By: Loria Sabin

Has there ever been something you’ve been interested in learning, but thought you didn’t have the time, it would take too long, or be too complicated? Were you still curious about it though? Did the little voice keep nudging you to explore some of it, read about it, or ask questions? Did you listen? If you did, congratulations! If you didn’t, here’s your sign to start. 

My curiosity was programming and my exploration into this started slowly because I didn’t choose that path in college and my high school was so small we didn’t have advanced computer classes to explore the topic. I majored in something else because I thought it was what I wanted to do, but that little voice kept whispering.

Years after college graduation and through multiple jobs I took a chance and asked, “How do I get started?.” Asking that question was the hardest part, but it was the best decision I’ve ever made as it led to a spiral of resources and networking opportunities.

The first skin-in-the-game part of the adventure was participation in Lansing’s own CodeLab517 programming bootcamp. CodeLab517 is small, but mighty and perfect for a variety of experience levels, including absolute beginners. The program was fast-paced, but the facilitators made it fun and encouraging, open for participants to choose what direction they wanted to go in, and long-lasting as we used the projects to create our own portfolios for showcasing to potential employers. 

There were only a few other participants, but their skill level ranged from beginners, like myself, to experienced which enabled the opportunity for participants to educate and learn from each other. Beyond just teaching the languages used for programming, the facilitators also encouraged us to ensure our code was clean and valid to make finding errors, making adjustments, and reading each other’s code easier. The course wasn’t without frustration, but the facilitators were easily accessible for those late-night questions or breakthroughs. They were also encouraging in helping us find and, more importantly, understand the appropriate solutions. 

CodeLab517 led to an unforgettable experience at a Lansing Code Retreat. This particular meetup welcomed approximately twenty or so programmers with various experience levels. This was a new type of opportunity in that it wasn’t particularly structured and didn’t focus on learning one way of doing something or one language for programming, but more on taking an opportunity to experiment with various aspects of the topic. We were put in pairs and given a file of code to do whatever we wanted with. Some enhanced the code, others worked on converting it to a different language, and some of us, myself included, simply practiced understanding what the code was saying and how it worked. 

This was one of the most encouraging experiences because the only expectation was that you learned something you didn’t know previously. Code Retreat hosts and participants, alike, all helped me understand that being able to read code is just as important as being able to write it. I didn’t write anything new, I didn’t try to understand the source file from start to finish, I just read the code, asked questions, and attempted to increase my understanding. Simple and satisfying.

I’ll let you in on a little secret though. I almost didn’t go. I thought it would be too advanced for me, it wasn’t how I was used to spending my Saturdays, and I didn’t think I would gain much from it. If I hadn’t gone though, you wouldn’t be reading this article. Take the leap, break out of your comfort zone, and stay determined. 

I’m only a few months in of learning programming and continuing to utilize new resources as they come around including Harvard’s CS50, Treehouse, and making new network connections. CS50 is a free course taught on edX.org by a very entertaining Harvard professor and is the absolute baseline introduction to how computer’s work. I highly recommend it even if you just watch the lecture videos. Treehouse at TeamTreehouse.com is great for building your online portfolio and has courses and support forums for almost every programming language available. 

If I could offer you a few pieces of advice, they would be to build your support network every chance you get, be aggressive in your attempts, but don’t be afraid to step away from a problem as patience and a good night’s rest work wonders for seeing things from a different angle, and finally…read the documentation. 

            “Take advantage of every opportunity you can and don’t let time slip by on anything.”

Loria Sabin is a Crop Insurance Technician with a degree in Animal Science from Michigan State University.