Are you trying to teach yourself to code? I have now completed parts 1 & 2 of the Udacity course covering HTML and CSS for beginners. I must admit I rushed through the HTML and CSS tutorial to some extent as I know the language I really need is Python. Having said that I found both parts really interesting. In particular I liked how logical it all was. I mean this both in terms of the nanodegree program content and practically getting to write the code. Also I achieved a couple of excellent ratings on my project submissions which helps 8D. I honestly don’t know why I hadn’t started learning earlier. I think everyone should start to the process to teach yourself to code, it’s so fun!
My partner has also started the nanodegree program as he is looking to re-train as a developer. Now we have coding Sundays - #SUNDAYFUNDAY! Now we are both learning HTML and CSS for beginners. It’s great to have someone else going through the process with me.
The course is structured in a way that makes it easy to follow. It is composed primarily of short HTML and CSS tutorial videos followed by quizzes and practical projects to get you practicing from the start. The videos themselves are on average 2-3 minutes long which is great if you’re someone like me who wants to teach yourself to code but have the attention span of a gnat.
On top of the content they also assign you a mentor to support you through the all of the HTML and CSS tutorial content. They can answer any questions you are too afraid of looking stupid to ask in the community forums. All things considered I’m very satisfied with my choice.
The ‘teach yourself to code’ learning curve
I can feel myself traveling through the learning curve as I work through HTML and CSS for beginners. During the HTML stage everything was going really well and I was feeling pretty confident. Then came CSS.
Initially as I was starting to learn CSS online it was fine. But as they progressively introduced more and more style codes I began to feel overwhelmed and definitely not fine. At the point the introduced ‘flexbox’ I was ready to give up. I’m pleased to say with a bit of support from my mentor and partner I kept going. Then after a few hours messing around with developer tools I realized that everything pretty much boiled down to three things: colour, size and orientation. Also my mentor sent me this link to some videos from Wes Bos on flex box called ‘what the flexbox‘ that really helped. Once I worked this out I felt like I could concur the world! The HTML and CSS tutorial videos on the nanodegree program have been great but I also like looking at other materials to help me understand.
![html and css for beginners]()
A pause for reflection between HTML and CSS for beginners
This week I was fortunate enough to take a business trip to Seattle. This a great opportunity to build out my “profile” and “develop my personal brand” - somethings LinkedIn tells me is are keys to success (maybe I’ll try and write and algorithm to prove this….). This was also a great opportunity to catch up with and learn from (read: abuse the kindness of) some of the ML scientists based out there.
I know I am still in the early stages of learning and have been focused on materials to learn HTML and CSS for beginners. One of the most helpful discussions I had was with an SDM (software development manager) who had a PhD in ML science. I don’t know about you but I find that when you are learning a new skill it can be overwhelming at first (and actually throughout the process). There is always so much to learn! In my meeting I wanted to understand how best to optimize my learning and where to focus. I was delighted to discover that for my mission I should need a basic programming understanding. This was great - in my mind now the mission seems doable.
On the ML side he advised me to focus on the mathematical fundamentals such as regression analysis. Also great - I love maths and fundamentals! Or at least I think I do… He advised me that if I discovered I needed more support when writing algorithms he said the best approach was to learn by doing and google it - perfect! I knew I was going to love machine learning as discussed in my last post.
Finally he shared this post with me with tips for beginners on how to learn to program ML algorithm from noted ML scientist Deborah Hanus.
On-wards and upwards! To the nanodegree program!
Spurred on by the knowledge that I was on the right track and didn’t need to know everything about programming to achieve my dream I decided to tell him about my mission and get his feedback. I’m so glad that I did. As much as I believed in my mission, I actually had no idea if it is technically possible. Not only did he confirm that it was but he also recommended some papers to help. Feeling pretty smug about this now so I’d love to know what you think too - you can read about the mission here, let me know your thoughts in the comments.
I feel so much support from the team. I’m really glad I pushed on with the nanodegree program and now I move on to the focus of my endeavor - learning Python! With that in mind I think it’s about time I get back to it!
If you’re starting to teach yourself to code, doing the nanodegree program or learning anything for that matter, who’s inspired you? Can you share any tips? Do you know any good HTML and CSS tutorial sources? Please share them with me and comment below - I’d love to hear from you!
Until next time here are some pictures I took in Seattle from inside the Amazon spheres!