Hello, newbie struggling with consistency

[basecamp]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to coding, coming from an Economics background. I've been learning for about 3 months doing TOP.

My main issue is being consistent, as I often find myself procrastinating or just not logging on to the courses as regularly as I'd want. It's been happening more and more lately, now that the initial novelty and excitement has kind of worn off.

I also wonder if I'm missing the social aspect of learning e.g. during school and my degree, I had classes with other people and would study with friends which made the whole thing a lot more pleasant. Now, it's just me sitting at a screen by myself, which isn't as fun.

Anyone else gone through this, and what did you do to fix it?

Thank you!

 

[c1lonewolf]

More and more people are beginning to realize that we are social creatures and need human interaction even in small amounts to maintain a healthy mental state, which is why depression and suicide skyrocketed during the COVID lock-downs. They are also realizing that virtual learning has a place but it's not for everyone, such as, it works for those who are stationed abroad in order for them to complete their degrees from anywhere in the world but not good for children who need to learn about social interaction and develop social skills.

The problem here is the same as those who decide to transition from a forty hour a week job to having their own home-based business. Your priorities have changed. You now have the freedom to make your own choices that you didn't have with a job such as, when to get up, what time to start your work and the list goes on. The answer is setting up a routine and sticking with it. Do the same schedule you would use to go to school.

1. Get up at the same time everyday.
2. Get ready to go to school.
...at this point some people have to physically drive somewhere even if it's just to get coffee (it's part of the process) then return home to get to work...
3. Your work hours to start should be in the same time frame as when you were going to school.
4. When school is out ...at this point some people have to physically drive somewhere (it's part of the process) ...
5. The rest of the day is yours.

Over time your schedule will change to meet the need. You can look for others in your area that have the same interest (or problem) to have as study buddies etc.

This is also why alot of coders have real jobs and only do this for fun.
Anyway hope this helps!!

 

[basecamp]

Wow, such a terrific answer, thanks so much!

Any suggestions for finding other coders in my area? I'm thinking even online study buddies could work, so might try Discord or something...

 

[c1lonewolf]

If you are doing online courses you could check to see if they have a message board where you could post requests to get together with other people in your area that are taking the same classes. If they don't, you may want to suggest the option to the site/school administrators. Just say you're promoting class participation, that should tip the scale. heheh Other than that I'm not quite sure, I'm self taight so we do things a lil' differently.