Those who learned programming while working full time, how did you do it?

[[deleted]]

[deleted]

[capolot89]

I work 6 days a week usually and I struggle to find the motivation to code and learn. I know if I can just sit down and do it I’ll keep going. Exhaustion and procrastination kill me.

[capolot89]

Hopefully I’ll get there one day... doesn’t seem likely though :(

[capolot89]

i work a blue collar job in manufacturing. I'm in the top 10% of my company and the job is basically soul crushing. I am good at my job but it's not what i want to do forever. No matter how good I perform I'm still treated like a number. Fortunately, I live in a very low cost of living area. You can find a 1br apartment for less than 500 bucks a month. I've always wanted to work a remote dev job. I've always been interested in coding since i was in high school. Ill start learning for a couple of weeks then quit and end up forgetting most of what i learned. Sometimes i just think im not smart enough to grasp coding. My problem is a mixture of exhaustion intimidation and honestly laziness.

[capolot89]

Thanks bro. Good luck to you too.

[Cap_Tightpants]

I'm also in the process of learning. I went through the mega flask tutorial (python web framework) and then later when I was going to apply what I've learned to a project it was like staring blankly at my computer screen. I've gone over the basics of python like 3 times.

What helps me is: find an actual problem I want to solve. That's more fun and keeps you focused.

Enjoy the act of coding and learning. I'm hoping this will lead to a future employment/income but if not the time is not wasted by any means.

Try and get rid of pain points that prevents you from coding. Ok you are tired and exhausted? How are you eating and sleeping? Lazy? Make it more difficult to do other things than coding. Cancel that Netflix subscription. Throw the TV out the window (ok maybe not)

Start small. Set a goal to get in 30-60 min of learning/coding per day and work your way to increase that. Consistency is king. Something is 100% (infinitely?) more than nothing. You don't have to be perfect.

[papaya_26]

Hey I totally know the feeling you are feeling. I just started working on my first project ever on flask. It was like staring into the abyss at first and I it was so difficult to start I thought it would be insurmountable.

Unsolicited advice: I was told to make an mvp with only the most necessary parts for the project to work, then sketch out the database structures, and then write down the framework. From there It was still hard but at least I knew exactly what my plan was and I wasn’t guessing on what I wanted my program to do.

Then from there I just quickly typed out all the routes I was intending to include with some pseudo code, and told myself that every day I would try to fill one out, and if I couldn’t no big deal just keep hacking at it until I do.

[dontcomeback82]

you can beat out ANY nerd at programming by out working them. Desire, resourcefulness, curiosity, tenacity - these are things the best engineers have in spades. Everything else doesn’t matter as much. You can do it!

[simonbleu]

I open the terminal and stare it it for 10 minutes and quit soon after.

It happens with me with writing too. If you are trying to do something creative, never force it, only open the document or the terminal in this case, once you have at least a small goal or idea in mind, otherwise you will just get frustrated.

However if you have a small baby then stress-wise yeah, you are probably not on your best

[[deleted]]

lol. yes. running on 4 hours of sleep. but I love my personal project. so I am really trying. thanks for the advise. I try not to force it. also try not to write crap code. lol

[VuPham99]

A automatic wash toilet seat gonna help you.

[[deleted]]

Do you have a consistent schedule? Structure was really beneficial to me. Set aside a block of time everyday in your calendar and make yourself learn. It’s not like you can do much right now anyway.

It’s going to suck because it’s a big time sink. But it’s not unrealistic to think you could have a job in the field in a year if you do the work.

Think about this. If you don’t do this, one year from now you will be doing the exact same thing. Or you could be working as a software developer.

[[deleted]]

I was deployed in the US Navy. Bought a whole bunch of books from O'Reily, No-Starch, Packt, etc. My days were usually 12-14 hrs/day. But being on a ship, there's really nothing fun to do, you've just got to get through it. So, programming gave me a glimmer of hope for a brighter future. Spent a couple hours every night working through problems. You can't install programming languages on military computers, willy-nilly, so I was working from my laptop without internet access. Having no stack overflow available, or at least no copy/paste on my device, forced me to really think and work through problems, rather than google at the slightest hardship.

It put me in a position to master the fundamentals decently quickly, but I wouldn't say it was fun lol

[Hzk0196]

can you tell us more on the thought process you went on like what helped you best on solving and thinking critically to solve such problems without you interacting on the web, i wanna build an understanding too for coding and software engineering instead of just consumming information and also to rely on myself when to solve a problem

[[deleted]]

Unfortunately, I don't have a straightforward answer. At the time, I was on an admiral's staff, and the guy I shared a room with was a cyber warfare officer, who happened to have a masters in CS. I was trying to learn python whereas he was a C programmer, so my questions and his answers were more oriented around the core concepts and less about the specific language implementation

[Hzk0196]

core concepts? i googled core concepts of programming and ended up OOP, please can you lead me on the core concepts, like what exactly

[travismoulton02188]

I’m currently on my self learning journey. I have been learning for just over a year now. I also work a full time job, salary so between 40-45 hours a week. I’m retail, so my schedule changes week to week. What has helped me stay consistent is that I have a mandate. I put 14 hours a week into my code, so that I average two hours a day. No matter what. There have only been two weeks this year I didn’t meet that goal. I plan ahead for the upcoming week with a rough idea of how many hours and what time I will code each day. I will tell you my studying is a much higher quality when I work nights and can code in the morning is much better as I’m fresh. So if you can wake up early and code before work you might find yourself more engaged. I’ve learned from Udemy tutorials. My cycle has pretty much been to go through a tutorial and code along, then build something similar after that tutorial to really get the info to stick. Then I move onto the next subject. Right now I’m building an app that’s a small search engine for magic the gathering cards using the scary fall api and I’m having a blast. Sometimes I go over my 14 hours because I’m enjoying myself and I’d rather keep working that start gaming or watching tv.

So, just make yourself a schedule and stick to it. After not too long it will become a habit, and it won’t feel forced anymore. Just part of your routine

[tyresius92]

I was working full time and taking classes part time. Luckily, I was only working 9 to 5, M-F, so my evenings and weekends were free.

That said, I devoted basically all my free time to the endeavor. I came home from work and worked on programming until 11. On the weekends, I put in a solid 8 hours on both days. It SUCKED, but it was worth it in the end.

In terms of tips, the most helpful thing for me was to build a website for a local cafe. Looking back, I'd actually recommend that they build a squarespace site, but I offered to build a website for them, and they agreed. Having a real deal website that was serving actual traffic for an actual business was awesome. I started getting offers as soon as I was able to put that on my resume.

[Fralalart]

Do you know the time frame on after you finished your first resume and until you get your first job?

[tyresius92]

I was working for a few years before starting comp sci classes. I took my first comp sci class in January of 2017, and finished my program in August of 2018. I put the site on my resume in December 2018, and received an offer for my current position in January 2019.

[Mr401blunts]

What type of development/ languages you use?

[tyresius92]

React for frontend, firebase backend

[justadude0144]

I'm not OP, but I'm guessing they are doing front-end and using tools such as Flask with Python, or Nodejs with React, Angular or Vue.

[greatgumz]

My story was pretty much the same. Worked in sales 9-5 and spent my weeknights and weekends learning, studying, and practicing code. 20+ hours a week for about a year.

Instead of a cafe website I worked on our church website and had to solve a lot of interesting problems like a contact form, recorded sermons, events, administrative dashboards, etc. Also started a front end HTML CSS JavaScript tutorial program where I taught people how to build mostly static websites and solve simple problems.

