Learning Web Development Online: Five Important Lessons

Around mid-August 2019, I decided to learn how to code. I was bored with my current career path and decided I wanted to go for something more challenging where I could use my creative and logical skills.

It has been almost two years since I made that decision and I am proud to say that I am still on track. I am also growing my skills every day and learning a lot about myself that I didn't even know in the process. I, however, cannot say the journey has been easy. I have been learning web development on my own without much external support. A huge part of my learning has been figuring things out through trial and error.

Now I am a bit more confident with web development and have more structure to my learning, I did some reflection on my journey. I looked back at the good, the bad, and the ugly, especially at the early stages of my learning journey.

These were some of the lessons I learned...

Determining my learning style

This was something I was supposed to do before I even started learning online. In my defense, it was when I started learning that I realized that I absorb information better by doing. So I would have to code along or code immediately after the lessons if I wanted to actually understand the concepts. I struggled with JavaScript because of this because the initial course I took only taught the concepts and took a long time before there was a chance to practice the concept with a project. I stuck with the course for a while before deciding that this was not my style of learning and I moved on to another course. This brings me to my next point

Being bold to walk away

I initially struggled with JavaScript and React.js because I stuck with a course that did not fit my learning style. If I could change anything, I would not waste time in a place or on a course that was not helping my learning. I do appreciate that web development concepts take time to get used to but I still needed to know when things weren't working out. I spent a lot of time on what was not working because I was afraid to make a change and I was unsure of myself and my judgment (hello imposter syndrome!). Lesson learned: if it is not working or helping, trust your instincts and move on.

Learn and understand the basics first

I was a bit all over the place when I started learning online. I would jump from course to course because I heard of this new tech that all new developers had to know. I had a hard time staying on track initially and in the process, missed out on learning some basic fundamentals. Because I didn't know/understand the fundamentals, it made learning the other advanced concepts harder. For example, I struggled with React.js at first because I didn't fully grasp JavaScript(ES6). It was only after I enrolled in a different program and learned and understood JavaScript better, that learning React became easier. As a self-taught developer, I cannot overemphasize how important it is to not just learn the basics but also understand them. They are the building blocks for other concepts you will learn as you go forward. Don't try to take a shortcut or take some parts of learning for granted. There is a reason why certain stuff works some way and it is beneficial to know them.

Work with a goal

At first, I didn't have a timeline or learning structure. I was just learning. There was no plan that described what I wanted to learn and when I hoped to complete the learning and this was stressful. I finally enrolled in a full-stack engineer course on Codecademy and then it became easier. I am thankful that I made that decision because I now had a guide I could follow and I made personal goals off this guide. If you are learning web development online, have a structure in place and work towards a goal. There are great web development courses that provide structure and learning timelines that you can follow so you can stay on track. If you prefer to draw up your own learning schedule or structure, make sure it is easy to follow, covers the basics, and is manageable.

Accepting that I don't know everything

I am known to put myself under pressure to get it done right and well. Most times it is an unnecessary pressure and by the time I began to learn web development, I realized it was a useless and harmful type of pressure. It did nothing but trigger insecurities and imposter syndrome. I still struggle but one thing I have learned on the journey is that there is so much to learn and you are always going to keep learning. You cannot learn everything at once. Being a web developer is a continuous learning journey. For new web developers, it's okay if you feel like you don't know everything. To be honest, nobody does. Developers still have to google some basic web development concepts. I have watched senior developers google basic python syntax and algorithms. There is so much information to learn as a developer that is impossible to know all at once. Be kind to yourself and remember, there is no need to pressure yourself to know all. Over time, some things will come naturally to you and you will know what to do in certain scenarios.

Concluding Thoughts

It has been a rewarding experience for me as a self-taught developer. I have learned web development and learned about myself too. While my initial learning journey was rough, I am still glad I went through it because, without it, I would not be writing this article to help other new developers. For now, I am continuing to learn more and improve my skills as a developer, share my knowledge with other developers and be part of an amazing developer community online.

That is it! Five lessons I have learned as a self-taught developer learning online. If you are a self-taught developer or you are a developer still learning online, what lessons have you learned in the process?

Please share in the comments. I would love to know!