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F*ck it, i'm learning to code

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Roli

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Ironically, I do recommend the github tutorials. It's pretty quick and you can just google how to do whatever you need.

Ha! Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day ;) I guess github requires little to no creativity to use, so a straight forward functional tutorial should do it. I searched a couple yesterday, I'll find a good one and dive in.

The basic idea is that it is a version control system.

That's the first description that has made me realise why I might actually use it for my own stuff. So thanks!

Don't use the GUI, just learn to use the terminal.

Yeah I like using the terminal, I did some Solidity programming back in the summer and really enjoyed it. It felt like I was diving into the depths of the machine.

My advice is to prepare these and discuss them with a experienced dev:

1. Description/Document for the project. What does it do? Who will use it? What functions will it have? What data will it collect(emails, names, age, images, etc.)? What data will it contain(do you need a complex Database)?
2. Mockups for the project
- Photoshop if you can
- Paint, if wireframes will be enough to explain
- Flowchart Maker & Online Diagram Software is pretty good for mockups too (although draw.io is not for mockups generally)
3. What is the bare minimum to deploy the project? What minimum/core functions can you get away with and still have a product/service to sell?

Thanks, I am not a complete novice so this advice is good. However I don't really know any devs that I can hit up for that much help. Are you one? Can you suggest some online hangouts?

783th iteration: Let's finalise the OAuth 2.0 API so I can incorporate financial flows from bank X into my financial app.

Lolz, I like it! Roll on iteration 783!!
 
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alexkuzmov

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Thanks, I am not a complete novice so this advice is good. However I don't really know any devs that I can hit up for that much help. Are you one? Can you suggest some online hangouts?

I`ve alot of experience as a dev, yes, about 11 years.
I can help you out for sure.
As for online hangouts, not sure. Do you mean like a discord?
Btw the fastlane forum is awesome for getting advice on such things. There are many more experienced devs on it.
Why not just post a thread?
 

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I think it's a great start. If I can recommend where to start, it's with developing your first basic webpage. From there everything else falls into place.

1)HTML/CSS - Which is basically the structure of the page, words, styling.
2) Setting up hosting/domain.
3) PHP - To manage logic.
4) MYSQL - For interacting with a database.

Honestly, as long as you can mark up a page with html, and style it with css you have the first half down. Then get it online with hosting so you can practice. Then - learn and practice php for dynamic content. Then MySQL to interact with a database so you can store information.

Why do you go with PHP over JS?

I am wondering, say you have someone:
- that is starting from scratch
- wants to learn enough code to be able to rapidly develop working prototypes of web apps
- has one year to gain that practical knowledge

which language would you recommend?

//tagging @eliquid and @csalvato
 

eliquid

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Why do you go with PHP over JS?

I am wondering, say you have someone:
- that is starting from scratch
- wants to learn enough code to be able to rapidly develop working prototypes of web apps
- has one year to gain that practical knowledge

which language would you recommend?

//tagging @eliquid and @csalvato

Thats like asking, how long is a piece of string?

What's better, ford or chevy?

Apple or Mac?

If I dug down deep to try to find a good answer, you can learn both in 1 year.

But I know from experience there are still a % of people that have issues running JS in their browser. That's enough for me to stick to PHP for webpages.
 
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csalvato

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Why do you go with PHP over JS?

I am wondering, say you have someone:
- that is starting from scratch
- wants to learn enough code to be able to rapidly develop working prototypes of web apps
- has one year to gain that practical knowledge

which language would you recommend?

//tagging @eliquid and @csalvato

There's a running theme here with this question that's popping up over and over again. Have you noticed it?

People with no experience in software keep asking what language to learn as though it's a massive key to unlock the universe and their full potential.

The people who are making a great wage from software (either in a high paying day job, from their companies, or both) keep giving the same response.

It doesn't matter.

Just pick one and run with it. Once you learn your first one, you can learn another one in ~2-3 weeks, at most.