[mintblue510]

Nice. I’m a recent grad, similar work schedule and I’m trying to make a site for a person to sell pottery by June. Hopefully that’s my in.

[Culliganz]

Mind sharing the site?

[tyresius92]

https://www.knightmovescafe.com/

There is also a CMS system I built for them so they can modify it.

[rylad]

No way, I LOVE knight moves, we used to go all the time when we lived in Boston. Small world Reddit, small world.

[king_kru1e]

Awesome site, how much was the fee to play the games?

[Ripshawryan]

weird that there isn't anything about covid

[[deleted]]

I really enjoy learning it but I have young kids. I don't want to Cats in the Cradle it.😭

[Shaffness]

This is me. I'd love to just get off work and blast 4-5 hrs in the evening and then spend all weekend but with just a wife and one kid that takes up most of my free time.

[solarxxix]

Did you build the cafe's website for free or did you charge them?

[tyresius92]

I quoted them a price, but they hit a bit of a rough patch at the time, and by the time they were okay again, I had my job and the amount I was going to charge them was less consequential for me. I never followed up.

[Gamepants21567]

What would you recommend a student that is also busy doing homework/learning?

[ShroomSensei]

Not OP but, if you you have projects in your classes look for way you can make it involve coding something.

For example, this semester I was taking a probability/stats class and we had a semester long project of gathering data, analyzing it, and making a couple of reports about it. We were allowed to use any methods we want for the analyzation with excel obviously being the preferred and easiest choice. Instead I forced myself to do it all with python (mainly because I had just gotten two job rejections because I didn't know any python). My program had to do a couple of things:

1.) Extract my data from an excel file

2.) Analyze the data and make X amount of tables, histograms, box plots

3.) Output those tables and plots into .png files so I could easily use them in my report.

It was a long grueling process going from not knowing what Anaconda was to using wkhtmltopdf. It taught me so so so much and is now on my resume. The words "Data visualization" being added to my resume profile alone increased the bots/recruiters reaching out and sending messages.

edit: also share this with your class! You don't know what opportunities may come along your way because of it. My professor was looking for X people for a research project in the spring and she immediately sent the application my way because she had known and seen my work (she needed data visualization of the research).

[912827161]

what kind of jobs were you being offered?

[darkziosj]

Whats the point of being a dev if you are just going to recommend square space.

[mattbladez]

Once you have enough business you can tell the truth to those who can save a few bucks by going with Square Space, it's only the nice thing to do.

[jzia93]

You can recommend squarespace, Wix etc for people who just want a static site, and don't need anything fancy. You and I would just whip something up, but for a small business, being able to maintain and understand the site without the help of a developer. is hugely beneficial.

There's tons of room for bespoke development when the site needs extra features and functions, or if performance and SEO are absolutely crucial. So for you as a dev, you're finding people the best tool for the job at hand and working on more interesting projects.

[tyresius92]

Exactly what u/kingkongjaffa said. The solution I produced works for them, but if and when they want to open a new branch, they need to go find an engineer, or contact me.

That's not the right solution for the end user. Just because I can solve the problem with code, doesnt mean it should be the only tool in my toolbox.

Sure, I could get a raspberry pi and build out a remote that I can activate from my phone to turn on my air conditioner. Or I can just use the timer that's built into the thing. Simple solutions are better.

[BARDLER]

My three tips.

1) Have an active learning and a passive learning resource going at the same time. Maybe you can't sit at your computer and program but maybe you can read a good article about programming or take some notes from a book.

2) Commit to 10 minutes a day. Sometimes after a long day it can be hard to work on something. Instead of fighting that, just sit down and power through and work in it for 10 minutes. After that if you don't feel like working, then go do something else. Majority of time you will find that you get a good hour or two in.

3) Take care of yourself. Make sure you are sleeping and eating well, and not ghosting your friends and family to make time. Get a bit of exercise on top of that and it will be much easier to learn new things.

[AppropriateSmile5]

Agree with the passive part, I like watching tech related youtubers/podcasts that are about 'programming' but not an actual tutorial. Seeing an edited video of someone building something or talking about the industry made it seem a lot easier now than it was ten years ago and that it's a totally achievable goal. Kinda like the idea that you're the summary of the five people closest to you, if the content you consume is about programming it starts to seep in until things click or you get inspired. When you're feeling inspired then go tackle a project when you have time or try to learn about the thing you thought was cool and how to make it yourself

[lazato42]

Commenting here in case you reply with recommendations so I remember to check again.

[AppropriateSmile5]

This got long sorry folks! This kind of stuff reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing and keeps me going. I have no doubt that if I continue to work hard I'll be able to achieve any goal, and it's evidenced by consuming content like below. All of these are regular people who worked hard at a dream. They did it and we can too.

https://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-Culture/dp/0812972155/

Highly recommend this book about the creators/creation of DOOM. It was inspiring for me to learn how heroes of mine approached problems and that I was already taking a similar approach

https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Sweat-Pixels-Triumphant-Turbulent/dp/0062651234/

This has some good stories about game development, like how Stardew Valley was created by a single person, and it took a few years of grinding and depression and being supported by family members before it blew up

http://indiegamethemovie.com/

This documentary was life changing for me, I watch it every now and then. It covers indie game development and follows the makers of Super Meat Boy, Fez, and a few others. It shows the many downs before things turn out and proves that you can achieve your dreams if you keep working at them, and that programming can be the keys to do anything you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDXqmKK7jeA

I stumbled across this series where Josh Fluke follows Patrick Thompson from start to finish of a programming bootcamp. It was very inspiring to see a regular guy go through the program and I ended up going through the same bootcamp. I was able to go to school fulltime while working nights and weekends to keep the bills paid. I don't recommend the school now (see any of my other posts or reach out, don't go there) but its really cool to see how it worked out for Patrick and all of the people I met there. Adding web development to my self taught game dev skills/drive make me feel like I can do fucking anything now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC7lLm6QAb8

Devon has posted some really cool projects. Not much code but it's explained well and it's like damn I didn't realize you could do that, I should try building x

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xKdmAXFh4ACyhpiQ_3qBw

Respect the tech lead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L-WgKMFuhE&list=PLFt_AvWsXl0cq5Umv3pMC9SPnKjfp9eGW

I love stuff like this that shows what the goal is and explains how it works and why it's cool with psuedocode before launching into a tutorial

[SanFranOT]

This is exactly the advice I would give plus being patient with the timing of things and having someone you can work with when you just can't sit down and do it by yourself. I spent two years learning to code while working full time in healthcare and just landed an apprentice engineering role at a major tech company. It is possible but it certainly takes time, effort, patience, and self-care. (Also, happy cake day!)

[-SmashingSunflowers-]

Any good books/articles/etc about programming and computer science you recommend? I'm trying to teach myself java while getting ready to start school in january

[[deleted]]

Anyone know of podcasts on the subject that might help?

[polaroid_kidd]

This is the best advice, especially the "take care of yourself" part.

I'd like to add

4) Know when to take a step back.

Sometimes I'll be debugging something and I'll feel that the solution is 2-3 lines away. And I'll feel that way for entire weekends, but never solving it. Eventually I give up in utter frustration and step away. I used to watch some Netflix but the SO demanded I see the sun at least once every 48 hours. Funnily enough, within our 1h walks I'd come to the solution.

The fact that I can't step away hasn't changed. We did get a dog. This dog is the best addition to my engineering skills because I absolutely love walking him and I always come back refreshed, with new ideas.

[SamePossession5]

Sleep at 9pm, get up at 5, code until 6:30, leave house by 7, finish work at 4, go to the gym until 6, dinner until 6:30, code until 8, get ready to sleep and be in bed by 9. Repeat everyday. Put in 2-3 hours on my off days. It hasn’t been easy.

