How the journey began:

Ever find yourself working or learning, and suddenly, your brain goes on a wild trip? One moment you're wondering if you turned off the gas, and the next minute you're thinking about a puzzle from years ago. Then, ZAP! Five minutes later, you're back to reality.

Whew! It's not just me, huh?

With the focus of a distracted puppy, I can't believe I made it more than 10 days on my 100-Day Coding Plan.

So one day, I woke up and thought, "Hey! I want to be a Software Engineer!"

That's how my epic adventure of 100 days of code began. But you know what they say, dreams can be tricky little fellas!

By day 10, I was like a lost penguin in a desert. I thought, "Okay, maybe I won't be a Software Engineer, but I can still be some sort of engineer, right?"

I wasn't giving up just yet, oh no! I was just adjusting my expectations a teeny-tiny bit. Lol

And then came day 20. That's when I had a lightbulb moment: "You know what? Maybe I don't need to be a Software Engineer. I can just hang out with them and study their mysterious ways!"

At this point, in my head I was like “Uhn Uhn, this ain’t for me.”

Now if you just started learning programming, I'm not here to rain on your coding parade. In fact, it's quite the opposite! I’m just here to give you an insight into how real it could get.

My action plan:

I've always been interested in programming and all the awesome things that can be achieved through it. On social media, a lot of people have shared that they learned to code in only 100 days and this got me curious.

I made the decision to start this path to become a Software Engineer and learn the basics in 100 days. This is a huge goal, but I'm prepared to work hard and see where this adventure leads.

Learning how to code can be a daunting task, and I needed a support system to keep me accountable. So, I decided to start a coding group and asked for accountability partners to join me on this journey.

I discovered a few others who shared my desire to learn how to code. We created a Telegram group where we could share our accomplishments and encourage one another. We agreed to show some sort of evidence of our daily progress, whether it was a study note, some research from the internet, a screenshot of our codes, or anything else that would indicate our progress.

This routine helped us to stay motivated and focused. We would often share resources, ask each other for help, and celebrate our victories.

Learning programming could be intimidating and difficult, but having a support structure made it less frightening and more fun.

Lessons learned…and a few tips for the code newbie:

Overall, I am grateful to this group for assisting me on this path. I urge anyone interested in coding to find a community of like-minded people who can provide guidance and accountability.

I had no clue how much I would learn about the power of community when I chose to take on the 100-day coding challenge. While coding can sometimes feel like a solitary pursuit, having others to share the journey with can make all the difference.

Those who are self-motivated may find it simple to remain focused without much outside assistance. For others, however, discovering a community of like-minded people can be the key to remaining on course. When you're feeling down or uninspired, having others who share your enthusiasm and drive can go a long way towards inspiring you to keep going.

Balancing a full-time job with learning how to program could be challenging as life has a funny way of throwing unexpected challenges our way. But even when it seems impossible to find the time or strength, there are ways to stay committed to learning how to code.

For example, committing to reading coding materials, reviewing coding notes, and studying even when you're unable to write code could still count as a day of code.

As interesting as my experience was, I’m sorry to let you down at this point. I didn't manage to complete the full 100 days. Life got in the way and I had to stop at day 70.

But instead of giving up, I'm committing to restarting my coding journey. I'm still not sure if it would be best to call this a new 100-day of code challenge, or perhaps aim for 200 days this time around.

Regardless, the most essential lesson I've learned is to keep going even when things don't go as expected. Picking yourself up after a perceived failure and continuing on with renewed energy and enthusiasm is a vital part of any successful journey, whether in coding or any other pursuit.

Another vital lesson I learnt is; everyone learns at their own pace. While some may be able to master coding in 100 days or less, others may require more time and practice to even learn the basics of a language like HTML.

For me, HTML was a struggle, and I spent a good 30 days just trying to grasp the fundamentals. Balancing this with a full-time job and other commitments was no easy feat, and I found myself getting frustrated at times.

But I had to remind myself that my pace of learning was unique to my life's circumstances at that moment. It didn't mean I was slow or stupid; it simply meant I needed to take my time and approach the challenge in a way that worked for me.

Despite the challenges, I persisted and kept working on my coding skills. And while it wasn't always easy, I found that with each passing day, I grew more confident and capable in my abilities.

Now, as I continue my coding journey, I'm excited to start afresh and embrace new beginnings. Whether it takes me another 100 days or longer to reach my coding goals, I know that the most important thing is to keep moving forward and never give up.

Cheers to the next 100 days of code, and to all the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead!