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My First Year of Coding
- lowglow 13y agoYou rock, Jen! You should be super proud of the progress you've made.
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoThank you! It's been a crazy awesome year.
- joshdance 13y agoCongratulations. You honestly inspired me. Thank you for sharing.
- coderbroder 13y agothe word coding is so annoying when it's used as a one-fits-all sort of thing, it's like when people use the word literally instead of figuratively
- amaks 13y agoIt's just a word denoting a process. Sub it with 'writing a sophisticated software' if you like.
- HillRat 13y agoWell, if you want to get ridiculously technical, we shouldn't use "coding" for anything higher-level than assembling bytecodes at the machine level. The term was in common currency at least as early as Wheeler's "The Use of Sub-Routines in Programming" (1952), while by 1954 the term "automated coding" was being used to describe the use of higher-level languages such as Hopper's A-2 or IBM's Speedcode (and, indeed, even basic mnemonic coding and relative/symbolic address transformations that underlie what we today call "assembly programming"). As it is, I'm comfortable using the term to denote any activity that programmatically and logically instructs a computer to take a certain sequence of actions. C? Coding! Java? Coding! JavaScript? Coding! CSS? Coding! Excel columns? Coding! Ctrl-h and a regex selector? Coding! It's coding all the way down!
- wpietri 13y agoSeems fine to me. My dad started programming in the late 60s. I've been doing it for money for 25 years. He says "coding" as a catchall term, and so do I. At some point words get new meanings.
- andygcook 13y agoMy girlfriend expressed interest in learning to code last weekend. You were my example of someone she should research and mimic to start off her journey. What you've accomplished is extremely impressive and serves as a shining example of how someone can go from knowing morning to developing a true skill. Job well done!
- joshbert 13y agoYou and your project are truly inspiring. Congratulations on everything!
- jere 13y agoHmm... I read this and wanted more information about what happened in the last 185 days. There's a link to the YumHacker site but not much context there. Here's a post explaining it a bit more: http://blog.yumhacker.com/post/74733516768/yumhacker-i-built-a-social-network-for-food-and-heres http://blog.yumhacker.com/post/74733516768/yumhacker-i-built...
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoGood point! Thanks for posting the link to the YumHacker blog post. I've added it to this blog post as well.
- null_ptr 13y agoWhat do you plan to do next to advance your skills and understanding of software making? How important was being in the spotlight to motivate you to go down this path?
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoI've been working a website called YumHacker since I've finished the 180 project. It's a restaurant discovery app using Rails as an API on the back end and Backbone.js on the front end. I learned a lot with the 180 websites project and working on a full scale app has been really great for taking my skills to the next level. Making myself publicly accountable was definitely a great motivator but my biggest take away was getting over the fear of being wrong/judged.
- jmcgough 13y agoI really appreciate you open-sourcing it - I spent some time trying to figure out how to best integrate RoR and Backbone when I was learning the latter, and having your source code to poke around at was really helpful.
- hpriebe 13y agoCongrats! This is such an inspiration. What kind of resources did you use to learn?
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoThe internet! I spent most of my time googling, searching Stack Overflow, reading online demos, tutorials blog post and poring over docs to find the answers to my questions. There are tons of free resources out there.
- enraged_camel 13y agoJennifer, I was going through the top 10 stories, saw the jenniferdewalt.com domain, and thought, "oh, it's that girl who sat down and taught herself how to code!" In my mind I've sort of associated the brand "Jennifer Dewalt" with ambition, dedication and inspiration. I send your posts and websites to my sister to encourage her down a similar path. Keep up the great work! :)
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoThank you! Learning something new is so intimidating but I really think the best way to do is to just dive right in. Sure, you'll suck at first but that's ok. Eventually you'll get better.
- mantazer 13y agoI agree 100%. The experience I've gained working on personal projects of my own has brought me further than working on class assignments. Not being afraid to fail will take you a long way.
- realrocker 13y agoMy lil sis is your fan!
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- xpop2027 13y agoI couldn't agree more with @enraged_camel since I thought the same thing too! Jennifer has done an incredible job documenting her ambition. I wouldn't be surprised if a few companies offer her a developing position.
