I’m hoping the 100 Days of Code challenge is going to help me manage my anxiety and stress that seem to have been taking over lately.
It’s feels like 84 years since I last wrote a blog post on here so please bear with me as try to remember how to put a sentence together haha.
Without going into too much detail, I’ve been up the wall with my anxiety, it landed me in hospital and that’s not something I want to happen again!
In an effort to reduce stress, I’ve deleted the Facebook app off my iPhone and moved Duolingo and SoloLearn to it’s old place.
It’s great as I can’t look at Facebook in bed or as soon as I wake up. AND WHY SHOULD I? I don’t work for Mark Zuckerberg and if anybody needs me urgently they will find a way of getting in touch. It’s not the 90’s!
I’m now using the time I wasted absently scrolling through Facebook on learning to code.
Let me tell you about the challenge.
100 Days of Code
100 Days of Code is basically setting yourself the challenge of coding everyday for 100 days. This is great for seasoned coders or complete beginners. If you are a beginner then I totally recommend you check out the free coding courses at FreeCodeCamp.org and get stuck in right at the beginning of the curriculum with Basic HTML and CSS.
If like me you feel like you are wasting a lot of time scrolling on your phone, then definitely check out the Solo Learn App. This is handy for when you are out and about, or want to squeeze a bit of learning in during your lunch break.
Both of the resources I mentioned above are free! Here’s a list of free online coding courses and my coding journal.
Rules of the Challenge
Here are the official rules for the challenge.
- Code minimum an hour every day for the next 100 days.
- Tweet your progress every day with the #100DaysOfCode hashtag (and cheer others on).
Alexander Kallaway is the brains behind the challenge and it became so popular that he set up a site where you can also find other 100 Days of Challenges. Earlier this year I wrote a post about 100 Days of Fitness aka The Day I Split My Pants.
Learning Code Back in the Day
My very first encounter with code was when I was sitting down in front of my new Commodore Amiga 500 computer in the late 80’s / early 90’s. The manual that came with it had some commands I could type into the computer that made a duck appear on my screen. That’s how I remember it anyway, it was a long time ago.
I used CSS back in the Myspace days. I would sit for hours tinkering with the code to change the design of my template. I had no idea what I was doing really.
Fun fact: Back in the day I used to share Myspace hacks here on Cuteek.com – in fact they were some of the very first posts I ever wrote up!
Learning to Code Goals
Day to day in my website work I use Basic HTML but using WordPress has made me very lazy. I’ve created a set of goals to check in on and stop myself from getting sidetracked.
- Code for 1 hour every evening
- Feel confident editing CSS in WordPress themes
- Allow my brain to enjoy the puzzle side of coding rather than getting anxious about unimportant things
- Build my own website from scratch
- Build my own point and click adventure game
The Coding Community
The coding community is one of the most supportive, self-motivated and positive communities I’ve encountered. There are Twitter coding chats hosted weekly by CodeNewbies which helps you check in with your goals and meet other coders too.
Instagram has an awesome vibe too with beginners sharing the start of their journeys right up to professional developers who are sharing their story while inspiring others. I have so many favourite accounts right now but if you check out the hashtags like #100DaysOfCode or #freecodecamp you will find plenty of inspiration and cool accounts to follow.
If you are feeling inspired to start your own coding journey I’d love to hear all about it.
Good luck! Who knows, you might just create something amazing if you start now.
