From Zero to Code Hero: Beginner-Friendly Tips for Coding Success

Photo by Markus Spiske: https://www.pexels.com/photo/display-coding-programming-development-1921326/

 I guess these will be some tips, tricks or advice, so here it goes. If I could suggest something to anyone going into studying coding and programming it would be this, start listening to Podcasts or videos on YouTube that have to do with Cybersecurity, and Cyber news, that way you are up to date on everything that going on in IT, technology, and all things related to coding and programming that have to do with what's going on in the world today, another reason is, to get used to the technical terms that people use within IT and programming. The more familiar you are with the terminology, the easier it will make everything down the road.

I'd also suggest, looking into a little bit of everything, weather that's A.I, Machine Learning, Blockchain and Cryptography, or even other programming languages you won't be using per say. Why? The more you know, that easier it will make things for you. Sounds crazy, but learning coding and programming, is similar to learning a new language, a lot of the things within the world of IT, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, they intersect with each other, so it may not seem like it now, but down the road, months, to years later, you will thank yourself for all the knowledge that you acquired in the beginning. 

So yes, learn Python, but on the side, look into other avenues as well, the more you teach yourself in the beginning stages, the easier it will make things for you. Oh, and look into Computer Science, it's basically the building blocks for learning and understanding coding and programming, learning how computers work, all the ins and outs of them, will make learning different software's, and different programming languages much easier for you, once you get a grasp at least of how computers work.

So, please, don't be scared to expand your mind with even more knowledge while you're learning how to code and program in the beginning, you won't regret it.

How we use technology to fill the void of loneliness

 It's so weird, and kinda sad in a way, how listening to Podcast, even audiobooks, can fill up an empty void, thus making you feel less alone, by hearing other people talk, it also helps you get your mind off yourself, or from overthinking about things. Especially for people who work from home, or have kids, or are housewives, or as some call its homemakers, when your alone in the house all day, your mind is bound to wonder, and overthink about a thousand different things.

So, you start searching for things to occupy your mind, listening to music, online courses, lectures, Podcasts, basically anything you can think of, in order for your mind to stop overthinking, for you to not feel so alone, and isolated. You might even watch gameplay video's or play a videogame, or sit back and read a book, but despite all of that, it doesn't replace being around actual people, laughing, and joking around, and talking about mundane things from time to time. 

Podcast and audiobooks are the closets things you possibly can find, to feeling like your around other people, and aren't alone, by listening to other people talk about things that you relate too, it helps you feel less lonely. That's why eventually, most people either work, or go to college, even if it's part time, or if not that, then hanging out with friends on the weekend, people need social interaction, and friendship, yes friendship, not just romantic, but casual friendship is just as important. 

Maybe it's just me, but I honestly think and feel that there's still a lot of unsaid things that people just don't talk about, and sadly it feels like it just gets worse, the older you get. You don't realize it or know it when your 18 or even 24, but slowly when you're nearing the end of your 20's and nearing your 30's you can just feel a shift, and I wouldn't say that it even is a nice feeling at all. When you actually stop and look around at people who are 30 years old and beyond, you can just tell, that most people by that age, just want to be left alone, they just want to go to work, go home, rest, go to bed, repeat. So even though people need friendship, by the time you're in your 30's, you can tell that by then, most people are just "done", so to speak, and want to be left alone, no drama, no talking, nothing basically. If you think about it, that's pretty said, when you actually realize how common it actually is, for a long time, I thought it was just people who were 70-90 years old, but no, it literally starts in your 30's. 

I don't know if it's biology, or from society, but I honestly didn't think or know that this would happen, or how common it is, the older you get, the harder it is to make new friends, let alone, keep in touch with them, or making plans to hang out, and then usually at the last minute either you or the other person bails out, and cancels the plans at the last minute. Then after so many tries, you slowly give up hanging out with the person, and then pull back, talking, messaging the person less and less. Then eventually, you see them, and end up just saying "hi" in passing, and that's it. Then eventually over time, you go and search for ways to fill the void, hence looking for audiobooks, Podcasts, music, movies, gameplays, basically anything you can think of, in order to keep your mind busy, and to make you feel less alone. 