- gknoy 13y agoI absolutely agree. Jennifer's work and courage are inspiring, and basically make me willing to read pretty much anything of hers that is posted here.
- coconut12 13y ago
- sergiotapia 13y agoMy younger brother went from not knowing what a <p> or <a> tag was to hand-making this in 2 months: http://www.midepo.com/products/6150-venta-bolivia-non-enim-totam-doloremque-expedita-et-in http://www.midepo.com/products/6150-venta-bolivia-non-enim-t... Responsive, built using Ruby on Rails, bootstrap, jquery, etc. Any questions he had he could ask me and I would nudge him along, but it was 90% his determination that got him to where he's at now. Having a mentor helps. I hope at least someone is inspired by jennifer or my brother, it can be done and an insane amount of time! You just need the cojones.
- curbenthusiasm 13y agoWhere did he start? What was his first move?
- FLUX-YOU 13y agoI'd even say that having a mentor will make or break some people as learning programmers. I don't recommend going solo from personal experience. Similar effect as going to the gym with someone. They sort of remind you that you should commit to these things. Got fed up with that and finally bought a rubber ducky.
- m_mueller 13y ago@curbenthusiasm: you seem to have been hell banned - I can't figure out why. edit: Really? Could the downvoter explain to me what's wrong with this comment? Are we supposed to just leave banned accounts to rot now?
- steveklabnik 13y agoTelling people they're hellbanned destroys the purpose of hellbanning.
- m_mueller 13y agoBasically it's a system of checks and balances. Hellbanning makes trolling less efficient while showdead makes it possible to correct mistakes. In the case here noone could point out to me why he was banned, so I have to assume a mistake. According to your logic, HN could as well just disable showdead.
- zkirill 13y agoCongratulations! YumHacker is coming along nicely!
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoThanks! I'm currently working on v2.0 which I am really excited about.
- marincounty 13y agoI think Jennifer is truly inspiring. I wish I thought anyone over 10 years old using words like yum was still cute though. I'm sorry, but I sat next to a group of extremely privileged twenty something people last night-- and had to listen to how yummy their food was, and oh the picture taking. I get it, you enjoy your food. Just stop describing it in public; some of us just want to eat. And yes--I do think of all the starving kids whenever I hear yummy out of privileged people mouths. I'll probally get banned for this post, but it just might be the best thing anyone has ever done to me.
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoDon't worry, I've seen much, much harsher critiques of things on HN. I doubt you'll get banned. I'll have to keep in mind that the name YumHacker was so offensive to someone they were compelled to write an off topic rant about it, though.
- dang 13y agoI've seen much, much harsher critiques of things on HN. As have we all. It makes me cringe thinking about it! I doubt you'll get banned. Your intuition is better than most; that comment has been punished enough. Things go much better when the community corrects things itself without moderators intervening. My goal is never to have to do anything. Edit: My long-term goal. :)
- nostrademons 13y agoSomebody should tell this to KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut: https://www.google.com/finance?q=YUM https://www.google.com/finance?q=YUM
- jacalata 13y agoGrow a spine and leave, you don't need to wait to be banned.
- tptacek 13y agoPerhaps not helping with this comment.
- NAFV_P 13y agoDid anyone notice the cheeky ascii art in the website source?
- stickperson 13y agoI started to learn how to code back in August and got my first job as a developer at the end of February. I went through a bootcamp and didn't see anyone besides my girlfriend for 10 weeks. It's definitely tough not having a mentor, and I struggled a bit for a couple months after classes trying to figure out what I should spend my time learning. I still struggle with it when working on personal projects and often worry I'm not doing things the "best" way. I sometimes get overwhelmed because there's so much I don't know, and deep down I know I'll never be as good/desirable as someone with a CS degree. That being said, I'm very happy where I am and wouldn't change anything.
