My Coding Journal.

It’s past almost over a year since I’ve started to learn my self about coding. Since I’ve not had any real job yet, of course, I’m nervous and doubting about my learning journey.

So today, I’m gonna write down my plan to kick my ass to move forward.

My study plan

First of all, I think I need to set a deadline before starting doing something. And the most important thing is setting a goal that can be done by the deadline.

In my case, August 2022 when my school will finish is my first deadline to be done making my personal portfolio website. To be more precise, I need to make at least 4 personal projects to make the website.

Meanwhile, I think it’s important to imagine the real world of working as a developer too. Because my original goal in learning programming is not to create a portfolio site but to get a job abroad.

I digress a bit, but these are the learning goals I have planned for the two months from June to August.

— June

• Portfolio website deploy (~w2)
  Created by Gatsby and Tailwind, deployed by Vercel
• Group project (~w3)
  MERN stack using also TypeScript
• Brushup my project for map app(~w4)
  SASS, React, Testing Library, TypeScript, Redux toolkit

— July

• Brushup my project for blog app(~w2)
  Gatsby, PrismicCMS, GraphQL, Alpine.js, Apolo
• Brushup my project for EC app(~w4)
  Tailwind, React, TypeScript, React hooks, API

— Augst

• Get a certificate for MongoDB (~w2)
• Prepare Interview
  Algorithms, JavaScript, English, webpack etc…

Problems

Learning new things while living abroad is not easy for anyone.
Even though you are a student, it also comes with the responsibility as a member of society to take care of things on your own.
Furthermore, there are many problems such as language barriers and finding time to earn money.
You will not have your parents preparing your meals or finishing your shopping, laundry, and cleaning when you return home as you did when you were a teenager.

Throughout the past year, the biggest problem for me has been time management.
I have to work, do school, and housework, and also make time for my family.
I can be strict with myself, but I also want to be fun since I am living abroad.

I have yet to find the perfect solution, but nevertheless, here are a few things that I am currently adopting for my own time management.

• Don’t blame myself
  Anyway, I tried to be aware of this. When I get depressed because I feel like everyone around me is studying and getting farther and farther away while I’m working, I stop studying, have a drink, and say, “I’m so proud of myself for working so hard to have such a good drink! I kinda feel like studying! I think to myself.
• Make time to be alone
  Classmates often gather in the library or at school to encourage each other in their studies. That was also supportive at times, but I inevitably compared myself to those around me and tried to force myself to match the pace of those around me. Now that I have my own time and place, I am able to concentrate on my studies to the best of my ability until I feel comfortable, without anyone getting in my way. I try to make time for myself at least three days a week.
• Spend no money
  In my case, I don’t really have money for the life abroad. I am always thinking about how I can create learning time and a little fun while saving money. For example, I have heard that it is good to study at cafes as a third place, not at home or the office, but I don’t have the money to go to Starbucks every day to buy any coffee. Creating a system where the more you study, the more money you lose, is a negative, at least for me right now. It would be better for me if I could create a system in which I save money only by setting aside time for study, such as studying at the library, studying at home, or listening to English podcasts while going for a walk to take a break.

Conclusion

In my case, I don’t really have money in the life abroad. I am always thinking about how I can create learning time and a little fun while saving money. For example, I have heard that it is good to study at cafes as a third place not home or office, but I don’t have the money to go to Starbucks every day to buy any coffee. Creating a system where the more you study, the more money you lose, is a negative, at least for me right now. It would be better for me if I could create a system in which I save money only by setting aside time for study, such as studying at the library, studying at home, or listening to English podcasts while going for a walk to take a break.