In weightlifting circles, Mark Rippetoe has made this chart on The Novice Effect very popular. You'll find it carries over to most domains, including software:

29107

To put it simply, when you're first learning you will be learning so much every single day, even though your training capacity (your ability to focus, or your body's ability to adapt to the new training) may be small. As you get more proficient, you don't learn as much within that domain anymore. But if you enter a new domain, you still have The Novice Effect there.

Even if that chart makes no sense to you here's the quick and dirty...

Just pick one.

Find one that you think looks interesting to you and start learning it. Ideally, have a project in mind. I worked with one person who DM'd me to find a small project he can focus on while he learns – a proposal generator for his cleaning business.

Quite literally, writing all these languages on a wall and throwing a dart at them is absolutely acceptable.

To make a slightly more informed decision:

  1. Pick a language that has a tutorial or course that you find easy and intuitive. I find The Rails Tutorial to be amazing for beginners in both Ruby AND Rails. There's also Dive Into Python which made Python very accessible for me. The first language I learned was Java from a textbook + teacher in High School (after learning HTML/CSS to make a website on AngelFire when I was 10)
  2. Pick a language where you have a mentor. If @eliquid said he'd be happy to help answer questions on programming for you, then you should learn PHP because he can help you with that most easily. For people that I mentor, it's either Ruby or JavaScript, because I work with those every day.

Sidenote: learn HTML + CSS at the same time. Those aren't software languages (HTML is a markup language, and CSS is a style sheet language), but pretty much every software developer in 2019 should know the basics of how they work. Learning the basic takes, like, a week or two at most. Just knowing HTML/CSS can get you fit to earn cash after those 1-3 weeks of learning (something @Fox can attest to).
 
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S.Y.

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Thanks to both @eliquid and @csalvato .

This should be extracted in it is own thread :

There's a running theme here with this question that's popping up over and over again. Have you noticed it?

People with no experience in software keep asking what language to learn as though it's a massive key to unlock the universe and their full potential.

The people who are making a great wage from software (either in a high paying day job, from their companies, or both) keep giving the same response.

It doesn't matter.

Quite literally, just pick one and run with it. Once you learn your first one, you can learn another one in ~2-3 weeks, at most.

In weightlifting circles, Mark Rippetoe has made this chart on The Novice Effect very popular. You'll find it carries over to most domains, including software:

View attachment 29107

To put it simply, when you're first learning you will be learning so much every single day, even though your training capacity (your ability to focus, or your body's ability to adapt to the new training) may be small. As you get more proficient, you don't learn as much within that domain anymore. But if you enter a new domain, you still have The Novice Effect there.

Even if that chart makes no sense to you here's the quick and dirty...

Just pick one.

Find one that you think looks interesting to you and start learning it. Ideally, have a project in mind. I worked with one person who DM'd me to find a small project he can focus on while he learns – a proposal generator for his cleaning business.

Quite literally, writing all these languages on a wall and throwing a dart at them is absolutely acceptable.

To make a slightly more informed decision:

  1. Pick a language that has a tutorial or course that you find easy and intuitive. I find The Rails Tutorial to be amazing for beginners in both Ruby AND Rails. There's also Dive Into Python which made Python very accessible for me. The first language I learned was Java from a textbook + teacher in High School (after learning HTML/CSS to make a website on AngelFire when I was 10)
  2. Pick a language where you have a mentor. If @eliquid said he'd be happy to help answer questions on programming for you, then you should learn PHP because he can help you with that most easily. For people that I mentor, it's either Ruby or JavaScript, because I work with those every day.

Sidenote: learn HTML + CSS at the same time. Those aren't software languages (HTML is a markup language, and CSS is a style sheet language), but pretty much every software developer in 2019 should know the basics of how they work. Learning the basic takes, like, a week or two at most. Just knowing HTML/CSS can get you fit to earn cash after those 1-3 weeks of learning (something @Fox can attest to).
 

Andy Black

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Thats like asking, how long is a piece of string?

What's better, ford or chevy?

Apple or Mac?

If I dug down deep to try to find a good answer, you can learn both in 1 year.

