Bored In Quarantine? Try freeCodeCamp!

Taking the time to learn a new skill can be both exciting and rewarding. Everyone has something they are interested in learning or creating, something they have been putting off for the longest time. You may not have a specific idea or project in mind, but the possibilities are endless. The time has come, what are you waiting for?

Why Coding?

I have never been particularly interested in coding, making websites or building video games. To be honest I never really thought about what it actually was or how it worked. I had assumed coding was just another language I could not possibly learn without years of study. How could I possibly jump in and make something out of nothing? I definitely never thought it was possible without paying for college courses and endless trips to a campus. That would all change after scrolling through some articles and advertisements on a website, one of which was titled "Free Things to Do During Quarantine".

One of the options was freeCodeCamp. I thought wow, that is kinda interesting. Learn to code for free? Well I did not go right into it, I actually took a couple days and thought about it. I wondered if it would be too much to learn, too hard to understand without guidance and basically in general a waste of time. Although, I thought about it and maybe I would be surprised, who knows right? If you don't try, you will never know for sure. And it is free, so what have I got to lose?

Easy Introduction

I decided to go ahead and check out the website. Once you sign up on freeCodeCamp.org, there are a series of tutorials to follow, in which you are gradually introduced to the basics of coding. I will not include everything, as this is just a snapshot of the entire website and what it offers, I will just include the first section for now as that is where I am in the process. The first series is called Responsive Web Design and is an introduction to HTML and CSS properties. Below are a few of the items you can explore in the first lessons:

*Elements *Adding Images

*Creating Text *Creating Lists

*Colored Text *Turning Images into Links

*Paragraphs *Making Rows and Columns

There are instructions on the left of the page and on the right is a CSS box you can code in. Basically, you follow the instructions and you are coding!

The first lessons are basic rules and code examples. CSS is a style language and HTML is known as a markup language. To me it was easier to try and remember it this way: HTML are the items on the page and the CSS is the way they come together on the page. I have learned HTML is called a markup language because it allows coders to organize their data and adjust the appearance on the internet. CSS formats the data which also helps organize the information and the layout on a web page. The basics took some time to absorb, I did a few of the challenges multiple times just to really make sure I understand the information. Overall, I was actually very pleased with myself. I have learned the basics of coding in HTML and CSS and have not torn my hair out!

After the Basics, a Steep Learning Curve for Projects

Now of course the lessons were designed to introduce the basics and that is what they are, basic. I knew the more complicated stuff would come in eventually and boy, was I right. Don't get me wrong, I am still super proud of my ability to comprehend the basics. It is still quite an achievement to take a daunting task head on and not quit. I have discovered that learning to code takes a lot of sheer willpower and the ability to say "No, I will not quit" multiple times to yourself until you complete the challenge.

Of course I have not quit. I have continued on to the projects and have learned quite a bit more. Although, I won't lie, the first project was a disaster. Actually, the first couple of projects, were a hot mess to be honest. All that I had learned suddenly flew out the window. I was stuck. The first project wanted us to make a tribute page. Well, I had no idea where to start! So, I just went piece by piece using the directions and a few ideas from videos online. Yes, I spent hours pulling out my hair at these codes. I could not figure out what was wrong with some of them and why they didn't work. Come to find out, sometimes it is a capital letter or a space where it doesn't belong! How tragic!

Yet, I am determined to learn this, so I googled tutorials/forums on how to implement some of the code pieces so they worked correctly. And yes, compared to others code mine was a mess, but it still worked overall as a web page in the end so I will take that as a win. Learning am I right?

It's All Coming Together

After completing a couple of the projects I started to get a better understanding of what I am trying to achieve for these tasks. The more I used the codes and figured out where they are supposed to go in HTML and CSS, the better my coding started to look. All the hours of chaos and small triumphs are starting to pay off.

I am nowhere near becoming a coding master, but I have definitely enjoyed the process of learning this new skill. I have discovered sometimes it is exciting to challenge yourself with new tasks that require deep thought and research. Thinking critically is a great skill and it can be applied to all aspects of life.

I don't know if you are interested in learning to code, but if you have ever thought about exploring the idea, please checkout freeCodeCamp.org. It is a great site and there are many people out there that like to code and will help if you just ask. And who knows, it might just be fun...