Misconceptions about learning how to code and program

 

Now I've just started studying coding and programming, and learning how it all works, also while at the same time, learning about computer science, the ins and outs of how computer's work, A.I, and machine learning. I want to talk about some of my thoughts so far on coding, and misconceptions about learning coding. 

I don't know why, but there seems to be this recurring theme, of giving people this idea, that learning coding is easy, and that it's fast, and that within a few months, you'll learn code, and get hired and then make big bucks. Basically, kinda like how, when I went to school for CNA, and they made it sound super easy, learning how to become a CNA, and then after making it sound that you'll get hired fast, and make money. 

I'm going to tell you right now, that just like what I went through with learning how to be a CNA, learning how to code, even though they a vastly different, they are not fast and easy to learn how to do, each in their own way of course. Now getting back to coding, coding and programming, I would combine computer science into it, as computer science is the building blocks of learning how computers work at all, it's a vast, and huge field of learning, and it never ends, the best part, is that it all builds on top of each other, so the more you watch about coding, and the more you practice, the more it starts to make sense, the bad part, is this, it takes TIME, it will take you months, to years to get a grasp, and truly understand it all within coding and programming. So please, understand this, learning how to code and program, it's a huge eye opener, and will surely expand your mind, and how much is truly out there for you to learn, but remember this, it's NOT FAST AND EASY, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible, it just means that it will take you time, to learn and understand it all. 

So, please don't be too hard on yourself, you're doing great, just keep learning and practicing, and you'll get it!

Stepping into the Real World: Essential Insights for Life after High School

                                                                                   Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silver-ipad-on-white-book-page-289737/

This might be a long rant, but please bear with me as I try to tell you my take on all of this, what may seem to not be a huge problem, in hindsight, actually really is. 

We all have heard it time and time again, the preparations, the lectures, the teachers getting on your case, trying to prepare you for life after high school, aka college. What they don't tell you is how difficult it actually is in reality, not just college, but even just searching for a job itself.

To start off, I was only in college for a brief period, but even I could tell, that the system in college is beyond broken, the teachers either don't care, or are not equipped to help the students with what they actually need help within class, next are the books, the books are overpriced as hell, making it ten times harder to get the materials you need for class, the layout of most colleges are so huge, including community colleges, that you basically have to take a dry run to the college, and a walk around, to get familiar with where everything is.

The worst part in my opinion, is realizing that all the information you're getting in the college, you can access online for free, when you just spent hundreds, to thousands of dollars on your books and classes. Unless you get in touch with other people in your class, the likelihood of you getting help with homework is slim to none, the teacher probably won't help you, and that leaves you with paying MORE money to get a tutor to help you, or you have to self-teach yourself the material. 

Let's jump a few years ahead now, say you graduated college, you got your degree, in whatever you went to college for, now you have to struggle with finding a job, searching for, applying for work, over and over again. In the beginning, you think it's easy, just a few clicks and then you'll land your dream job, then months go by, perhaps even a year or so, and you're still applying for work in the field you studied in. Then your forced to take anything, just to make money, have a job, and for everyone to stop asking if you have a job yet. No one talks about how soul crushing it actually is, going through all of that, looking for work, over and over again, going to interviews, getting your hopes up, just to get told, that you didn't land the job. 

Yes, all of this happens after high school, and honestly, I wish someone would have warned me about all of this ahead of time, that way I would have been more well equipped to handle all of this. I only took a short course for CNA, and even I struggled to find work for months, I had to volunteer for 3-4 months before I finally got hired at a nursing home. You search on YouTube, and you will find countless people telling their stories, of how they struggled with college, or finding work in the field that they majored in. The people who don't tell you, are the teachers, the counselors, hell maybe even your own parents. So, unless you search online yourself, you won't know, until you're in the position yourself, when it comes to being in college, and finding work.