Here's how you can maintain motivation and discipline while continuing your programming education.

To maintain motivation and discipline in programming education: 1. Set specific, achievable goals. 2. Break tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. 3. Establish a regular study schedule. 4. Find a study buddy or join study groups for accountability. 5. Reward yourself for completing milestones. 6. Stay curious and explore new topics regularly. 7. Seek inspiration from success stories or role models. 8. Take breaks and practice self-care to avoid burnout.

I personally like to gear my goals toward something applicable in my life. For example, I noticed many jobs asking for experience with a cloud provider normally list AWS. From there I set learning AWS as the long term goal. I'll break it down into two mid term goals, specifically that's learning and passing the Cloud Practitioner Foundational certificate, then learning and passing the Solutions Architect certificate. Then I'll further break down each of those short term goals and give them a timeline. So I would give studying maybe two weeks, and passing each certificate as a day. By breaking down the goals and estimating their time, I'm able to track my progress toward my goals.

Maintaining motivation and discipline while continuing your programming education is crucial for long-term success. One effective approach is to set clear, achievable goals for yourself, breaking down larger objectives into smaller tasks. Celebrate your progress along the way to stay motivated. Additionally, establish a consistent schedule for studying and coding, treating it as seriously as you would a job or class. Surround yourself with a supportive community, whether online or in-person, to share knowledge, seek advice, and stay inspired. Lastly, don't be afraid to take breaks when needed to prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

The routine you should extend beyond your studying. For instance, I have a typical morning routine that includes basic hygiene, breakfast, checking emails, and my goals for the day. I also have an evening routine for dinner, hygiene again, and reflecting on what goals I worked on/completed. If you have a routine for studying, similar to how a school schedule was for most of us, you'll find that you'll procrastinate less. This works similar to a gym routine where it's difficult in the beginning, but encourages consistency the longer you stick to it.

Social media platforms like LinkedIn can be great for staying motivated and disciplined in your programming education. By joining groups and engaging in conversations, you connect with like-minded individuals who share your interests and goals. Sharing your experiences through posts can also inspire and motivate others while receiving feedback and support from the community. This interaction fosters a sense of accountability and encourages you to stay focused on your learning journey.

A great source of motivation is to join a group of like-minded people. It makes the learning process fun as you follow your progress alongside other people, and keeps you accountable by having a group that will periodically check in on you. I personally like going to in-person groups but online works well especially if you live in a less populated area. Try to seek a mix of people above and below your skill level. I suggest above so that you have people to ask questions, and learn good practices from. You should also have a couple below so you can better contribute to your community when they ask questions. I find that I've grasped a skill when I can explain it verbally to someone else.

The best quote I've ever heard is to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you're not learning something new, then you're really not learning. Always embrace new challenges and don't worry about failing. Failing is also a learning experience, albeit a painful learning experience. Even if you come across something you don't know how to solve, there are a great amount of resources for you. Googling, StackOverflow, GitHub, AI, or even asking people in a group your part of. I find that a lot of people in the tech community are willing to have as long as you're willing to learn and ask.

When speaking of the beforementioned goals and mistakes you made, it's important to reflect. Did you achieve the goal? Was it achieved within the time frame? What did you learn by achieving this goal, and did it help you in a meaningful way? What mistake did you make, and what caused it? What did you learn from this mistake? What can you do to ensure you avoid making this same mistake in the future? Self-reflection is really important to track your progress in this journey, especially since learning is a lifelong journey. It's also great if you can ask others to help reflect on yourself. Again that's where being part of a group can really help because a different perspective will help you see things you missed.