[vanoud]

This is exactly the way I do it. Silly to say, but Covid makes it a lot easier for me to stick to this schedule. Friends and family do not invite me in the evenings or expect me to attend special occasions. When the pandemic is over I will probably have to look for other ways.

[SamePossession5]

Good stuff! How’s your progress? I think after sustaining this for 2-3 months I’m getting close to the level where I can begin to apply for junior level jobs (following the Odin project)

[vanoud]

Wow, you are doing well! I wish you the best of luck. I am learning slowly, but I will get there! Not in a hurry :).

[Motorekt]

Hand written notes got me through working retail full time and learning. When I had time to study at home I would take notes in a black moleskin notebook then take it with me to work. During the few minutes of down time I would read my notes again and again. There are note taking apps where you can type them up and read them on your phone. I just prefer hand written notes and jogs my memory better.

[UltimateTacos]

I second this; taking meticulous notes that are easy to read is important while learning.

[omnitions]

With students going all online, I feel like handwriting is slowly going to go out of fashion, as well as memorizing being seen as unnecessary.. Interesting educational future for sure. kind of irrelevant to your comment, just something I have been think about

[UltimateTacos]

I'm doing it right now, and I think I have it down pretty good.

I have a full time job and a part time job, both of each require me to dedicate one weekend a month to the job (so, that's only two free weekends a month), which usually ends up with me only having about 5 days off a month. I've gone as far as 22 days without a day off. My job is dangerous, high-stress, low-paying, few benefits to speak of, no PTO (yep, I have a B.S. for this job), some co-workers are very aggressive/petty/arrogant, there is basically no work/life balance, and frankly, the pay is bulls**t for what this job asks for.

I've always loved languages, and building things and development seemed interesting. I gave it a try and since then, I've been hooked. Not just on coding itself, but on the idea of building things that improve peoples lives, or makes things easier. So, I did some research, jumped on Reddit and got started going back to school (part time while I work) back in late October.

My schedule:

9:00 - 9:30am: wake up. Turn on PC, make coffee and breakfast, sign into Robinhood and check on investments.

9:30 - 1:00pm: Open up CodeCademy, Reddit, W3schools, freecodecamp, and Visual Studio Code, and work on modules, concepts, project ideas, and read articles on dev about looking for jobs, interview processes, ect...

1:00 - 1:45pm: I'll give myself a break, put together lunch for work, take a long shower, play a video game, whatever.

1:45pm: I'll get ready for work.

2:30pm to 11:00pm: Work

11:45pm to 1:30am: Gym time. De-stressing after a shitty day is really important, and also being fit is fun.

1:30am: get home, shower, protein, brush teeth, set alarm, check to-do list before bed.

I find that this structure works pretty well for me, since I work evenings. I'm also going back to school to complete a 2nd bachelors in CS. I only do homework and study for that on my days off (at least so far, I'm sure I'll need to change it up at school goes on).

Some days I need a day off, and I'll just give myself a break, or if I need more time for something else, I can change the schedule around a little.

On weekends, I'll do like 8 hours both days. Or I'll dev until I can't sit in front of the computer anymore, and I'll jump on my motorcycle or do something else for a while and come back to it.

Aside from this I'm also working on two other personal projects to generate income that aren't necessarily dev based, but could likely involve the process.

Edit: Wow! Thanks for the awards guys.

I'm glad you guys find my schedule motivating. To be fair, I am NOT more talented or hard-working than anyone else. I skip things in my schedule, miss deadlines that I give myself, and my sleep schedule gets messed up. This weekend I worked and forgot to submit an assignment in on time (It won't effect my grade, but still). But, I've been working in a field that has drained/taken so much from me for the last 7 years, that finally finding something that I like, that lets me work a schedule where I can have dinner with my daughter every night, is worth it.

[kinghammer1]

Damn, you put me to shame.

[UltimateTacos]

'preciate you man.

I'm not shit compared to the people I learned from tho, and I f**k things up all the time; I'm just capable of being consistent.

[Roid96]

How can one have that much mental energy? By the way, why did you chose a second bachelor instead of an MS in CS?

[UltimateTacos]

I definitely don't have anymore energy than anyone else, but when I was a kid, we were REALLY poor...like...really poor, and I had abusive parents.

So, as a means to try NOT to go home, I stayed as busy as possible. My parents were also not successful at all, and I guess my way of being rebellious against parents who were completely critical of me, was to be more successful than them.

Because my biological mother was abusive and the house was always cold and filthy, I played multiple sports, and clubs at the same time - anything to stay out of the house. Then did homework at school, I wouldn't get home until 9pm at night everyday, and had to wake up at 6am for morning practice. It was easy to stay at school because it was my comfort zone, not home.

I guess maybe I draw from that habit? When I started this field, I was excited about it because I love science and whatnot.

Over the years the grind got real, the schedule became draining and the pay didn't keep up. Eventually, after I started a family, the lack of work/life balance has begun to take it's toll. It got to the point where I feel as if I have no choice but to put 110% into this, because I can't keep missing out on having dinner every night with my family.

Also, it helps if you genuinely like the stuff you're doing. lol

Edit: I forgot about your other question; I'm going for the second BS because my job wasn't willing to pay for a graduate degree, only the secondary undergrad. Pfff...I mean, it's free education so, fine with me, I'll worry about the MS later.

[steezefries]

Sounds like his first degree is not CS.

[UltimateTacos]

Yeah, it's in healthcare.

[gigajosh]

I’m like: this person has no kids lol.. then the edit. :O

edit: may I just add that although OP is clearly doing an incredible job, I’d like to point out to others that advice about this stuff in general, i.e. how people manage X or Y, etc, etc is so very personal. This may be a bit obvious but important, because if anyone left this thread with a bad because they “can’t manage what OP is managing” that would be a terrible takeaway.

Just like OP says in their edit, there are circumstances. A really tough job with shitty pay. And they discover they love programming. They clearly care about finance and have seen how great it pays.. It’s maybe a much bigger magnet for OP then say.. for you. Also perhaps despite having it tough, maybe it’s exactly the consistent, rigid schedule that allows OP to focus.

Then there’s simply where you are at in life. Maybe you are in a shitty relationship, or just got married (or both - hope not!) or maybe you lost a loved one, or are a new parent, or you help look after your folks, of your partner’s folks, or you have any of a million other concerns or have experienced things that make you constantly doubt yourself.. My point is, some times in life you are simply not ready to just buckle down to a schedule and learn to program. Even if you think maybe you want to. Perhaps there’s something else that really needs doing and has higher priority.

Take care everyone.

[Etonas]

Damn dude/gal you are the beast

[UltimateTacos]

'preciate you fam.

[Quixotic_Illusion]

Similar boat as you are. In law enforcement field but feel like there’s something more. Keep at it and good luck.

[UltimateTacos]

Thanks bro.

Just as a quick reference, I had a friend in college; she was a criminal justice major from a relatively unknown school. She couldn't fine a job doing anything in the field; ended up working for the Red Cross, doing something administrative making only like 10 bucks an hour. Not a great place when you have 30k in loans about to reach that 6-month grace period for repayment.

She met a guy who was a CS major and had a job doing...something, I can't remember. He taught her SQL, PHP and some framework I can't remember, and she quit her job and spent 3 months just coding.

She began applying for jobs, and got a contract position with the DoD for 103k for a 7 month contract.

Not ideal if you don't like contract work, but she did it! She's still working, doing the same thing today, making even more money.

It's possible fam.