- ericabiz 13y ago> deep down I know I'll never be as good/desirable as someone with a CS degree. I stopped working to write this comment--that's how important it is to me that you know this is a belief that will only hold you back. I could cite any one of thousands of articles that talk about dropouts who made it, but I suspect you know about those articles and it hasn't affected your belief. So I'll just say this: If I had graduated with a degree, I would have never been able to bootstrap a tech company when I was 20 and sell it for over a million dollars when I was 26. Don't look at yourself through the eyes of others, because you'll always find yourself wanting. I'm sitting here about to launch my new company (we're doing final testing of our new website right now.) I have no idea whether our site (which is kind of wacky) will convert. I don't know if we'll get any sales. And I've got everything riding on this company--I've put all my chips in. There's enough in this world that will kick your ass. People haven't believed in my companies for the past 13 years I've been running them. People have laughed in my face, investors have turned me down over and over again, customers have quit, money has been lost (and, on a brighter note, much money has been made!) Sometimes the only thing you can count on is your internal belief that you WILL make it, no matter what. That's what got me through my last company during its darkest hours. That's what's getting me through now. Enough people will throw shit in your face. Don't be one of them. You are better than that. The world is full of possibilities. Don't count yourself out. Jennifer sure didn't. ;)
- jenniferDewalt 13y ago
- mbesto 13y ago"Most importantly, I’ve been able to overcome the fear of being judged. Whether you are making a piece of artwork, teaching yourself something new or building a business you’re bound to encounter some negative energy. People will say some pretty weird or just plain mean things to you when you’re doing something kind of crazy. Those comments sting a bit, but they’re most dangerous when you let them feed your self doubt. Battling your own self doubt is incredibly formidable." This is above and beyond, the greatest lesson I've learned as an entrepreneur. Kudos to you Jennifer for finding the same.
- readymade 13y agoIt's worth revisiting the original HN post from last year: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6097155 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6097155 IMHO she deserves kudos not just for accomplishing her goal (which really is impressive enough on its own) but doing so in the face of a community with such deeply ingrained sexism that some people thought it "suspicious" at the outset. Obviously she's a strong enough person that this kind of stuff didn't derail her project, but one can only imagine what a different world we'd be in if projects like these were met with more encouragement and less derision. Not that the haters are getting any satisfaction today.
- kbajorin 13y agoIt seems to me encouragement is the dominant response, both here and in the original post. My criticism would be that in her post she highlights only the negative comments she got. When, on the whole, the community votes her posts up and the top comments are always positive.
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoThe response from the community has been amazingly and wonderfully supportive. My comments in the post were mostly a reflection on the weird things people have said to me personally. For example, I had a close family member look me dead in the eye and say, "You shouldn't have started this project."
- carrotleads 13y agoWell I am showing this to my 2 girls. They have got C++ & Unix books on their shelves but as far as I can tell, it hardly been read. Hoping your story gets the ball rolling.
- kirab 13y agoReading some (probably hard technical) books is the hardest way there is to start this thing. Especially with C++ where it’s hard enough just to see your results. If you want something to be done, give them something where they can see their results ASAP. You can of course achieve this with C++, but then you should get them a working IDE, debugger and maybe some easy graphical library to play around with.
- carrotleads 13y agoactually the idea is not the learn C++ or unix. Most of those books have great introductory chapters and I am hoping that piques their interest. As of now they know only the basics of markup language.
- columbo 13y agoVery impressive, great job
- neovive 13y agoVery inspiring! Did you compile a list of the resources you used while learning each of the languages/libraries or was it pretty random?
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoI pulled lots of bits and pieces from all over the place but some of the big helpers have been Stack Overflow, MDN, HTML5 Canvas Tutorials, Rails Tutorial, GitHub, jQuery docs, and the Rails docs. I read tons of blogs and demos as well.
- wglb 13y agoThe 180 sites in 180 days effort and result is simply awesome.
- mb_72 13y ago"I’m still dealing with a bit of impostor syndrome and it still sounds weird when I tell people I’m a software engineer..." That's because you aren't a software engineer, and if you are saying so then the feelings of being an impostor are entirely warranted. 'Coding' is one thing, 'engineering' is something different altogether. I'm afraid this falls into the 'you don't know what you don't know category'.
- motoford 13y ago+1 and then there is also that bit about no such thing as a "software engineer" …
- unphasable 13y agolet's get existential up in here!
- motoford 13y agoI love the down votes on this. Must have hurt some feelings.
