Donna Elizabeth Smith's Linkedin Analytics

I’m 49 years old and I started programming 3 years ago. You think it’s too late to start? Well I don’t think so. Learning to code when you’re older is tough. Especially when you don’t have a clear idea about what you’re trying to build. You feel like: → you will never learn to code → you should have started sooner → you’ve missed out on so many things → you will never be able to build the products you want You know what? It’s normal to think like this. Programming is difficult, yeah, but it’s not impossible. You will gain the ability to build whatever you want. Your life will change. I went into programming because I had so many ideas I wanted to build. Some people told me I should find someone who will build the projects for me. But that wasn’t an option. My mind was full of ideas. I knew I wouldn’t build them unless I learned to code. When I first started 3 years ago, I didn’t know anything about code. → HTML? → Python? → JavaScript? I didn’t know what language to learn. I had no idea: → what these words mean → what I should even start with → what a large or small project is → how to think about what I wanted to build Anybody can learn to code if they build knowledge over time. Some people disagreed with me. They said it’s something you can or can’t do. They wouldn’t try it, because they thought they wouldn’t understand it. It’s definitely an issue of confidence. People feel like they can’t do it. You can learn anything with enough dedication. People see code for the first time, it scares them away. Happens all the time. It’s hard at the beginning. It’s scary, and you might want to give up. Have you ever seen a page of JavaScript? Exactly, it’s overwhelming. You don’t know where to begin. So you don’t start at all. Another problem is with people wanting to learn it fast. They watch YouTube videos about others building a $1M SaaS platform during a weekend. Or 10 different tools in 10 weeks. Of course there are cases like this, but for most of us, it takes time. Everyone has their own pace. It took me two years. Why? The first project I attempted was too complicated for me. So don’t start too big. It comes down to learning the basics. A simple to-do application means you can apply that knowledge to something bigger. Interested in seeing what projects I’m working on? Check my Featured section. Need any help with starting your programming career? Send me a DM! Struggle to find ideas for your first project? Happy to help :) Want some of my motivation? You’ve got a taste.