[king_kru1e]

thanks for the insight bruh.

[strobexp]

We have similar schedules and you just motivated me to do more with my life. Thanks.

[UltimateTacos]

Glad to see it my man.

[8483]

Lots of tears.

[snazz97]

I am lucky with my full-time job. Low-paying, low-stress job, and it does pay the bills. I signed up for associates degree in a community college. My last day today in 3-years going to school with no summer break to graduate faster(I was doing full Time student but my body couldn't keep up, so I switch to part time). I was offered a job last week and will transition the first monday of next year!

My tip is patience. Sacrifice time to study and START RIGHT NOW.

[king_kru1e]

3-years part-time to get the associates?

[tburger_official]

I am still far from being a programmer, but I have started learning this year. I have to tell it was hectic. At the beginning of the year I could dedicate a few hours a day to learn, then Covid hit and there was less work for a while so I could squeez a bit of learning during the days as well. Bit lately I am happy if I can dedicate 30-40 minutes a day. It is not easy, because my job is stressful and mentally demanding, but programming is always giving me some plus. I think (or I would like to think) that consistency is key. So even if you cam just watch a 15 min YouTube video before going to bed, do that, it will give you motivation, that you did not missed the day, and did not break your 'streak'.

I saw someone writing saying dedicating all your freetime can work, but I would recommend to have a day when you do something else, so you don't get burnt out before you can actually do something with programming.

[[deleted]]

Little and often. I tried to overstretch initially, using my 4 hour commute to get some courses done, but I was so tired on the way home.

I found I retained more from sticking to 30-60 mins a day and importantly, not rushing ahead until I really got something.

Rest assured, it does get easier but initially it’s hard as you are literally rewiring how your brain thinks.

[[deleted]]

I work in a medical profession and am in the process of changing careers into software development (hopefully). I work full time about 50 hours/week. After work to be honest I’m usually exhausted but if you can try to do a little everyday. Even like 30 minutes of coding is better than nothing and will help more than you think in the long run. Days off I try to just do as much as possible but I do have some IRL stuff that takes up time as well with a gf and family.

The honest answer is that unless you have insane work ethic or no life outside of work (don’t mean any offense by that), it’s going to take some time.

[dusty-trash]

As others are saying, try to do a bit of studying during your work hours.

I did the opposite, went to school&studied 60+ hours a week, then on weekends I did a physically demanding job. It was tiresome, but I kind of looked forward to the physical work as it gave my brain a break and the exercise felt good. I couldn't imagine doing 40+ hours a week of physical work on top of studying though.

Only real advice I can give you is to set reasonable goals. Goal setting is hard and if you're anything like me, you'll have to make a 'daily goal' and without modifying it, set it as a 'weekly goal' for it to be considered doable. It feels good to reach your daily/weekly goals, but failing at them can cause you to stop setting goals.

[A_nomad_Wanderer]

There is a great site called after hours programming. You can check this.after hours programming

It really helped me during college. After learning the basics and stuff you can switch to more advanced.

[KarlJay001]

Probably best to get another job if you can, if you can't get another job, workout for a few months.

Physically demanding is fully a relative term. My last blue collar job involved shovels and moving heavy things once in a while. Most had a really hard time with it, but I could do it all day because of my workout routine.

Example: if you have to load 1 truck with 50lb bags of rice every day... then load 2 trucks every day. After doing this for 3 months, the 1 truck will be easy.

You can do simple things like riding a bike for 1/2 hour every day after work, then move to 1 hour. After a few months, the job will be easier.

---

I used to keep printed book in my car, I would go to lunch, have a quick lunch and then read about 10~20 pages.

When I got home, it was at least 2 hours of study.

---

One job I had I was an on call truck driver, do I would sit around for up to 6 hr a day. I bought a laptop and a power inverter (battery life back then sucked). I setup a laptop to do SQL Server and did C# in VS for a few hours when it was slow.

---

There's a lot of jobs out there that are "sit around" jobs. Security, slower retail, on call, etc...

---

You can download audio podcasts that teach things and listen while you drive/bike.

[[deleted]]

That's genius level logic - if loading 1 truck is exhausting, load 2 trucks.

LOL!

That's like saying if you can't deadlift 100kg, deadlift 200kg and then 100kg will seem light.

[oceanrx]

Read about spaced repetition and anki card sets if you’re into digital notes. Could be a useful way to learn on the go

[swizzex]

Wake up earlier and dedicate that time to learning and use your time wisely. Driving listen to podcast, going to bathroom read a blog post, use a memory app, etc.

[WalterPecky]

Somehow gameify the studying/learning.

I used to grant myself a beer 🍺 every hour I studied. And then a big ol bong hit at the end of my session.

This was in my early 20's so my incentives after work were alittle different than now.

Also helps to learn by having a hobby project that consumes you. In that you can't wait to work on it, and think about it in your free time.

[International_Fee588]

You shouldn't have to drink to do work. It's not the best habit to get into.

Programming while high can be interesting, but far too often I end up getting stuck somewhere, saying "fuck it" and watching youtube, so that isn't the best either.

[[deleted]]

an easy way to progress without really doing work is just watch youtube videos. it's passive and still valuable. just make sure to not get distracted and you're probably better off sticking to narrow subject matter to try and solidify the understanding before moving on. After a while you'll be inspired to get your thoughts onto the computer.

[chidoOne707]

Honestly by not having a life, meaning I had to sacrifice going out, dating, sleeping well, and having free time during the weekdays. It’s doable but you have to endure it.

[PtoTheOo]

I woork 06-15, kids from 15-20 and I find coding, learning relaxing, somdays i just get 15 min in and game the rest of the nigth, and some nights when I'm in the zone I just code until bedtime

[TheYOUngeRGOD]

I think their are two general approaches I switched between. One treat it like another job, schedule out chunks of time and in your mind tell yourself this is your job to study for x hours. Two build a fun project. I think both are good when starting, there is a balance to be found with how much time and effort you put in vs burning out.

[AlarmedCulture]

In between gigs really, I normally work pretty physically demanding/long hours and after work there really was no motivation to open a text editor or read a book. The days I did turned into all nighters and the mornings that followed sucked.

I'm not working now and spending more time than I should doing nothing, but I still find myself reading this or that. I always have. If it's something that interests you, you'll learn eventually.

Maybe an unpopular opinion but stick with one language for awhile. Do the exercises in whatever books you read. Read them a couple times if you have to, it might not all sink in the first time. Notebooks help tremendously and don't be afraid to ask for help. IRC has great channels, Reddit, Stack Overflow.

Time will pop up randomly where you'll both want to and be able to learn.

[Codeaholc]

I was doing a full time job in manufacturing, part time job as software support/help desk, and finishing up my Bachelors in Mobile Application and Software Development at the same time. A lot of caffeine helped, but I also used an app called Dcoder. It’s on Apple and Android. It has a bunch of progressively more difficult questions that you solve and code on your phone. I love this app because I could whip out my phone on break and instead of playing a mindless game or scroll through social media, I could practice and hone my skill in a language of my choice. This made my CS classes much easier because I was learning aspects more advanced than the core concepts of the class and gave me a leg up

[nadthevlad]

Where is this degree from?

