How I Learned How to Code in Just 1,825 Days

If you're like me, you work in at a company and in a role that is profoundly impacted by technology. You have seen the increasing value of being able to write code. Engineers are paid well, generally treated with respect inside the firm, and never have trouble finding jobs. Being able to do what they do, even just a little bit, seems super valuable.

You're not alone. The number of student majoring in computer science is skyrocketing at top universities like Stanford, Harvard and MIT.

I've been trying to learn how to code for years. Forget the fact that I took programming classes in high school and college with Java and Python. I first wrote about wanting to program web apps in 2010, over five years ago!

I tried learning Ruby on Rails by following blog posts I found on the internet. I was able to follow a basic tutorial, but things fell apart when I tried to upgrade a newer version of Rails and stuff broke. I was annoyed but got busy with other things.

I tried again with Ruby on Rails in 2013, using Treehouse video's for instruction. I got further, building a small app that still works to this day: RewardBox. But when I tried to add a new model to my app and had to update the database, I broke my app and didn't know how to fix it. Again, I was frustrated but got caught up in other projects and I abandoned my "learned to code" efforts once again.

When Things Finally Clicked

Then, in Spring 2015, I signed up for the Front-End Web Development class with General Assembly. I was pissed because I had been told that I couldn't move into a role that I wanted because my technical skills were being questioned. I felt I had picked up plenty in that area in the last few years but I didn't have anything specific to point to.

The course was $2500 and while my employer reimbursed me for it, I had to make the case for it to my manager to get me covered, which wasn't easy. It was two 3 hour evening classes a week, plus homework, for 10 weeks. I had to bust my butt to do it on top of my day job.

Through that, I ended up launching StartupAdventure.co, a choose-your-own-story game covered by PSFK, and Great F*cking Startup Advice, a profanity-laced business suggestion generator covered by DesignTaxi that's delivered advice over 800,000 times. Finally, after 5 years or 1,825 days, I had "learned how to code".

Today, I can build simple apps for the web and am continuing to explore writing software in small ways. Just a few days ago, I tweaked the GFSA site to make I Dare You to Build. Could I get hired as a front-end web developer? Absolutely not! But I feel like I've made it over a big hump, and I can now teach myself any new skills I want to learn.

Why It Worked

The program focused on learning HTML, CSS, and Javascript. I already had a lot of experience with HTML and CSS, and adding the Javascript was a natural next step. I had accountability in the form of homework assignments, and designated time when I was going to focus on learning. The instructor and TA's helped guide me towards the solutions of my problems and being part of a group of students kept me motivated and inspired.

And perhaps most importantly, I had to build and ship a final project.

Lessons Learned

After five years of trying to do this, I've learned a few things:

• You can learn to code, build apps, and launch cool things into the world
• Tough projects require dedicated, regular blocks of time
• It's easier to make progress when you are surrounded with like-minded people trying to do the same thing
• If you really want to improve, you have to invest in yourself
• You never learn faster than when you are working towards a concrete and personally meaningful project

Epilogue

Soon after I launched Great F*cking Startup Advice, I got an idea and started working on something with Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya called Ship Your Side Project.

Ship Your Side Project is a six week online bootcamp for midcareer tech professionals who want to launch a personal projects.

If you're like most creative people, you probably have a side project or two that you want to dust off and make happen. Something you've been meaning to get back into - a website, podcast, mobile app, maybe even an online course.

This program puts you together with a capped group of 30 other tech professionals who are all working towards their own projects, and pushes you to launch something publicly at the end of six weeks.

We ran the first session in January through March of 2016 and we had a blast! So we're running it again this fall. Don't miss out - head to shipyoursideproject.com to learn more and apply to join.

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Jason Shen is a product manager at Etsy and a partner at Ship Your Side Project. He previously was a Presidential Innovation Fellow, cofounder of a Y Combinator-backed startup, and on the men's gymnastics team at Stanford University. He writes about technology, business, and psychology at The Art of Ass-Kicking.