But I know from experience there are still a % of people that have issues running JS in their browser. That's enough for me to stick to PHP for webpages.
People ask these a lot too:
  • Google Ads or Facebook Ads?
  • Wordpress or HTML/CSS?
  • Thinkific or Teachable?
  • Leadpages, Unbounce, or Thrivethemes?
  • Basecamp or Asana?
  • MailCheat(Chimp), ConvertKit, or ActiveCampaign?
  • Zendesk or Helpscout?
  • Freshbooks or Quickbooks?
The answer @csalvato gave above works for all of them.

Pick the easiest for you to get started with, and get started.

“You can’t steer a parked car.” (James Schramko)
 
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Andy Black

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EdKirby

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F*ck it, i'm learning to code

This has been nagging me for years now.

I'm sick of having great software ideas and not being able to build them.

I'm sick of not having any marketable skills.

And i'm sick of making excuses!

Why coding?

When my last business failed i realised i didn’t really have any “real” skills.

This is why i’m taking a step back before i launch another business and learning to program.

I’ve been interested in programming for a long time, but i never got around to learning anything more then HTML/CSS. I really like the idea of being able to build whatever i want, no matter how dumb it is.

I’m learning to code because i want to, not because it’s the fastest way to make money.


Here is the game plan:

I don't plan on wasting any time on this. Once i have a good understanding of the basics I plan on learning through DOING.

I'm currently going through the odin projects "web development 101". I already know HTML/CSS and Javascript is next.

I wasted a lot of time researching which back end language to learn but i've decided on "Ruby / Ruby on Rails". (there is no best language btw)

Once i know JS and I'm going to start applying to jobs/contracts while still learning RoR. My hope is to find something part time that is remote, that way i can spend the rest of my time learning and working on my own project.

Execution

The goal is to:
  1. Learn programming.
  2. Get a job and further develop this skill.
  3. Create a “web app” of my own.

In this thread I'll share a weekly recap of the things i've learned, challenges encountered and wins. If you're a programmer and have tips, feel free to pm me or leave a comment.

Congrats! You won't be disappointed. Uh...strike that. You'll be disappointed on a daily if not hourly basis. lol. Coding has been one of the most frustrating and most rewarding things I've had the pleasure of doing. :)

Seriously though, nice decision. You won't regret it.

Some things you may want to think about:

Have you taken a look at what the job market looks like for your given criteria?

As a newly minted Jr. Javascript dev you may find it difficult to find a remote part time gig and you probably wouldn't be hired just to do just javascript coding. You'll need to also learn a framework or even multiple frameworks that use javascript. Such as Angular, Express, and/or Node for the backend. In other words full stack or closer to it.

I know you decided on ruby and RoR, but again, have you checked the amount of jobs available and will it support your short term goal?

I did a quick US search on Indeed and there were ~2200 Ruby on Rails jobs, (if you know rails ;-) ) , ~5000 ruby jobs, about 19,000 .Net jobs, and ~23000 C# jobs. I did a quick Glassdoor search for Sweden and the numbers are much lower but the distribution is about the same. There were about 30 Rails jobs but an abundant amount of C#, .NET jobs, around 1000.

I don't want to derail you, no pun intended, but there may be other choices for languages and frameworks that might have a better shot of you landing your first programming gig that are still appropriate for your long term plans.

For one, you can do full stack development with C#, .NET/.NET Core. You would need the front end stack but you are working on that to some degree. But there are several other very good tech stacks you could go with as well. The MEAN stack, the old tried and true LAMP stack. But there again you need to see who's getting hire the most.

I want second what @Brewmacker said and with regards to Udemy there are some great full stack courses there. Rob Percival's courses are good but I would also highly recommend Angela Yu's courses. She's an amazing teacher. You wouldn't go wrong with her Web Dev Bootcamp. It covers pretty much everything you'd need to make your own web app. I won't list everything but here is some of it:

HTML 5
CSS 3
Bootstrap 4
Javascript ES6
DOM Manipulation
jQuery
Node.js
React.js
Express.js

The other advice I've seen that I whole heartedly agree with is to have some kind of project to work on. This one piece of advice, regardless of the tech you choose, will make the most difference in your learning.