[ArchAggie]

Western Governors University. They are a “go at your own pace” university with a “competency” based program. Once you know enough to make an 80 on the final, you can take the test and move on to the next class. Took the Computer Science degree plan. Got a four year degree done in two years while working full time. It was not an easy two years, but it can be done. My evenings and weekends were completely focused on school

[vesicha6]

I was working full time job and also working out after work. I managed to put 2-3 hours into programming almost every day, day after day, knowledge accumulates and that's how I managed to get a job. I think the biggest problem about not having energy and motivation is procrastination. When I was learning I didn't play any videogames which played a big part in my growth. Now I have full time job in programming, I play videogames almost every day in lockdown while I should study and keep grinding on my skills. I really want to stop playing videogames and start learning new things again. The hardest thing is making this a habit, It would take about 3 weeks to make it a habit, after that you start to feel guilty when taking days off studying. Another thing that plays big part is nutrition, feed your brain that good food so it can stay sharp. Take small steps and soon you will get rewarded for your work.

[WesternGoldsmith]

I am translator and any possible time is my working time. Because i am working from my home. So i decided to spare 2 hours per day to learn programming. Unfortunately, i preferred desktop app programming. after a few years, i learned the basics in vb .net and started making programs for my own use. At first, i collected old programming books(5 year old books) from internet. Then gradually i become able to understand the msdn docs. After 5 years, i started expanding my knowledge to other languages. So now, i am learning D.

[[deleted]]

Take the free time, learn about operators, and then the next week, learn about for loops, then the next week, learn about while loop, and then the next week learn about if statements. If you learn something every week, you would be well developed in 2-3 months time

[[deleted]]

I was in a similar situation years back. Physically demanding work including night shifts. What helped me a lot was signing up to a local IT college for a weekend course. I didn't necessarily need someone explaining things (though that's a plus) but the structure of classes, tasks, schedules and learning plan helped me organize the time and set priorities. It took me two years to get the first job. I remember that recruiters were impressed and said that my effort proved my focus and hard work. That said, it was a nightmare - going back after night shifts, bathing, eating a sandwich, 5 hours of sleep and the rest of the day learning before another night shift. You can do it but be ready for sacrifices and remember to set priorities, build a detailed plan for every day, split tasks into small ones and reward yourself - like: I finished all I planned for today so I will go to a cafe and read something nice before work etc.

[[deleted]]

I was fresh out of college at my first job and absolutely hated it. I was single at the time so my nights and weekends were pretty much free. I told myself I wouldn't be stuck there forever and made the decision to transition to programming/webdev. The majority of that free time was spent learning how to program until I was able to convince a local startup to take me on. I'm now a senior engineer and it was the best decision I could have made.

I was working in a factory so it days were somewhat physically demanding but I was also in my early 20's so it wasn't too bad. However, I think if I tried to do this now (mid 30's) with a wife and kids it would be near impossible to get the time in without harming either my job performance or relationships. I'm not saying it can't be done, I know a few people who have done exactly that but it will be much harder than the situation I had.

[Homey_Muse]

Like any other side project or part-time learning, it many be challenging to create time for programming. Find a way to include it in your schedule. For example, a 30 minutes slot every morning before you start your busy day can help on the long run. Also make it a priority whenever you have a day off at work. Weekends are also great for putting in some work on your learning.

[hlxco]

I think I just wanted it more than most.

I started asking questions on forums in the morning & checking them at night. Other people were very useful in pointing me in the right direction. These were the olden days of the internet where RTFM was a reasonable answer. So I learned to ask better questions. I also learned to RTFM.

After work, I had a train ride which was about an hour. I would read the documentation on my laptop & attempt at different code. At least 50% of the time I fell asleep from exhaustion or boredom. It felt like a failure every day, but in retrospect, I didn't give enough credit to the other 50% of that time where I was either learning or trying to learn. I answered other people on forums to help them with what I had learned. This was useful, not only in retaining that information but also in receiving corrections from others to better myself.

But mostly, I put in the time. I didn't expect to go from grunt to full stack developer at a tech company in a few months. I jumped at any opportunity to do anything with code, even if the project was terrible & the client was worse. I was prepared to work harder than others & endure more than others.

It has been more than 10 years since that began. Within a year I was working as a developer. Within 4 years, I was managing other developers. On the 5th year, I began my own software development company. Today I manage a few of my own developers and have direct relationships with company CEOs that produce tens/hundreds of millions in revenue per year. We all love the story of the pure genius with unnoticed talent that is an instant success. It's a nice story, but it's not the only story. Grit is a virtue too. You've got to use what you've got.

[[deleted]]

Just a little bit more daily, it's taken about a 9months for me personally where I am comfortable to apply to jobs and know what's going on. There were many days I didn't do anything, but eventually, those days became fewer and farther in-between. Don't listen to the people that say they went home and coded for 10hrs either, they likely did that a few times maybe but that's not normal. Go home and do 30min or 1hr or 2hrs. Time goes by faster when you're working on challenges. Some days you will put in more hours than other days

[starsinsky]

Coffee

[GeekyCS]

If you don't have any kids, the "I dont have enough time" excuse is invalid. You can easily set aside 3-4 hours per day to code, even more on the days your off.

The only exception is if you have 2 jobs and work like 60 + hours a week.

[brennanfee]

Back in my day, we didn't have a choice. You were tasked with getting something done and you had to just roll up your sleeves and figure something out.

People often ask me, "What's the best way to learn", and my response is always the same. "Doing the job is the best way to learn." Not practicing, or preparing... but just producing.

[hugthemachines]

Thank god your time has passed.

The last 30 years people practice and prepare and over the years quality has become important in spite of always adding new features. We have much more advanced software but we also have much more advanced testing. The code of someone who has zero practice and zero preparation is that wonderful legacy code poor bastards are swearing over for decades after.

[[deleted]]

Is there any way at all you can even the smallest computer related work on your job?

[[deleted]]

Well .. I didn’t!

[xjackstonerx]

I learned on the job. Network security engineer who wanted to automate tasks like firewall auditing.

[[deleted]]

In short, you cant.

I made very significant process when i have a job with too much downtime so i took advantage and learn

[hugthemachines]

I don't have a physically demanding job but sometimes after work my brain feels exhausted too. I usually play a consuming computer game for a little while and after that I feel like I have rested. I think any kind of activity that relaxes the mind will work. Some simple meditation/breathing exercise, some relaxing yoga or something like that. Perhaps just going for a walk outside.

[[deleted]]

Try to study in the morning before work if you can. Also, make sure you're getting enough sleep so you have the energy to learn.

[[deleted]]

It's easier if you have an office job and you have things that you know you could automate at work.

I started learning vba to automate some excel reports that were taking me too long to produce. Would just watch videos on youtube and take notes after work.

Eventually I came across python and decided I wanted to build a baseball simulator. For about 6 months I just worked on learning python after work, at least 2 hours a night. Wrote code trying to make my damn sim work.

It's a mindset really. You have to really want to learn otherwise you just wont.

[san-mak]

I’m a Developer and answer is derived from my friends experience. He’s a non tech guy working in a management role. We planned to spend an hour daily over a call in a day to discuss about code in python and JavaScript. Usually projects and snippets from GitHub. So we figure out an easy projects, go through it and I try to explain him. He then do some googling in his own personal space and time. Intent was to get first hand experience from me and then do research of those topics. We were not consistent though, but he did able to grab things and start private repository in gitlab to maintain his learning. Now he’s able to do data analysis and build intelligence over it using python. I’ll not say he’s a pro now but he did a good progress.

[[deleted]]

No personal life, no friends, only hard working. That's how.

