Why Most People FAIL to Learn Programming

Aaron Jack
5 Feb 202108:04
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThis video offers invaluable advice on avoiding common pitfalls when learning to code. The speaker highlights four critical traps: adopting a fixed mindset, getting stuck in tutorial hell, failing to specialize in a niche, and trying to learn alone. He emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset, practicing by writing actual code, specializing in a specific tech stack, and joining a dedicated community for support and collaboration. By steering clear of these traps, aspiring programmers can overcome obstacles and increase their chances of success in pursuing a rewarding coding career.

Takeaways
  • 👍 Maintain a growth mindset by focusing on how much you're improving every day, rather than just how good you are currently.
  • 🐢 Avoid getting stuck in 'tutorial hell' or the 'tutorial treadmill' - start writing code on your own and practicing on sites like CodeWars as soon as possible.
  • 🎯 Choose a specific niche or technology stack to specialize in, rather than trying to be a generalist. Companies hire for specific needs.
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Seek out a community of like-minded individuals who are also learning to code. Paid courses often have strong communities that provide feedback and support.
  • 🚫 Steer clear of free online forums or communities that tend to be filled with people who are not fully invested or committed.
  • 💰 Consider joining a paid course or program that has an active community of learners working towards similar goals.
  • 🌐 Specializing in a niche like e-commerce web development can make you more marketable to companies seeking those specific skills.
  • 🤝 Networking and collaborating with others in a community can provide valuable feedback, connections, and learning opportunities.
  • 🧘 Avoid trying to learn programming entirely on your own, as it can be difficult to stay motivated and overcome obstacles without support.
  • 📈 Focusing on a specific technology stack or niche will help you develop skills that provide immediate value to potential employers or clients.
Q & A

  • What are the four traps that the speaker mentions that prevent people from successfully learning to code?

    -The four traps mentioned are: 1) Having a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset, 2) Getting stuck in 'tutorial hell' or the 'tutorial treadmill', 3) Not choosing a specific niche or specialization, and 4) Trying to learn alone without a supportive community.

  • What is the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, and why is a growth mindset important for learning to code?

    -A growth mindset focuses on continuous improvement and learning, while a fixed mindset is more concerned with current abilities. A growth mindset is important because it encourages persistence and helps maintain enthusiasm even when facing challenges, which is crucial for learning a complex skill like coding.

  • Why does the speaker encourage people to start writing code without help as soon as possible, rather than relying solely on tutorials?

    -The speaker believes that true learning begins when you start writing code without assistance, rather than just copying from tutorials. Practicing coding problems and projects on your own is necessary to move beyond the beginner stage and gain practical experience.

  • Why does the speaker recommend choosing a specific niche or specialization when learning to code?

    -Choosing a niche or specialization, such as React and Next.js for web development, makes you more attractive to potential employers or clients who need solutions in that specific area. It allows you to provide immediate value from day one, rather than being a generalist who requires extensive training.

  • What are the different types of communities mentioned by the speaker, and why are they important for learning to code?

    -The speaker mentions college or coding bootcamp communities, free online forums and course communities, and paid course communities with strong groups. Having a supportive community of like-minded individuals is invaluable for learning, as it provides motivation, feedback, and a sense of shared progress.

  • What is the speaker's opinion on the value of paid course communities compared to free online communities?

    -The speaker suggests that paid course communities tend to have more committed and invested members, as opposed to free online communities where participation can be more transient or focused on extracting value without contributing. This makes paid course communities potentially more valuable for learning and networking.

  • Can you provide an example of a niche specialization mentioned by the speaker?

    -One example given by the speaker is to specialize in being an AWS expert who writes deployment scripts, rather than just being a general 'DevOps guy'.

  • What is the speaker's perspective on the importance of being able to provide immediate value to potential employers or clients?

    -The speaker emphasizes that the smaller the company or if you are freelancing, the more important it is to be able to provide immediate value from day one, as these organizations may not have the resources or time to extensively train you.

  • What type of community is the speaker planning to create, and what will be its focus?

    -The speaker mentions that he is creating his own paid community for freelance developers, with a program inside to take people from zero to successful freelance developers. The community will focus on the e-commerce niche and learning web development skills.

  • What is the speaker's overall message or advice to those trying to learn to code successfully?

    -The speaker's overall message is that by avoiding the four traps he outlined – fixed mindset, tutorial hell, lack of specialization, and trying to learn alone – and following his advice, aspiring coders can increase their chances of achieving their goal of a programming career.

Outlines
00:00
🚫 Four Traps to Avoid When Learning to Code

The speaker discusses four common traps that prevent many aspiring coders from succeeding in learning to code. The first trap is having a fixed mindset instead of a growth mindset, where the focus is on improving incrementally over time rather than comparing oneself to an ideal. The second trap is getting stuck in 'tutorial hell' or the 'tutorial treadmill,' where one keeps following tutorials without actually writing code independently. The third trap is not choosing a specific niche or specialization within programming, which makes it harder to market oneself and provide immediate value to potential employers. The fourth trap is trying to learn alone without being part of a community of like-minded individuals, which can provide support, feedback, and motivation.