If you have any more questions or want something clarified just let me know.
 

SeanLewis

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Week 1

It seems this thread got pretty popular and there is loads of value here. Big thanks to everyone who has contributed and offered to help.

I don’t think i made it clear in my first post but i’m actually pretty proficient with HTML/CSS/Bootstrap and i’ve launched simple sites like that before. I’ve had some exposure to javascript so i already know about functions, loops etc.

Even though i’ve never tried programing before, I've had a decent understanding of it.

Anyways..

I've spent about 15 hours in the past week learning. One thing i’ve noticed is that working from a virtual machine(Oracle VM running xubuntu) has done wonders for my productivity.

The general advice seems to be learning through doing and i couldn’t agree more. I spent a solid hour reading about “DOM manipulation” but it wasn’t until I was actually working/struggling on a project that it I actually started understanding it.

For the past year i’ve had the words “Try -> Fail -> Analyze -> adjust (repeat)” written on my whiteboard and i feel like that sums up my coding experience so far (add optional “bang head against desk” when necessary..)

I’ve been following the odin projects curriculum and so far i’ve really enjoyed it, they actually make you think instead of just showing you everything which i believe is the problem with a lot of “programming guides”.

So far i’ve created a few projects “rock paper scissors game”, sketchpad and a calculator. I’m not sure if i should stick with smaller projects or move on to something bigger.

I have an idea for a "workout builder" with some cool features. I’m starting to be able to imagine how to build these features which is really exciting.

Questions so far
  • Work on multiple smaller projects or a bigger one
  • When should i start using a framework?
  • how do i know when i'm good enough to get hired?
 
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  • Work on multiple smaller projects or a bigger one
  • When should i start using a framework?
  • how do i know when i'm good enough to get hired?

Work on multiple smaller projects or a bigger one
Make a list of project ideas. Keep them in a note or journal somewhere. When you have a new one, add it to the list.​
Pick just one of those ideas as your "main project" as you go through tutorials. It's ok if this isn't what you ultimately build, but being able to relate what you're learning to something you personally care about is important. For example, when I was learning RoR, the project I was interested in was making a Search Word Creator for teacher's classroom activities. That product never came to market, but having that in mind while learning was invaluable.​
When should i start using a framework?
The sooner the better, but everyone's different. I suggest taking Ruby on Rails Tutorial to start. If it feels like it's way too ahead of where you're at, no problem. You can always go back to it later. I always try to "start at the end" and see if I need to backpedal and learn something else first. Most times I surprise myself, and I don't need to do a lot of prep to learn what it is I actually want to learn. We're all a lot more capable than we think.​
how do i know when i'm good enough to get hired?
When you have a small working web app that you've created yourself, that actually does something, that you can demonstrate and talk through. With some previous coding experience, this took me about 2 weeks.​
You may also need to prepare for the tech interview process: Cracking the Coding Interview via HackerRank - YouTube
 

alexkuzmov

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Questions so far

Work on multiple smaller projects or a bigger one
When should i start using a framework?
how do i know when i'm good enough to get hired?


1. Work on multiple smaller projects or a bigger one

Small or big, make it one, not multiple.

2. When should i start using a framework

There is no "right" time.
Best to use it from the start and figure the framework out as you go.
Dont be afraid to take it appart.
Try to understand what each peace of code does (that WILL take years so dont get discouraged) and google google google.

3. How do i know when i'm good enough to get hired?

Learn, Apply, Retry.
 
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JohnForte

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Also, make sure you integrate processes at the beginning. Don't just learn to built and code, but learn proper deployment procedures and how to do it with or no downtime. Include in that proper version control strategies with proper merge requests.

Most of my clients come back to me cause I architect solutions on toolsets that mitigate risk and that usually becomes my upsell over my competition. Agreed this isn't for all clients but if you move into a big-league with enterprise clients I highly recommend it.