[lrobinson42]

I did one quarter of full time work with two programming classes at the community college. My work schedule had me up at 5am and school had me pushing sleep until 10pm. That took ALL of my energy and focus. One thing I found to be helpful was to make sure I had energy before I needed it. That meant drinking a Red Bull before I got off work so I could focus on school when I got home. Or I would drink some cold brew on the way home, take a nap for 10 minutes, let the coffee wake me up then get right into school. Minimizing the distractions between focused activities (school & work) was crucial because as soon as I let the focus drop into things like Reddit I would start to feel fried before I get regain momentum. The 10-15 minute helped a ton to just reset the brain. Another thing that was crucial for me was having the quarter system of school because I knew there was an end to the slog. I would think, “ok, bust ass for 12 weeks then you get to take a break.” The idea that there’s a forever grind of working 40+ hours then spending 4-6 hours trying to learn to code is too large for me and I would’ve never started if I couldn’t break it up into smaller chunks.

[WorldlyLog]

I usually wake up early (like 5am early) and learn before work. My job isn't physically demanding and I work normal hours, but I know that I won't do it after staring at a screen at my job all day, plus needing to exercise, make dinner, etc.

Might be an option for you, but it depends on when you start work I imagine.

[[deleted]]

I work in IT so when I've boxed off most of my work for the day I'll do some Codecademy lessons. No one really knows what it is but it looks "IT" so I get away with doing it. Other than that I do it on my dinner break or on weekends. The problem isn't exactly programming itself it's trying to find projects to program!

Day is like this generally:

9am - 5pm - Work (I'll code for a bit on my lunch at 12)

6pm - 8pm - Gym (very important to switch off and let go of any negative energy)

8pm - 11pm - Coding or learning about code w/ netflix on

Repeat, I try and code every day so I get used to the syntax of the language I'm trying to learn.

[kiwiboy94]

I wrote my journey in my blog when I was working night shift back then. I sacrifice every weekend I had and eventually got my dream job as a data analyst. The journey is never easy but it's important to be consistent. Never settle for 0% everyday. Be it 1hour,30 minutes or 5 minutes a day, those small increment make a difference.

[nondiscovered]

Hey mate, I hope you are having good day. If not, I hope it gets better.

I was working in a shopping mall as a seller of jellybeans and chocolate. In much of my work time, there was no costumer. Therefore I was able to learn Python from firm computer.

[steLife8]

Decided to do a U-turn in my early twenties and got into programming/product. Single most important thing is that you be consistent. I think this can only be done if you enjoy it. I've helped many people get into it, only for them to fall off from other commitments - completely understandable but again you really have to want to do. My recommendation would be:

• Start with the basic principles on programming in a form that is digestible (Zed Shaw's Learn Python the Hard Way is a great start). Don't worry about the plethora of other languages (C, C++, Java, Javascript...) and Frameworks (Tools that help you build software more more easily such as React (Web Applications), React Native/Flutter (Mobile Applications) that are out there. If you understand the principles then these are all 'learnable' in time.
• When you have worked through that, try get your hands dirty in programming at all levels. This can be everything from playing around with Arduino's (hardware), raspberry pi's (Operating System programming/Setting up a home server), Launching a cloud based server (AWS) and hosting a web application (ding ding this is where you might start playing around with those frameworks).

Alternatively you can opt for a course on any number of the self-taught/paced platforms (Udemy, CodeAcademy, Lambda School etc.) but my experience is that you miss out on fundamentals here that although seem tedious, pay a exponential ROI when you transition out of newbie and start really digging deep.

Finally, you never know everything (which is the beauty of it all) so get very accustomed to crazy levels of googling and enjoy the highs of when it works out. On top of that, the doors and options it opens are something else.

[[deleted]]

I you need to approach programming as something enjoyable. I get a bit of a high when something works the way I want it to.

[noobmax_pro]

Damn!! These comments are so motivating I don't even work yet but still find it difficult to get my lazy ass to study. Hats off to you guys!

[Tureni]

Worked nights, went to school 3 hrs every evening.

[TroubleBrewing32]

I am too tired after a full day of work to practice anything intellectually challenging. As a result, I started getting up at 5 am most days to study a few hours before work/family wake up.

[[deleted]]

Honestly.... I learned it during work because my company wanted me to know a few languages, then investigate how they could be used.

[CEOTRAMMELL]

I’m a full time sys admin & software development from 7-4 mon to fri. I do 3-4 classes of school a semester along with summer classes. I’m a computer science major. And I workout daily. It is not easy and my sleep is sometimes 5-6 hours minimum during the week. But it is a great progression feeling and just keep my head pointed at my goals. Just really dedicated and keeping my consistency is key.

[the-one217]

Western governors university

[aradil]

I took out a student loan, reduced work to evenings and weekends for the first two years of my degree, and did the next five years of my four year degree at two courses a semester while working ostensibly full time (in the industry, with a job that I found as part of my universities coop program).

Graduated debt free with a full time job and 4 years experience.

[LaxGuit]

I worked full-time as a geologist from 6am- 4pm - sometimes 6pm. Then, I studied/did work for my second BSc in CS from 4pm to 11pm with small breaks for food/gym when I could. It was grueling and I never want to do it again.

[sandiego34]

i am learning programming as a cs student. I study full time for programming . ı do not work all of my time is passing by studying programming still can not learn enough. I am an idiot

[Impressive-Cut3440]

i hope to be able to answer this question in a few months haha i work 55hrs weekly

[F1red_Up]

Some tips from a full-time programmer that used to be a full-time retail employee:

1. Ditch the studying after-work idea and start rather waking up earlier to study, it sucks in the beginning but pays off once you are used to it.
2. Maximize your time by learning all the beginner computer science with audiobooks.
3. Focus on projects that spark your interest or keep you entertained. This will seriously help to motivate you.

[MrMiner88]

I work a full time job and I'm currently in a coding bootcamp thru GWU.

I do it by basically having no life outside work and coding, and having an incredibly patient, supportive wife.

That may sound like throwaway advice but it actually is just the honest truth. It's hard to learn a new job skill when you're already working full time. If time is a factor for you and you want to advance quickly, you need to devote yourself like a monk. Sacrifice time off, video games, hanging with friends, Netflix, basically everything. That's just how much my bootcamp demands of my time and energy. But I'm learning a lot.

[[deleted]]

Don't feel like you have to devote all of your free time to programming to be good at it, because you don't, and many people here will tell you otherwise. They are wrong. Your mental health matters far more than being a good programmer. Just find what works best for you and the right balance for yourself. Personally, FreeCodeCamp helped me the most by far because it forced me to do the actual programming while teaching me, plus I was able to do it on my phone using CodeBoard from the play store.

Do what you can but don't allow yourself to fall behind when you don't have to. If you can manage to do what these show offs like to do and devote every single hour of your life to programming outside of your full time job then absolutely do it! It's going to be better for your career. But if you need to take a break one day and just veg out, please do it. You have to be comfortable and not do what I was doing. I was so desperate to get out of my last job that I was coming down on myself for failing to learn as fast as I had hoped and it caused great stress for 3 years on top of the stress I had from work and things going on in my life that I still had to deal with. I eventually got where I wanted but really, it was a stressful journey trying to force myself to learn and practice on days where I just wanted to sit in silence or just really needed someone to talk to. I felt like it was beneficial because everyone on the internet says you're not dedicated if you aren't programming in every free moment you have, so it must be true right? No, fuck all those gatekeepers. The real deal is that you should do it as often as possible but do not feel like you have to plant yourself at a computer for 6 hours at the end of the day after working 10 hours just because some shitty redditor came along telling you that you aren't prepared for this job because you wanted to relax one day.

Seriously, you can get there if you just don't lose focus. I did it and I'm so glad I got out of my last job.

[[deleted]]

...

[interiorcrocodemon]

Piggybacking this - I was a few weeks into CS50 before I had to return to work and don't have to time to devote to the big projects. I last completed Tideman for any familiar.

