HN user
I do enjoy coding. A friend asked me to create a little website for him and instead of telling him to check out WordPress, I sat down and coded a CMS, complete with authentication and multi-user options etc. But that was years ago. Now it feels like I WANT to do it but I just can't. Which language? Which DB? Which tutorial? Which whatever? I get tired just thinking about the questions...
I followed my subconscious and pursued CS without formal education on the subject, and I did well! I know it's not much but now I have a master's degree! Some of the courses I did better than the ones who had a BSc in CS. I wouldn't have invested so much time and money if I wasn't interested.
For example; now I'm kind of curious about chemistry. I want to learn more about it, but I can't study forever, I need a job.
I DO want to code. I want to code so well that one day maybe I want to contribute to the Linux kernel! But I want to ask you: HOW do you go on about doing that? The degree I have doesn't mean much. I think I might learn more from books than I did at the university, actually.
Yeah, that's what I was trying to do. During my dissertation, I _had_ to write code and I enjoyed it. And now I want to learn more, but not sure where I'd start.
The other problem is that I couldn't approach a charitable organisation and say "hey, I suck at coding and know almost nothing but I'd like to do your website". I lack self-confidence. Not sure how I build that up?
I compare myself because I want to see progress. If I can do 1% of what some of the guys here can do, then I am onto something, or at least that's what I'd like to think!