A common myth about software developers is that they’re boring and dry geeks, who were math geniuses at school, that spend hours in front of computer screens writing code.

Yes, developers may spend their life in front of computer screens writing code. However, there is much more to it than just coding like a machine the whole day. For me personally, being a developer means you have the chance to build cool stuff by yourself.

I started self-learning front-end development my sophomore year. My journey has been filled with self-doubt and hurdles, along with joy and extreme excitement. I never imagined I could experience all that while learning something.

Sometimes, even now, I still wonder whether I am following the right path. However, by telling myself that there is nothing more pleasurable than being able to do what I love, I keep putting my head down and I continue working.

It has been around two years since I started writing my first lines of code. After many hours of practicing, with sometimes feeling like giving up followed by temporary discontinuity, I would like to share with you a few things that I wish I knew from the beginning.

Don’t treat coding as a leisure interest

First and foremost, if you think that you need to be serious while coding, you’re 100 percent right. It is definitely true that you will probably not spend time doing something you don’t like.

However, doing it just on a hobby basis — that is, you only code when you feel like doing it without any specific commitment or schedule — will probably not lead you to the career that you have always wanted.

In addition, when you encounter obstacles and difficulties, are you sure that you will have enough patience to keep your little interest alive? Rather, you might end up giving up or potentially going through a long stagnation in the middle.

Therefore, you should be incredibly dedicated to your passion, my friends. Yes, I am sure that all of us developers have a great interest in coding and technology in general.

However, passion is nothing without the right execution. By committing to a specific goal along with an appropriate schedule, you are building milestones along your journey. Put in a huge commitment to your given timeframe. Specify which skills and technologies you want to learn over a certain period of time. Then you’ll be closer than ever to making learning how to code an imperative part of your life.

Figure out which technologies you need to focus on

Once you’ve started taking coding seriously, the next step is to be honest with yourself. What kind of developer do you want to be?

Start by asking yourself what interests you the most. Are you passionate about building user interfaces which control the way users interact with your product? If yes, then front-end technologies should be your main focus. Or maybe designing is not in your DNA and you’re interested in how the server side works — then back-end stuff should be your focus.

Giving yourself a clear idea of what you need to learn, based on your interests, is a key element. If you’re still not sure which side is for you, Google them to figure it out or try out a bit of each. Each of us have our own preferences and skills — the things we do best. So answering this question might be simpler than you’ve thought.

Start with the easy things

In the beginning, you might be confused by almost every single task, regardless of difficulty level. From choosing a proper text editor to setting up an environment for a project, it will surely cause you more troubles than you ever expected.

Therefore, if you are a complete beginner who is trying out their first language, I highly recommend starting with the easy things. Focus on platforms that provide interactive coding playgrounds, such as Codecademy.

That’s where I began, too. These platforms help you focus solely on being familiar with the programming languages without worrying about initialization. You will need to learn these things later on, of course. However, I believe that beginning with writing code will not only excite you, but also help you avoid being overwhelmed.

What learning resources are out there?

There are different paths that you can choose in order to be a software developer. You could either enroll for a computer science degree, participate in coding bootcamps, or even teach yourself. Either way, you’ll always need to constantly update your learning materials. As I belong to the last category, I would like to share how I filter out my learning resources.

Begin with coding playgrounds

At the very first step, starting with easy-to-understand-and-learn platforms such as Codecademy. It offers a place where you are able to read the instructions, and then practice the knowledge right away thanks to the built-in web-based text editor. The result is shown on the screen as well. Just sign in for free, pick up what technologies you are interested in, enter the designated learning track, then you’re good to go.

Another very useful resources especially for newbies is freeCodeCamp. Unlike Codecademy where you have to pay for more premium courses (which are, however, very useful), freeCodeCamp offers totally FREE courses and learning tracks. They even give you certificates when you complete each major section.

Their tutorials also include detailed instructions, a built-in text editor, and clear explanations too. Additionally, there are projects available where you can use the skills you’ve learned to solve various problems.

Choosing the right learning resources

This process is actually quite challenging. It’s not because there are too few reliable and well-documented sources. There are actually too many tutorials, which potentially overwhelm you at first. Deciding on which way to go can be tough, as you will probably spend a certain period of time following along each path you try. Therefore, a bad tutorial might not only cost you time but also demotivate you from moving forward.

Before asking anyone else or Googling where should you learn, please do me a favor, my friends: ask yourself first! Why? Because there are various types of tutorials out there — videos, e-books, textbooks, and online or in-person bootcamps. Only you’ll be able to tell what type of resources you can effectively learn the most from.

For me personally, I enjoy watching video tutorials and coding along while watching them. That’s why I treat it as my primary learning method. But you might like reading instead so you can entirely control the pace of learning. In that case, you’d be better off going go for well-known books.

Ultimately, you may realize that it is necessary to combine different learning methods. However, in each case you’ll perhaps spend a lot of your time on Medium, where you’ll find many useful resources that you’re most comfortable with.

And so, just like the way you’ll figure out what technologies you decide to learn, take a step back, give your mind some space, and determine what type of learning resources you’d like to consume. When you’ve found something that it is right for you, then go for it!