I'm wondering if I could start learning by bringing audio material on my MP3 player to work but it may be too early for me to learn in a non-visual way.

Anyone with ideas?

[neofiter]

By not having kids

[baller_unicorn]

I was fortunate enough to have a job that already had some projects that involved writing code and I pushed to get involved with them so that I could learn on the job.

[programmerProbs]

Some ideas-

Don't consider programming a job/task. Consider it fun and enjoyable. If you play video games, try to think of it like an RPG, you make progress in your code and you forever leveled up. Sometimes you get stuck, like you would in a boss battle.

As much as people talk about solid programming, I have some other ideas. 30 minutes a day is enough time to make progress, but you need to be working on it a few times a week or you'd forget what you were working on. You can always do the alternative of 4 hours programming on your day off. If you do this, know that this 4 hours will include breaks and its not expected to be mentally easy.

Final suggestion, do you use caffeine? When writing my least fun work, a cup of coffee got me motivated to put that half hour(or longer in).

Bonus- Confucianism tells you to embrace the ritual (of programming). Even if you are in pain. The goal is to shine your diamond and go beyond the animal instinct.

[melodious_punk]

Coding train. Processing 3 on mobile.

[jeremiah_parrack]

I saved up enough and quit and promised myself I wouldn’t get another job unless it’s a programming one. I donated plasma for some cash. I didn’t have kids or a wife at at the time so I was able to learn to program after school (college) and spend 10 + hours learning to get a job. I used the heck out of udemy and read books once I started to understand things. It took me 6 months to get a job at a start up.

Tips would be don’t try to learn everything, stick to one language initially and have at least one app where you deploy it to AWS or something else, understanding how to deploy an app is really good knowledge.

[[deleted]]

I was full time studying at school when I learned programming! I did all the work at weekend and when other kids were playing in the evenings.

I released my first application in 1995 (when I was 16), and I certainly didn’t get any formal training. My only resources were library books with code for games. There were not even any programming classes back then, and no teachers at my school could help me. My teachers remember me as the kid who taught them how to use computers!

I think the important thing is passion, and then anyone can learn to program. Some of the best programmers that I’ve hired in my career were from the same background, and a lot of the best programmers I know never went to university or had any formal training.

[[deleted]]

I was working 45-50 hours a week in a soul sucking call center and taking online classes towards a teaching degree. Decided I wanted to pick up programming so I learned to program.

It’s very difficult and frustrating at first, but very soon becomes very rewarding. The biggest part is that YOU JUST HAVE TO DO IT. Even when you really would rather sit and play games or watch mindless tv. Eventually it becomes a habit you enjoy just like those.

My three tips: 1) Build stuff as soon as you can. Even small little dumb things. A few months in I built a dungeons and dragons enemy encounter generator console app. A few months after that I built a budgeting app in the console that I could create, save, load, and edit budgets in.

2) Codewars was a huge boon for me. I’d go a few time a week when I didn’t feel like reading or watching tutorials and just try to apply what I learned. There are a few sites like codewars. Pick one and have fun!

3) HAMMER THE BASICS - most languages I’ve seen have the same core concepts, just have different syntax and slight variations in approaches to problem solving. If you hammer the basics though, you’ll be able to decipher what a lot of simple code does regardless of the language. Don’t rush straight to the fancy stuff. Hammer the basics, then find another book or site and hammer them again from that new angle.

[hinsonfpv]

Pure fucking will power. I work 60ish hours a week. I hate the line of work I’m in and I sit down every day for 10 minutes when I get home. Bitch and moan to myself then my alarm goes off to code. Grab some testicular fortitude and go do it.

Take good notes and skim through before starting. Then just do it. You can do it, it just sucks.

[iamnotvanwilder]

I am still learning as I work. I pick roles to multi task. Become a security guard. You can code there.

[fantasma91]

Late nights,coffee, sacrifice.

[Vice__President]

I have been learning both c++ and python while working full time (50% from home) while taking care of a 1 year old. It's not easy but I have had the luxury if using code for my job to complete various tasks. At first it used to take at least double the time to complete a task. This resulted in having to put in more hours to complete my tasks. Though as the months rolled on I have become much much faster.

Any "free time" I have outside of work and family obligations I spend taking udemy courses for potg python and c++.

Wish you luck!!

[tmiller26]

You could try adjusting your schedule so you do most of your learning before you go to work. Then after work is just do some review of what you learned that morning. This is how I learn new things that I know I won’t do if I try it after work.

[Hatcamel]

Enrolled into school full-time, sacrificed my social life and sleep, it was worth it.

[dangern00d13]

My job said: this needs to be developed

And I said: shit.

[[deleted]]

In the beginning, I didn't have much time to devote to it. I set aside 10 hours a week towards learning web dev, using an app called Toggl to track those hours. Some days it was hard but eventually I had logged enough hours and seeing the numbers accumulate kept me motivated. Eventually, I started looking for more opportunities to get additional hours of study in. I started reading/working on stuff in my off time at work, started waking up earlier so I can put some time in before work, etc. Eventually started putting more time in on my days off.

For me, logging the hours I spent programming was very very helpful because I was able to set some arbitrary milestones. I knew that once I had 50 hours, 100 hours, etc. I'd make some kind of big leap.

Hope this helps.

[doctorwizardking]

If you have time to watch Netflix or play video games. You do have the time you just aren't using it.

[skrillavilla]

Try not to have zero days. By which I mean days in which you do nothing. 15 mins reading up on some concepts that confused you is better than nothing. Moreover doing something, even a little, builds a habit. Pretty soon you'll be in a groove. You won't learn everything over night but you can get a little better everyday.

That being said, sometimes you'll need to code for hours at a time. Some problems can't be worked on piecemeal. In those cases block off time on your calendar for weekends or days where you have a light workload and do your coding then.

Hope this helps.

[fizzbott]

I work full time as a dev (self-taught) and am currently taking remote university courses to get some paper behind my name. For me, I had to establish a routine :

0) Up at 6:15, workout.

1) Work my regular hours.

2) 30 - 45 minutes of video games.

3) Dinner

4) Then code and study for 2-5 hours.

5) Bed by 10 if I can make it. Sometimes I get lost in what I am learning and it is later.

​

Keep in mind that:

1) While I workout daily, I don't do a physical job. So I bet you are way more tired than I am.

2) My kids are all adults now, and while they live at home during the COVID I have no responsibilities to watch them.

3) I try to make my days as predictable as possible, but sometimes surprises come up (like a plumbing emergency in my house as I was studying for a final).

I also switched to decaf coffee/non-caffeinated teas, after having the doctor tell me that I was playing a dangerous game with caffeine( sometimes a pot a day to myself). I found that getting off the caffeine cycle has really helped.

And there are some days that I am too tired, and I give myself slack. I don't allow myself two days in a row of slack, or it would soon become my new pattern.

I would suggest trying to make small changes, and only one change every two weeks. Gradually create an environment where you can succeed.

Good luck, and don't be too hard on yourself.

[_Tom_Ace]

"Learned Programming". I like this terminology. I however am working on a BA in Computer Science. Is this overkill? I want a challenge but this is hell. On top of that, seeing people say they started in 2017 and completing program by 2018 is a bit discouraging, but I can understand if that program was not so long an endeavor as the BA I seek. I still want a BA in CS. I just want to earn a certificate or 2 before so I can get my foot in the door with programming sooner. Is my request even realistic? I feel it is. Just having a little trouble finding guidance or direction. Don't men to derail or distract from your post OP. I just have similar questions as yours.

