Real Python - A story about crushed coding dreams

Hey there,

The other day I read this story of a fledgling Python coder named Seth on Reddit:

Seth's been learning Python for 5 months, and things have been "hit and miss" for a while now.

A few weeks ago he completed a free coding course. But since then his progress came to a grinding halt.

Seth's doing fine at the small exercises—write a function here, reverse this list there—but when it comes to writing more substantial programs on his own, he just can't get them to work.

When Seth embarked on his "coding journey" a fire burned in his belly, but now he doesn't really feel enthusiastic about anything.

It's not like his motivation is dead and gone—

Every time he looks at the neat stuff he could use his programming skills for, he knows deep down that he WANTS to learn.

But the fire he once felt for Python and coding in general has faded into a dim glow at this point.

Seth started out learning Python with a friend, but his friend surpassed him within three weeks. 

Seth still feels like a "noob," and when his friend texted him a link to one of his little web app side-projects, Seth ignored the message for days.

How come Seth's progress has been sitting at a standstill? How did he end up in this trap, feeling his stomach churn every time he thinks about writing another line of code?

Seth says he simply has no idea *what* to program in order to get better. He has no project, nor an idea he wants to get started with. 

And he doesn't feel comfortable coding the programs he thinks he *should* be able to code by now. There's no going back or going forward.

I call this "Python Paralysis"...

When you're tired of slogging through another coding tutorial, putting in more effort than most people, but STILL not seeing results... you know why most people don't become professional programmers!

The real problem isn't the effort itself, it's all the other stuff that sabotages the effort.

If you're wondering, I speak from experience here.

Seth's story is pretty much exactly how I felt in the beginning of any big challenge I ever tackled in my life, whether that's learning how to program, getting my first coder job, or becoming self-employed and starting a business.

If you're in the same spot right now, here's what you need to realize:

If you get through this and keep pressing forward, you're going to get to a stage that's a whole lot better. Push through this, and your efforts will start paying off and people will start respecting you.

It takes guts and determination to make it past the "paralysis" and confusion. You need to have conviction, and a tolerance for pain. 

Let me ask you this: How do you KNOW you have a dream? Like, REALLY know it?

When it hurts so bad that you can taste it. When you feel your heart lurch in your chest every time you think about the unfulfilled possibilities.

That's when you need to keep pushing forward, that's when you're oh so close to getting your reward, but you don't see it yet.

Don't throw in the towel. Keep pushing forward. 

And take another step towards your goal.

— Dan Bader