IE: While I architect using a load balancer, and 2 -3 docker containers, I explain to my client we take one docker container to replace it with the new version, and we can move a little traffic to it, then we see if issues arise before deploying it fully.
 

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I can give my 2 cents, since I'm in the exact same position as you.
I had an app idea, something I believe can be revolutionary, and have lost sleep over just ruminating all the ins and outs of it. Still matching up so far.
Spoke to my software developer friend who works for google, and has been developing for 9 years. Considers himself to be at a point where "he doesn't have to ask questions and can figure it all out himself."
He tells me (as an absolute beginner) to learn the basics of Javascript. Then with the basics, take a course in React Native and React. Using those, I can build the front end of my app on both IOS and Android. Then learn a database for the back end, and he suggests PostgreSQL.
Learn about things like API and SDK.
Finally, just start coding, and any questions that come along the way, someone on google or youtube has asked before. Good luck!
 

SeanLewis

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Update

I’ve come to realize that my initial plan of updating this thread every week won’t be of much value and will only serve to waste time.

I’m keeping a “coding journal” and also tracking my time using “Toggl”. So far i’ve been averaging 3-4 hours of coding/learning on work days and 6-8 hours on off days.

My initial plan of learning ruby/rails has changed. After taking a look at the job market there really isn’t much demand for it where I live. Thanks for the tip @EdKirby .

The things I've studied so far are:

html/css/bootstrap
-- Odin project / colt steele web dev bootcamp

Because I've played around a lot with this in the past I feel confident creating and styling a basic page. I could benefit from learning more advanced css in the future.

Javascript -- Odin project / colt steele web dev bootcamp

I’m no master but I feel confident that I could build anything with javascript(as long as I got access to stackoverflow and MDN..).

When I compare my code with others It’s clear that i do things pretty inefficient. What I've been doing is to solve the problems my way first and then finding the “dryer” solution and learning from it.

SQL
Went through this course, still need to learn more but i feel like i got the basics. Will learn more when i build an actual database.

JQuery -- colt steele web dev bootcamp

This makes DOM so much easier and mixed with some css i managed to make a pretty sweet todo list app among other things.

Node.js (express framework) -- colt steele web dev bootcamp

Just started with this yesterday, so far it doesn’t seem to complicated but i’m sure it will be..

Future

Looking at job offers in my area it seems the trendy thing right now is React JS so that's what i’m gonna learn.

The plan is to build a web app using all that i’ve learned so that i can show employers that I actually know what I'm doing, and that I'm willing to put in the time.

Right now I'm thinking of building a sales tracker for my current job (I'm in sales, right now we use an excel sheet I create every month). Also this is a 500 million dollars per year company and we use manual spreadsheets to keep track of shit..
 
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SeanLewis

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Some thoughts on learning through video courses.

One of the things that hindered my progress at first, and I'm glad I discovered this early on. Is that when learning through video tutorials i would constantly work hard to code along with the video and “keep up”.

This is the reason why I had so much trouble with javascript at first. Because instead of learning I was just pacing to write what the teacher was writing.

What I've been doing lately is to watch a video on a certain subject and AFTER it’s done, I'll try it myself. This way I'm forcing myself to actually think about what I'm doing, and usually i’ll have to look up some documentation but that only helps solidify the knowledge.
 

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Great! You will not be disappointed. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. I've been coding for over 30 years, got an early start. My focus is the .net stack, but can offer advice on most.
 

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F*ck it, i'm learning to code

This has been nagging me for years now.

I'm sick of having great software ideas and not being able to build them.

I'm sick of not having any marketable skills.

And i'm sick of making excuses!

Why coding?

When my last business failed i realised i didn’t really have any “real” skills.

This is why i’m taking a step back before i launch another business and learning to program.

I’ve been interested in programming for a long time, but i never got around to learning anything more then HTML/CSS. I really like the idea of being able to build whatever i want, no matter how dumb it is.

I’m learning to code because i want to, not because it’s the fastest way to make money.


