Finding a purpose

I have always learned best by doing. In elementary school they told me I am a kinesthetic learner. Turns out, that is a highly recommended way to learn to code: Do, break, fix, repeat! Match made in heaven.

Right now my schooling has me working on HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Unfortunately, I am fresh out of ideas for websites to build. So I posted on Facebook that I am willing to do some work for someone in need, and I ended up with a couple of projects to work on. This is exciting! Now I can use my time and energy on the code instead of spending it thinking of an idea or my own project.

While HTML, CSS, and Javascript are not languages I plan on mastering, they are an integral part of anything built online. What good is a piece of software nowadays if you don't have a website up to show it off to the world? So I am doing what needs to be done. The Odin Project -the online school I am using to learn code, and henceforth referred to as TOP- wants me to learn these languages, so I will learn them. Simple as that.

One thing I definitely want to point out is that there is no substitute for real world practice. I have completed every tutorial and read every word of every page that TOP has lead me toward, yet it took me almost 8 hours to set up my website on a server and to get it up and running. Nothing I previously learned had prepared me for that. I was constantly running into issues and had to search for answers. I am told this is also how a lot of work gets done by actual developers.

Either way, the payoff was well worth it, as usual. My website is up and everything is coming along smoothly. I am still enjoying every second, and I am learning so many things every day. This is something I can see myself doing for a very long time.

When I started out a few months ago, I honestly believed that it was too late. I thought I was too old, too far behind everyone else, and just had too much going on to dedicate the time to this. Now I realize what a terrible way that is to look at it. It's a terrible way to look at anything. I am a human, and that means I can do anything I set my mind to. Wasn't it the Egyptians who built those big buildings in the desert without machines? Yeah, I think I can figure this thing out. I just have to keep at it.