've already gotten very positive feedback from people. I message people that have done what I'm trying to do and ask for advice. It's a little easier for me because I can just message veterans that have gone through the whole process and ended up on the other side, but find someone that has done what you are trying to do and talk to them.
Build projects. Sometimes it feels monotonous to read books or watch videos and code along. The most important thing that you can do is build something that is a little above your skill level. You will learn a lot and you'll be able to measure how far you have come.
Go back and read some of the code that you wrote earlier. This helps me because I know how hard it was for me at the time and looking back at it makes me realize how much I have learned. You could even try and see how fast you can build one of the projects that you struggled with. It's a pretty fun exercise and you may realize that you haven't used some of those skills in a while.
Show other people (non-programmers) what you've made. It's great to see people look at something and say, "You made that?". Especially if it's something that doesn't feel necessarily impressive compared with things that you've seen other people make.
All of these things have helped me stay on the path. Especially when projects were taking a long time or I felt like I wasn't getting any better or learning anything.
If anyone else has any advice I would love to hear it. Please leave a comment.