Here is the game plan:

I don't plan on wasting any time on this. Once i have a good understanding of the basics I plan on learning through DOING.

I'm currently going through the odin projects "web development 101". I already know HTML/CSS and Javascript is next.

I wasted a lot of time researching which back end language to learn but i've decided on "Ruby / Ruby on Rails". (there is no best language btw)

Once i know JS and I'm going to start applying to jobs/contracts while still learning RoR. My hope is to find something part time that is remote, that way i can spend the rest of my time learning and working on my own project.

Execution

The goal is to:
  1. Learn programming.
  2. Get a job and further develop this skill.
  3. Create a “web app” of my own.

In this thread I'll share a weekly recap of the things i've learned, challenges encountered and wins. If you're a programmer and have tips, feel free to pm me or leave a comment.

RoR is fine, I've made some web-apps with it, but PHP is a more mainstream option. If you really want to go with RoR, the best courses I've found are Mike and Nicole's:


The best JavaScript course I've found is Wes's:


I don't know of a high quality PHP class, but people say its LaraCasts:


Mischook has some ultra-basic HTML/CSS/JS and PHP/MySQL classes that are super-cheap, he usually sells them to Canadian highschools. The content is a little dated (~2015) and the language is annoying if you're older than 13, but a good intro:

 
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EdKirby

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Thanks for the tip @EdKirby .
You're welcome!

What I've been doing lately is to watch a video on a certain subject and AFTER it’s done, I'll try it myself. This way I'm forcing myself to actually think about what I'm doing, and usually i’ll have to look up some documentation but that only helps solidify the knowledge.

Good process.

Here's a book that I've just recently picked up: UltraLearning

I'm only a third of the way through it but I'm sold. What you are doing is very close to one of the strategies he recommends, immersion. There are, of course, a lot more to the process of UltraLearning that you can pick up from the book. Highly recommended.
 

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Maybe it correlates with most of the scam artists disappearing :p

Focusing on learning to code is, imo, a shift back towards focusing on making an incredible product. That's what we should all be focusing on, anyway. I welcome this change!
Well I wouldn't call people who give advice about marketing scam artists only because they have a different opinion than you. Will you consider @healthstatus a scam for example?
Coding is good way but you need devote years for it. The problem is right now so called coding mania. Many people like sheep are starting this route, I'm CS graduate and really see this pattern. Many think that having skills like coding = success. Same in your thinking "shift back towards focusing on making an incredible product. " to create increadible product. You need to now the specific market in which you are creating product. Learning only to code is like saying I will learn how to use a hammer and will build a house. This doesn't work that way. Coding is one skill, knowing your area is crucial. With only coding skill you will be building products for others who have this knowledge.
Backing to scam artist. Same can be said about coding. Now when we have coding bubble course after course are popping up. If you look at them there are even scammers after their explanation of box model get severe headache.

In conclusion. Coding isn't stupid if there is interest in this(I mean someone really like it and will be able do it for rest his life day by day). Spending years to learn code because you smell money in IT then spend time to learn your market area is stupid. You think M.J without knowledge of transporation will be able to create good bussiness model? Probably right now will be working as S.E or creating coding courses.
In his time outsourcing was stupid as there was lack of developers. Right now due to marketing is one of the hottest job.
One more. I think you miss the point marketing is a product as a service. Apple is incredible due to marketing people are happy buying this experience. There are plenty of better products in technical and even quality term. Yet not even close to experience we get from Apple.
 

csalvato

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@MaciekWado I'm not sure who you're arguing with because I never made any of the assertions in your post.

Specifically, I never said, nor do I believe that:
  • @healthstatus is a scam artist. (actually, his site is a great success story; and he also has software development experience!)
  • Giving marketing advice makes you a scam artist.
  • That marketing advice is worthless.
  • That people who give marketing advice have a different opinion to me. Most people who are marketing focused on the forum actually give the same advice I give regarding the importance of a great product (@Andy Black and @Lex DeVille come to mind)
  • That simply shifting to a product-focused mindset is a quick path to success, while ignoring all the other aspects of a business.
2019 on FLF is very different to 2012-2016, so it's easy to misunderstand my posts without that full context – especially since you joined in Mar 2019.

