Remember that commercial - ‘How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?’

I think learning to code serves up the same philosophical challenge. Recently, I find myself asking the question, how much do I really know about programming? How much more do I have to learn to become a decent web developer?

That’s when I came across this interesting chart created by the Viking Code School:

It’s pretty self-explanatory and does an excellent job of charting my own progression with learning to code. Initially, I found myself soaking up the material and making strong headway in CareerFoundry, a remote bootcamp course - it was like bowling with the guard rails up. I sped through the course in a month and half, when it was supposed to take at least three months.

By the end, I understood the ecommerce website I had built and could troubleshoot other students’ issues - mostly by comparing it to my working code and reflecting back on what problems I had.

Nevertheless, I had an excellent grasp of the course material and a solid enough professional background that I applied and was offered a part-time remote position with the bootcamp as a Student Mentor. I was ecstatic that my new career decision was looking optimistic.

But I had no idea what my next steps would be - what to study next. I had a good grasp of how Ruby on Rails worked, but if I was asked to create a web application from scratch, I would’ve said, “I need a few days.” It was with that realization that I started Flatiron School’s Learn Verified program to gain a better foundation in programming.

I’m still progressing through the course, but I find this material to be more comprehensive (it does cost more!). I learned the ins and outs of Ruby - from procedural to object oriented programming and as a result, I gained a deeper understanding of Rails. I even learned about dynamic object relational mapping and frameworks that build upon those concepts.

Then this happened:

My streak of working on coursework ended at 47 days - keep in mind, this was kept up during the holidays, so it was a pretty big commitment for me to break. The truth was that the pressure of taking on a new venture and not wanting to fail finally caught up with me.

It hit me like a ton of bricks how foreign some of the material was to initially comprehend and how frustrating it was at times to debug incorrect code, never mind the sheer amount of material available to learn. Sometimes, I knew the code was wrong, but I didn’t even know what questions to ask or what to Google. Other times, I was just confused. There were several times when I considered whether I was wrong in attempting to learn programming.

And that’s when I realized that the issue was deeper than coding.

I reflected on the fact that everything is pretty easy to start - introductory material is always simplified and generalized. It’s only when you try to become proficient in an area that you have to learn the intricacies and abstractions that define expertise.

When I first started to learn how to golf, it was fun for a while, trying to whack at a ball. But as I tried to refine my swing and improve my accuracy, the pressure to perform grew, as did the expectation to be better. When it didn’t come quickly, I remember there was a moment in time that I lost interest in it and wanted to pursue another sport. But now, I wouldn’t trade my golf game for any other sport in the world, except maybe sled dog racing across Alaska.

Yes, the journey will undoubtedly get harder as I continue, but my confidence grows as does my experience and proficiency. It would be a lot easier to move on to another goal or quit and start over in something else now that the rosy-colored glasses have come off. But I know that becoming a programmer and making web applications is something I enjoy and want to do. I just have to shamelessly admit that I am not a prodigy at it and commit myself to working hard to becoming a proficient developer.

A fellow Learn student commented that going through the objected oriented exercises reminded her of the song “Ooh Child” by The Five Starsteps, as she saw the letters “OO” so much.

I think it’s a fitting song for all of us to hear, especially when we’re on the cusp of the upswing to awesomeness.