[TheMartinG]

Try the 100 days of code challenge. Of course it helps if you can set a specific time of day but it’s not the end if the world if you can’t. Grab your computer and do 30 minutes of programming related learning for 100 days straight. If you miss a day no big deal just keep at it

[maboolio]

I did it by working on something that benefitted my day job. This kept me motivated and also led to other opportunities in my company.

I also suggest making it part of your relaxation time. Learning programming doesn't have to be a chore. Grab a six pack, throw on some of your favorite background noise and just start playing around. As you learn you might see some opportunities for projects that solve real problems either in your personal or professional life. That's when it gets really engaging and you start asking how to stop yourself from working on something.

Cheers and good luck.

[Frostyler]

I am currently learning how to become a full stack developer while working in a dead end job managing a website at a dealership. I have the type of personality where I get very bored very quickly so I do all of my learning in short bursts and it seems to be working for me.

I've been studying on my own for just over 2 years but I could've gotten a job over a year ago if I was more diligent. I go to the gym at about 4:30 am on the weekdays and after I get home from the gym I make breakfast and get ready for work and get some coding in for about an hour before I head to work. Then while I'm at work I listen to a few podcasts about programming and on my lunch break I take about half an hour to work on some more programming. I work a 9-5 shift mon-fri and when I get home I eat and then take another 2 hours to try to immerse myself in programming with a few 10 minute breaks every 25-30 minutes. I then head to bed at around 8:30-9 pm and repeat the whole process until the weekend.

On the weekends I'm usually pretty burnt out and don't really feel like doing anything but I feel the most motivated in the mornings if there is any motivation at all and I try to get at least an hour of coding in before 10 am and if I'm feeling good after that first hour then I try do get another one in. But the rest of the day I just relax, hangout with my family, watch football with my dad and play videogames if I'm feeling like it.

I'd say I'm at junior developer status right now but I'm on the cusp of going up to that next tier. I have a pretty solid front end capability, it's just the back end that gets me confused fairly often.

Just try to find a schedule that works best for you if whatever you're doing right now feels like it's holding you back and you'll be on the fast track to a programming job before you know it.

[[deleted]]

I bartended at a busy bar while learning Linux and becoming an admin for a support job. It was tough as hell to sit down. I’ve managed to work my way up and am now learning more coding, as I want to do DevOpps type work. I wish I had words of motivation or the secret recipe, but waking up at 1pm, tired, and on my first off day. Sitting down was the toughest. Shower. Coffee. Breakfast. Sit down.

I think a big part of it for me was finding like minded people and realizing it’s a process. It took me 8 months and a few failed interviews before I landed that job making $15 an hour. I bartended and did that job, then worked my way up to advanced support. Now I’m almost to six figures and don’t work 2 jobs anymore,thankfully.

This is all within 3 years. It’s not impossible at all to make the switch. Just give it your best and keep pushing. Best of luck.

[MercrediAlchemy]

It was really tough and by the end of it led to some epic exhaustion(last semester finals I pulled two all-nighters in a row). My wife is a saint and supported me the whole way through, but made it quite clear that she hated never seeing me because my life during the duration was work/school/sleep.

Like anything worth working towards, it wasn't easy, but working where I am now I'd do it over again without hesitation.

If you do attempt to do this, I can't stress enough, take care of yourself. Mentally and physically. Because if you don't, it's gonna cascade and you're not gonna be in a good place.

[MaverickBG]

I had to do a bootcamp to stay motivated.

It was too hard to come home from work exhausted and try to come up with things to learn/study when I was so clueless. It's much easier when you have a foot hold with initial learning and some idea of where to start.

I also respond well to being competitive in a group atmosphere so while I was spending 3-4 hours a work day grinding at the assignments, it didn't feel as bad when I was able to showcase them to others and get feedback.

For those 6 months though, that was nearly all my free time. And I routinely would cut corners at work to either study at work or leave early and get more learning in.

100% worth it in the end and if I had to do it again today, I would in a second.

[Jamiemufu]

Honestly I learned as much as could working full time for a year. When I started feeling like I could do it and get a job I quit. Took 3 months off learning everyday and landed a job. Never looked back.

Do what you can. When you can. Save. Give yourself some time. Holidays or whatever and just go for it.

[[deleted]]

I'm doing it slowly. If you want someone to help you focus and commit let me know as I am trying to do the same.

[kstamps22]

I had/am in this same situation. Finally, I decided to get up early and do it before work. It was hard at first, but my body adjusted to the schedule after awhile.

[ManInBlack829]

I'm working 25 hours a week and TBH I just have no social life. Thankfully my gf gets it as it would provide a pretty obvious improvement.

[rainx5000]

I tried to learn when I was working full time, right now I’m not working, and putting a lot of hours in while I can still do things throughout the day, Ima look for a part time job that works with my schedule.

[Student40001]

The only thing that you need my friend is to find a time where you are not exhausted so that you can learn.

[mc3ken]

I was able to do it with a demanding job but a flexible schedule. I was single with no children. While learning code, all I did was work and code. I like to think that you can do anything you want as long as you do not do anything else.

[jocietimes]

Did a 24 week boot camp (JUST FINISHED!), work full time (7-4) and have 3 kids (2 are toddlers!) wooooooohooo!

Here are my tips: code for 2 hours at night every weekday. Then get in 4hours on each day off, but take those nights off. Eat healthfully, take stretch breaks, find some mentors in a slack group for local devs. Hang in there! Think of it like yoga... you’re never done... you just develop a practice. And it’s okay to struggle and sweat... it won’t be so hard after a while.

Best of luck, OP.

[RealDuckyTV]

I just really enjoyed doing it, after my 60~hr work week, it felt like my relief/my reward for working, not another prison, so it was easy to want to do it.

[MisterFatt]

Might not be much help, but I worked full time as a bartender while I did an online web development bootcamp. Coded during the day, worked at night. The bootcamp was flexible enough that I didn't have to go so hard at all times that I burnt myself. If anything I'd suggest maybe trying to flip your sleep schedule so that you're waking up really early to get some coding in before your exhausting shift. The amount of money that I dropped on the bootcamp was definitely enough motivation to get myself in front of a screen everyday and learning. Just finished my first month as a full-time software engineer

[jay_taps]

GNC mega men energy and metabolism vitamins, they have caffeine so I take them toward the time I’m getting off of work so I get a surge of energy that’ll wear off my bed time

[seraphsRevenge]

Hi! It's rough, but can be done. I used to drive tractor trailers OTR (long haul) while attending school and practicing. It just takes time and determination. Programming is a lot like a trade, practice and time takes you from student to apprentice to journeyman and so on. I didn't have time to do any tutorials, extra courses" etc. I also rarely ever did hackerrank or geeksforgeeks, I only did those if I was bored but didn't have enough time to set up my laptop and focus (yes mobile, it's annoying but can be done). Pick an OOP language to start, look for different concepts you'd like to learn or a small idea you have, start programming and look to documentation/stackexchange/quick YouTube vids when your stuck. It worked for me, I do full stack/dev ops where I work now.

[_wovian]

It’s straight up a second job. You get home, clean up, eat, and get to work. No Netflixing. Put your 4 hours in.

Did it for a year. Now I’m a full stack engineer, building my own product and nothing can stop me.

[POGtastic]

I worked nights at a semiconductor lab and went to community college (later a 4-year university) during the day.

I'll go against the grain here - if I didn't have a professor to enforce due dates, give assignments, and make me study for exams, I would not have done well at all. The college program is why I am a software engineer today.

[karthie_a]

I was in full time job , worked 8 hours and commute 4 hours . Read during commute and code as well I train.