You'd probably find it funny to learn that I've built 3 marketing-focused businesses, and had an exit from one.

I don't really have the will to break down all your points and assertions, since my own position is being so grossly misinterpreted.

My sincere hope is that people who are reading through this post now understand when it's appropriate to learn how to code/program/develop software. It's not all the time, but very relevant in some contexts as I explain here: GOLD! - Learning to Program is STUPID! (or SMART?!)
 
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MaciekWado

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Hi I'm not saying that you accuse others.
I mean your response can be taken as you are.
"Maybe it correlates with most of the scam artists disappearing :p "
The message is clear in this qoute. I understand it is a joke.
But in other hand sounds like less scammers equal less advice about marketing.

Rest of my post wasn't directly to you but to others who will read and think: I want more money, I will learn programming and will be milionaire.
Programming is good to do it. But it is only one way from many.
You like it. I after few years of coding looking to other niche from which I dont have outstanding skills but I learned how to outsource. Just starting, last month earned $8k (dont wanna share this with forum as dont know if it will be success or failure). Im leaving in Poland in Cracov. So called Dragon Valley of high tech, in other words most of highly developed nations like USA and other outsource to us. My salary was $5k and believe me it was one of high salary for the developer in Poland. Yes, I can work remotely and earn more but still, it will be a job, with weird hours due to time zones.

Many is also missing point in my country. They are cheap meat. If there will be any another crisis or codding bubble will burst, first developer who would lose the job will be this one from outsourcing. I know many who don't have knowledge about codding starting their software houses and earning a decent amount of money.

Again coding is trade like other learning it due to fact is fascinating for you great, forcing yourself because you smell money is stupid. Too many people are entering here in the next few years hiring a programmer will be a commodity(it just started).
I mean you and I have some experience so we don't have a problem finding job.
But look at juniors. There is a shortage of open positions for them.
Here you can find programming scammers, many will tell you how many programmers are needed. What they don't mention experts are needed not juniors.

From your post, I can easily notice that you are interested in programming, but because of that you fall in the trap that all other learn to program for the same reason, Most of them if they want to earn money can excel far more in other areas easly. Right now more than 50% of startup are from tech area. The competition is enormous, and like from other thread people point out. Coding is only one aspect of product like website.
 

SeanLewis

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Update

It's been almost 2 months of actively pursuing this and i have to say, the more i learn the more fun it gets. I'm not tracking my time anymore, but i'd guesstimate a solid 3-4h average per day of putting in the work.

Being able to add a backend to my previous projects has been eye opening, and i've gained so much confidence regarding actually creating my own software projects in the future.(more on this later)

Since my last update i've delved into node.js and mongoDB. Before this i though the whole "backend" was some great mystery, but now i realise it's not actually that difficult.

If you read my thread about moving out, you'll now that i'm... moving out.

Having only a month left of living at home, i need to make to most of it. I'm going to spend the better part of this month learning "React" so that once i've moved out i can begin working on my REAL project right away.

Monetizing this skill

I've started to plan what sort of web app i'm going to build, this isn't just some site for my portfolio. I'm building this as a fastlane venture.

I've been wondering where to take this thread. Because just "learning to code" can take forever, it's not like it has some final test, you have to actually use it.

Thats why i've decided that this thread will serve to document the whole process, not only the learning. But actually taking this skill and building something that will serve the market.

My next update will go more into planning the MVP, and putting my ideas under the magnifying glass that is CENTS.
 

SeanLewis

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February has been a month of uncertainty.

I’ve been learning ReactJS and progress has been slow and it's been getting harder to drag myself in front of the computer, not because i find it difficult but because my intentions have not been clear.

I’ve had to take a step back, I've had to really look at where I am in life.

I have a great idea for a Saas business. Businesses in this industry are currently paying tens of thousands of dollars and spending months doing what this could help them do in days if not hours.

