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Self-taught programmer struggling to stay motivated

Discussion in 'Off-topic Discussion' started by vushidofrown, Aug 23, 2021.

  1. vushidofrown

    vushidofrown New Fapstronaut

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    TL;DR Any programmers (self-taught or professionally trained) with advice on how to stay motivated in their learning journey? Or anybody with experience and tips for going from 0 to a stable programming job?

    Apologies if this is long-winded with seemingly no direction, I really needed somewhere to vent since I have most non-educational sites and apps blocked on all my devices (reddit, discord, ect)

    I'm a 22 year old first generation college (uni) student, living with grandparents, no car, no gf, and enrolled in a graphic design program with a bit of programming experience from community college. I suppose the few programming courses I took in school doesn't make me a full "self-taught" coder but most of my knowledge has been from books or courses like udemy and coursea. I switched my major from CS to graphic design during the beginning national lockdown from covid. One, because of the overwhelming stress of trying to do the load of CS/Calc work online with no help, and two because I prefer art anyway, in terms of pursuing something in college, and have been drawing and into art all my life. I'm having a hard time staying motivated about finding my first programming job in a timely manner as I watch my finances spiral out of whack. I have a job which I find very fun, but it only pays 9/hr and my shifts are very short, usually about 4 and a half hours unless I'm doing a double which is basically two 4 hour shifts which can have between 30 minutes to two hours of "break" time in between. I getting a coding related job without a degree isn't something that can happen overnight, but I feel like I'm barely making the progress required or necessary for an employer to take a chance on me. I'm currently reading Python Crash Course 2nd edition and doing the projects, as well as Automate The Boring Stuff In Python. Additionally I'm doing Harvard's CS50 course and I plan on continuing The Odin Projects Full-Stack development course.

    I'm literally doing all of this on just a raspberry pi 400 keyboard since my graphics card died in my Desktop computer and I don't have the money yet to buy another one thanks to the inflated prices. On one hand I'm glad that I had to downscale to a more limited and less powerful device (raspberry pi) so it keeps me focused and forces me to learn to navigate the new environment of linux and the terminal and what not, and it makes it harder to relapse and indulge in my addiction plus the filters and blockers I set. But everyday I have to fight the deep pit of loneliness I feel since I can't really talk to my friends or play many games with them. I've blocked discord and uninstalled instagram cause there's too many triggers, I only really talk to friends through snapchat to share memes occasionally. I did this to myself for my own sake because of my addiction, but It's just hard to stay motivated and to keep going cause I wonder all the time if any of it is worth it or if I'm wasting a great deal of my time. I just do a bit of coding, stare out of my window for a few minutes, read a book, have a good cry nap and probably watch anime/youtube for the rest of the day in my room. Some days I have good momentum and get things done but It's hard to be consistent. I do go to the gym about 3-4x a week.

    I do like computers, coding and learning new things about coding, I'm not too great at math but I know where to get the resources to learn. I know I can get better If I stick with it. I just wish to FINALLY have just an ounce of financial security to help ease the stress off my grandparents, afford to see another therapist, buy a cheap car and not really on uber/friends, not constantly worry about bank account getting overdrawn. It's all so so tiring, like I'm chasing some carrot on a stick that will eventually lead me worse off. My grandparents are too old to work so that leaves it up to me. My mental health has been slightly getting better quitting PMO these past few weeks but I still got a bit to go. Any advice greatly appreciated no matter what it is. I don't know, I can't tell If I just feel lost or losing hope or lonely, most likely combination of all three.
     
    ICE :D likes this.
  2. slyrack1

    slyrack1 Fapstronaut

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    Hey, I'm a programmer for 4 years and this is what I found out:

    1) My code is total garbage when I
    * watch a lot of porn and masturbate
    * play (a lot) video games
    * watch Netflix for many hours
    * don't exercise / move at all

    When this is the case, I always ask myself for what I even get paid. I'm one of the best paid programmers in my company and I just feel bad, when I'm in this phase.
    I often had panic attacks because I couldn't get anything done.

    2) I turn into a programmer-superhero when I
    * stay away from porn and masturbation for like 30-60 days
    * don't really play a lot of video games (by the way, if I play video games in this phase, like competitive ego-shooters, I'm way better at it)
    * don't watch too much netflix
    * regularly exericse

    When I'm in this phase, my code is sometimes even better of colleagues who have way more experience than me. Plus I have awesome ideas for the company and stuff.
     
  3. get good sleep and avoid burnout (though I'm talking from someone who does programming sometimes for fun, not as a pro)
     
  4. script

    script Fapstronaut

    Sounds like a general problem with structuring your days. I always say this: Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. It doesn't have to be the one of Elon Musk, just a start.
    Here's a good tip: Wake up at the same time every day and follow a routine. It doesn't have to cover the whole day, just the start, that'll set the tone.
    One example: Wake up at 8am, shower, brush teeth, shave, dress up, breakfast. Now it might be 9am or 9:30, doesn't matter, but limit the time you accommodate. This does not not mean you have to rush, I'd recommend the opposite, take your time, enjoy your breakfast, but don't overdo it with the YouTube videos while you're eating. At 9:30 you'll have to get to work.

    When it comes to working, what I like to do is to use a timer. I know what my goal is: 3h of continuous work, I set my phone into flight-mode and will not open up YouTube, 9gag, NoFap, reddit or whatever. For you this could be a 1h streak or a 5h streak - again - don't kill yourself along the process, just have a plan. You can do a couple of these kinds of sessions a day and in-between you can have lunch, work out or do whatever you might want to do.

    Another thing I'd recommend to you:

    You seem to like visual work, if you want to make more money, but still have the satisfaction of being creative in the way of designing apps, how they look and feel to the user, you might want to become a frontend-developer. Now, you can research that "What do frontend-developers do?", "What is frontend-development?", "Frontend vs. backend" and so on. In case you can see yourself doing that and you want to start out you'll have to learn to use one of the frontend-frameworks out there. You want to be sure that you'll get a job? Search for frontend jobs in your area, what kinds of frameworks do they require? How high is the pay? You see hundred of job offers for react-native frontend-dev? Look into it! There are many great tutorials out there of those frameworks. There are also boot camps if you need some serious 'motivation'.

    Hope this helps, best of luck!

    Oh, and this requires some time, you'll not become a frontend-dev over night, but you'll become one way faster if you know that this is what you want to be.
     

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