First Impressions on Free Code Camp

I just began using Free Code Camp and have been pleasantly surprised with the amount that I have learned in the first few days. What drove me to it initially was the fact that it gives young coders am opportunity to build a portfolio by working with non-profits.

Breaking into any new industry your going to run into challenges. The most obvious for me being: how do you get a job with no experience? And, how do you get experience with no prior job? What comes first? FCC seems to have addressed this question by trading an education for volunteer work, an idea that I find respectable and logical.

As of this evening I have gone through the first three modules (HTML, Responsive Design with Bootstrap, and jQuery) and have learned lots about the respected languages, but more importantly, I have sharpened my "googling" skills when I run into road blocks. This is one thing I noticed when switching from codeacademy to FCC; there is an encouragement for students to figure out the problem themselves before asking for help. Although CodeAcademy's Q &A section can be very helpful, I also think that it hurt my learning when I would look for someone else's answer instead of figuring it out with my own resources-- aka the internet. FCC also has an active chat room and a very helpful community.

Overall I have been happy with FCC. It's structure is very similar to CodeAcademy, however, there is a huge incentive to finish as it will give you the opportunity to work with non-profits on real world projects. I hope to burn through FCC in the next couple of weeks while also supplementing my learning with Marjin Haverbeke's book Eloquent JavaScript

So far so good in the new world of coding.

-John

Laying the Ground Work

Background

I am a 24 year old college graduate from Jacksonville, Florida. Since I was 15 years old I have held a job. Through college at the University of North Florida I supported myself bar-tending at a wing restaurant on nights and weekends. After graduation I decided to take some time away from the rat race and moved to Jacksonville beach with two close friends. During this time I spent much of my time in the public library "finding myself" as I knew I was not satisfied with working in a restaurant for the rest of my life. I soon landed as an entry level sales position (the thought being anyone who bar-tends and works in the service industry will naturally do well in sales). Although I found myself highly capable in my new position I was also unhappy; I did not enjoy the work.

After more searching and logging more library hours I soon discovered computer programming. Two things jumped out at me right away. First, anyone can learn it no matter what your educational background is, and two, coding and literature (or reading and writing) have many similar characteristics. I started thinking that not only could I do this, but I could excel at it.

Fast forward to today and I have completed one course on codeacademy (Ruby), two courses on lynda.com, and have finished Chris Pine's book Learn to Program along with much research. I know I have a long way to go but my excitement level has only grown the more I learn--a good sign I believe.

I recently moved home with my mom and dad to Middleburg, Fl which is great because it removes me from distractions that I would be surrounded by if I lived near downtown Jacksonville or Jax Beach. I also have an open invitation to live with my older brother in Orlando, which I will certainly take advantage of for networking events like meet ups and conventions (there is zero tech presence in Middleburg, just woods).

Goals:
(clock starts 8/21/15)
· Secure a computer programming job in SIX months. Important because it will help me become financially independent and prove that I have what it takes to set a challenging goal and reach it. I will fulfill this goal by working 60 hours a week (10 hours a day) learning to code, going to networking events, and building my portfolio.

· Read a book a week. I'm a complete nerd when it comes to education; I think it's pretty neat. And I also believe that it is important to be well rounded so that I can create value in myself. I will read one book not related to coding a week. These books will be diverse in subject (philosophy, economics, self improvement, writing, etc.). I will accomplish this by reading two hours before bed each night.

· Get in great shape. This is important because the body and mind work in concert together and if one is out of tune it will influence the other. I will jog every morning starting with a mile a day and do strength exercises for 20 mins in the evening. I am keeping this very simple as I am more concerned with building a habit of exercising than following a strict regiment. I fully expect the distance and time of exercise to increase over time.

Simple Rules
(Influenced from the Stanford Entrepreneurial Podcast. There is an article here.)

· Wake up at 6 am every day

· Plan tomorrows schedule the night before

· Reach out to one new person in the tech industry daily. (twitter, email, linkedin, etc.)


Let the Games begin!

-John

In the Beginning...

Why should anyone learn to code? For me it comes down to investing in an education that makes sense in today’s ever evolving technical world. When I was searching for a degree to major in during my first couple of semesters in college I generally took the attitude that I should study the things that I enjoyed the most, and, in theory, a profitable job would follow suite. I choose to study English literature and if I could go back and do it again I would not necessarily change that. For me, the education I received from studying figures like Henry David Thoreau, Alan Watts, and James Weldon Johnson was monumental in my development as a person. The thirst for more of the things that we studied in class became desire that I could not quench, and to this day I spend much of my free time in the public libraries throughout Jacksonville.

I would, however, lower my expectations of the exchange value a liberal arts degree merits from others, primarily future employers. Perception is reality, and education is only as valuable as that reality.

My goal since my sophomore year of college was to go straight to law school after graduation. That began to change once I started to research law schools and began debunking many of the myths that surround the coveted JD. After speaking with attorneys, professors, and current law school students, I realized three things: One, practicing law is nothing like what you see on T.V.; Two, the financial investment of a law degree can be crippling-- forcing graduates to work in environments that they hate simply to pay back what they owe in student loans; And three, I realized that many of the graduates passing the bar exam are another two or three years away from actually knowing the ins and outs of the law game.

After taking a "pause" after college, I began to search for a career I could fit into, and like many other college graduates, I had no idea what I was doing.

A few months ago a friend of mine introduced me to the website codeacademy.com and told me to give coding a try. I began on the “Ruby” course. My curiosity rose. The next day I researched the mass influence that computer languages have on our world and its potential impact on the future and my curiosity turned to intrigue. People say there is a moment in our lives that wakes us up; an awakening of sorts. A moment so significant it's like seeing the world for the first time. This was not that moment for me. In fact, I envy those who experience sudden "aha!" moments that change their life around in an instant. For me that has never been the case, however, the introduction to Ruby was my very first step in taking control of my future and making a decision to enter the tech world.

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided." -Tony Robbins

I have officially taken action. In early August I gave my two week notice to my employer and agreed that the 21st would be my last day. Since the middle of July I have been researching the proper path for a self taught programmer and I have been overwhelmed with the amount of information out there along with the amount of people in the community that are willing to help. Simply put, I can't wait for the 21st to come around so I can begin this journey full time. Until then, I will settle for nights and early mornings.

Today, as I write this, I am taking action for a better future. Creating this blog, investing in my self education, and learning a computer language are all steps that will help me reach my goal of securing a job in the tech industry.

-John