non-technical learning resources Having reached a personal coding milestone, I wanted to write about a non-technical topic: learning. So programming will always require beating some learning curve whether it’s with a greenfield or brownfield project. The most important thing about this journey has been having no-zero days. Ultimately, the best way to learn how to code is to code. However, discouragement and doubt can interfere. Below are strategies that have helped me.
Instead of coding, I do the following:
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Watch codealongs and live lectures Through these lectures, I am introduced to topics before diving into the actual readings and labs. This tended to reinforce and soften the material while connecting old lessons to new ones.
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Re-read the lessons and/or documentation After struggling with a lab or test, I read documentation without the pressure to pass a lab or test. Rethinking a problem without my current code in front of me unclogged some thinking.
While coding, I do the following more and more:
- **Focus on having more tests pass than completing a lab or project **As I entered completely new material, this mindset on passing individual tests was key.
Out of the three, videos and lectures reinforced my learning the most when I didn’t code or coded very little. This is my learning style that resulted from going through Learn.co. It’s always a work-in-progress, but I hope that these tips encourage others to find out how they learn.