- noonespecial 13y agoHow much code must one coder write, before we call them engineer? Yes'n how many roads must a man walk down...
- nickthemagicman 13y agoIts not code its algorithms, backus naur notation, software patterns, etc. The differences betweem an architect and an civil engineer is the math.
- pedrosorio 13y agoYes, because civil engineer = architect + math, what a good analogy (hint: no, it's not, until people that have studied civil engineering and not architecture start winning the Pritzker regularly). Do you also think the difference between a doctor and a biomedical engineer is math? P.S.: I agree with your first point, but the analogy you chose is really bad. Self-taught coder isn't to a software engineer what an architect is to a civil engineer.
- mastermindxxx 13y agonice story, but you cant call that "coding". looked at the website and its sophistication can be compared to a kid practicing how to write the alphabet in primary school. in terms of the learning curve this can be pulled off by an above avg 13 year old in 2 weeks.... Nonetheless women + coding or women + investment banking etc. is the magic combo that will put you on the front page in these days. talk about gender equality/survival of the fittest....lol
- aurumpotest 13y agoShe might not have done the most complicated things in the world - I'm no expert "coder" but I've done more complex things than her. BUT I'd bet she's a better "coder" than me. She will be rock solid on all the basics, so she has a great base to do more complicated things. For the more complicated things I've done, I was relying heavily on stackoverflow searched and the like, and although I made complicated things that worked, they were probably fairly basic mistakes and things that could cause future problems that Jen wouldn't have made/done. Too many people these days (me among them) jump in without knowing how to swim and then struggle to stay afloat. Jen taught herself to swim first.
- dang 13y agoI am pleased to report that no one upvoted this.
- nemasu 13y agoThis is awesome, good work!
- aurumpotest 13y agoThis is the first I've seen of this project, it looks inspirational. But how did you choose the projects? I've often wanted to do a small project just for the sake of making something nice and pretty, and improving my skills at the same time, but I can never come up with anything. All your ideas are great - but I can't imagine being able to come up with one a day for 6 months! Also, how did the project work out time-wise? Were you working at the same time? Roughly how long did you spend on each site? Keep up the good work!
- jenniferDewalt 13y agoBefore I started the 180 project I made a list of every idea I could think of. Then as the project went along I was often inspired by something I came across the day before or a new concept I wanted to explore. I had a few moments where I thought I'd never have a good idea again. I quit my job last year and have been working on the 180 websites project and now YumHacker full time. I spent on average 10 hours a day on the 180 project.
- altero 13y agoNothing against Jennifer, her stuff is impressive. But I find this ridiculous. This is called learning and is done by thousandth/millions others. Everyone has to overcome their fear of being judged and stuff. Giving kudos just because of gender just undermines girls to take on harder challenges in future. I started coding professionally when I was 17 not to starve, while overcoming depression and mental illness. My cousin started coding recently, he was born without hands! Nobody gives a shit because we are men.
- thumbtackthief 13y agoWho in the world cares that she is a woman? I have a wiener, and I certainly have not done anything so ambitious. You're the one making this about gender--everyone else just sees someone who set a challenging goal and accomplished it.
- altero 13y ago- About half of the comments are about girls/gender/sexism and so on. - Any sort of criticism is down-voted to hell, this never happens when author is a boy - and finally show me similar toy project from boy, which would make into front page of Hacker News.
- thumbtackthief 13y ago-I've seen very few comments about sexism, except those like yours that are making it an issue. I don't see that many saying "Wow, that's great that a girl can code!". Thankfully. -How many newbie type projects do we get? Are we downvoting criticisms because of gender or experience? -Show me a similar project from a boy that didn't.
- omegant 13y agoFor me is not interesting because is a woman, it´s interesting because she made public the process and what she did. That´s very useful to me because I want to learn, and also I want to be able to point somebody that asks me to an amazing example. Please tell your learning process if you think you may help someone due to your special situation.
- adamworth2 13y agoJennifer, you're an inspiration. I created an account just to tell you that. Stay awesome!
- flclny 13y agoCongratulations! I've been toying with the idea of getting more serious about learning how to code, and this is great inspiration. Thanks for sharing!