Hey everyone! I'm getting back into coding after a pretty lengthy hiatus, and honestly, it feels tougher than starting from scratch. I'm having a hard time figuring out the best way to jump back in without going over everything again. I'm also struggling to maintain consistency after an initial motivation boost, and I'm trying to avoid falling into the trap of tutorial overload and just passive learning. So far, I've been focusing on re-establishing my fundamentals and using a basic system of setting small daily goals, tracking my progress, and prioritizing building over watching tutorials. For those who have returned to programming after a break, what strategies helped you the most? Did you follow a specific roadmap or work on small projects? Any early mistakes you wish you had avoided? I'd love to hear your stories. Thanks!
3 Answers
When I got back into coding, I started with some basic coding problems just to reacquaint myself with it. I then crafted mini-projects, like a simple calculator. Once I felt comfortable again, I transformed it into a scientific calculator and worked on making it look nicer with CSS. Now, I'm working on a linter! It's all about starting easy and slowly building up momentum from there.
Just curious, how long are we talking about when you say 'a long time'?
My story's a bit different—after a 2-year break, I jumped back into coding through a paid freelance project. I thought I could handle it, but I realized how rusty I was! It's been tough, especially as I'm aiming for a senior dev position and struggling with the technical assessments. I’m slowly improving though, and that's what's keeping me going. Using AI tools to help rebuild some of my old projects has been a game changer! Instead of tutorials, I just build, encounter problems, ask the AI, and troubleshoot. It can get messy, but it’s getting me back on track. Don't beat yourself up; progress, even if slow, is still progress!
For me, it was over a year without writing any code or really even thinking about it! How do you approach it when you're returning after such a long break?