The thing is..

I’m not sure which order to do things in, this is where I need your advice.

On one hand this project is a true fastlane venture, this business aligns perfectly with my 10 year vision.

On the other hand this will take a long time to develop so it might be smarter to build a smaller portfolio project(to show my skill), start getting some work and actually making some money first. Then once I have some more experience and disposable income I can focus on my fastlane venture.

What are your thoughts? Am i being foolish or realistic?
 

alexkuzmov

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February has been a month of uncertainty.

I’ve been learning ReactJS and progress has been slow and it's been getting harder to drag myself in front of the computer, not because i find it difficult but because my intentions have not been clear.

I’ve had to take a step back, I've had to really look at where I am in life.

I have a great idea for a Saas business. Businesses in this industry are currently paying tens of thousands of dollars and spending months doing what this could help them do in days if not hours.

The thing is..

I’m not sure which order to do things in, this is where I need your advice.

On one hand this project is a true fastlane venture, this business aligns perfectly with my 10 year vision.

On the other hand this will take a long time to develop so it might be smarter to build a smaller portfolio project(to show my skill), start getting some work and actually making some money first. Then once I have some more experience and disposable income I can focus on my fastlane venture.

What are your thoughts? Am i being foolish or realistic?
Is there any way to segment your idea and work on a small part of it first?
When you start to get more experience, you`ll find yourself building up your own codebase.
Functions, structures, scripts etc.
Why not isolate the MVP for this SaaS that you`re thinking, and start working on that?
If you lack a mentor, the next best thing is to make something which people will use.

P.S.
Do not spend time worrying about your code.
Your only goal is to make something that works without bugs.
Once you get some experince, you can re-write parts of your code which you dont like.
 
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SeanLewis

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Is there any way to segment your idea and work on a small part of it first?
When you start to get more experience, you`ll find yourself building up your own codebase.
Functions, structures, scripts etc.
Why not isolate the MVP for this SaaS that you`re thinking, and start working on that?
If you lack a mentor, the next best thing is to make something which people will use.

P.S.
Do not spend time worrying about your code.
Your only goal is to make something that works without bugs.
Once you get some experince, you can re-write parts of your code which you dont like.

I guess that could work, I think i'm still unsure of what skills i need to show in order to get hired. Would having functioning smaller segments on github be enough? if so i could easily start working on those and then just reuse them when building my actual MVP.
 

RealDreams

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F*ck it, i'm learning to code

This has been nagging me for years now.

I'm sick of having great software ideas and not being able to build them.

I'm sick of not having any marketable skills.

And i'm sick of making excuses!

Why coding?

When my last business failed i realised i didn’t really have any “real” skills.

This is why i’m taking a step back before i launch another business and learning to program.

I’ve been interested in programming for a long time, but i never got around to learning anything more then HTML/CSS. I really like the idea of being able to build whatever i want, no matter how dumb it is.

I’m learning to code because i want to, not because it’s the fastest way to make money.


Here is the game plan:

I don't plan on wasting any time on this. Once i have a good understanding of the basics I plan on learning through DOING.

I'm currently going through the odin projects "web development 101". I already know HTML/CSS and Javascript is next.

I wasted a lot of time researching which back end language to learn but i've decided on "Ruby / Ruby on Rails". (there is no best language btw)

Once i know JS and I'm going to start applying to jobs/contracts while still learning RoR. My hope is to find something part time that is remote, that way i can spend the rest of my time learning and working on my own project.

Execution

The goal is to:
  1. Learn programming.
  2. Get a job and further develop this skill.
  3. Create a “web app” of my own.

In this thread I'll share a weekly recap of the things i've learned, challenges encountered and wins. If you're a programmer and have tips, feel free to pm me or leave a comment.
This post is motivational.
I always wanted to learn to code but the high "barriers to entry" kind of blocked me each time.

I had the same thoughts as well; knowing how to code lets you transform any idea you have into something real. Something that is not always possible when outsourcing.

You've just created a "F*ck this event" for me.
 

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