05:01
🌐 The Importance of Coding Communities

The speaker emphasizes the value of being part of a coding community, whether it's a paid course with an active group, a free online forum, or an open course community. These communities provide opportunities for collaboration, feedback, and support from others on a similar learning journey. The speaker contrasts these communities with the expensive but often invaluable communities found in traditional educational institutions like colleges and coding bootcamps. The speaker also mentions their own upcoming community and program focused on freelance development in the e-commerce niche. Overall, the message is that learning to code is much more effective and rewarding when done as part of a community rather than attempting it alone.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Growth mindset
A growth mindset is a belief that one's abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and perseverance. In the context of the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of focusing on progress and improvement over time, rather than fixating on one's current level of skill. For example, the speaker talks about learning Russian and celebrating the small victories of mastering new words or phrases, as those skills will remain forever.
💡Tutorial hell/treadmill
The term "tutorial hell" or "tutorial treadmill" refers to the phenomenon of endlessly consuming tutorials without actively practicing or applying the learned concepts. The speaker warns against this trap, emphasizing that true learning begins when one starts writing code without relying on tutorials. The speaker encourages viewers to use practice sites like CodeWars as soon as possible to start writing code independently, as that's when actual progress is made.
💡Niche
In the context of the video, a "niche" refers to specializing in a specific technology stack or area within programming. The speaker advises against being a generalist and instead recommends going deep into a particular niche, such as React with Next.js or Django with Python. By developing expertise in a niche, one becomes more valuable to potential employers or clients seeking those specific skills, as they can contribute from day one without extensive training.
💡Community
The speaker emphasizes the importance of being part of a community of like-minded individuals when learning to code. Communities can be found through paid courses, coding bootcamps, or open forums like Stack Overflow or Reddit. The benefits of a community include having a support system, getting feedback, making connections, and staying motivated. The speaker contrasts this with the challenges of trying to learn alone and highlights the value of paid communities where members are more invested.
💡Freelancing
Freelancing is a recurring theme in the video, as the speaker mentions creating a program and community for aspiring freelance developers. In the context of choosing a niche, the speaker suggests that freelancing requires even more specialized expertise, as clients cannot afford to train freelancers extensively. Therefore, freelancers need to possess highly specialized skills in a particular technology stack to provide immediate value to clients.
💡Mastery
Mastery refers to achieving a high level of proficiency or expertise in a particular skill or domain. In the context of the video, the speaker suggests that true mastery in programming is attained when one can write code independently, without relying on tutorials or external guidance. The speaker encourages viewers to move beyond tutorial consumption and start actively writing code, even if it's challenging at first, as that's the path to mastery.
💡Trap
The speaker identifies four "traps" or common mistakes that can hinder progress in learning to code. These traps include: having a fixed mindset, falling into the tutorial treadmill, failing to specialize in a niche, and trying to learn alone without a supportive community. By avoiding these traps, the speaker suggests that viewers can more effectively progress towards their goal of a programming career.
💡Practice
The speaker emphasizes the importance of actively practicing coding problems and writing code, rather than passively consuming tutorials. Practice sites like CodeWars are recommended as a way to start writing code independently and applying learned concepts. The speaker suggests that true learning occurs when one starts actively practicing, even if the problems seem too difficult at first.
💡Freelance developer
A freelance developer is a self-employed programmer who works on a project-by-project basis for various clients, rather than being a full-time employee of a single company. The speaker mentions creating a program and community specifically for aspiring freelance developers, indicating a focus on equipping individuals with the skills and mindset needed to succeed in freelance web development work.
💡E-commerce
E-commerce refers to the buying and selling of goods or services over the internet. In the context of the video, the speaker mentions that the upcoming freelance developer program and community will specifically focus on the e-commerce niche, likely teaching skills and technologies relevant to building and maintaining e-commerce websites and applications.
Highlights

Growth mindset is focusing on how much better you're getting at something every day, instead of how good you currently are.

You haven't actually gotten any closer to mastery until you write your first line of code without help.

Start writing code today, do code wars, start doing projects even if they're too hard and you will get there faster than you think.

Companies are fundamentally hiring you to solve a business need, and if you can't do that they're gonna have to train you from scratch.

Go very specific on your stack, very specifically into a niche, and you'll be the perfect fit for companies using that niche.

Don't be the devops guy, be the aws expert who writes the sickest deployment scripts and has a tattoo of all the aws services.

Don't just be the backend guy or the python guy, be the django specialist who is so good at django you can start pushing code on day one.

The smaller the company gets, the more you're gonna need to know out of the gate, because they can't waste their time or money on you.

When you're freelancing, the client is definitely not going to train you, you have to be able to save them time.

Institutions are really expensive but the community is invaluable, it's good to get into a community of like-minded individuals.

Free forums and communities like Stack Overflow and Reddit can be watered down with people who just want to extract value and not give it back.

A paid course with a strong group attached is a good middle ground for finding an invested community.

People are making great connections and getting feedback in communities like Visualize Value and Parker Walbeck's Full-Time Filmmaker program.

The speaker is creating his own community for freelance developers, focusing on the e-commerce niche and learning web development.

If you can avoid the four traps mentioned, the only thing standing between you and that programming career is being distracted.

Transcripts

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