Hi. My name is Anton and I am a proud nerd. I am learning as much as I can about how to be a front end developer because after 20 years of trying to find a job that I liked, I decided I have the time and the option to be able to head towards something that I actually enjoy, instead of trying to fit myself into something that wasn't right.

Currently I am learning Javascript. I am at the point where I have forgotten as much as I have learned so far and so I have to go back and refresh the stuff I started with. I realised that it might be useful to keep track of where I'm up to at the moment so that others can learn from the mistakes I have made. Also just in case I need it again later.

First of all...Be Kind to Yourself. Every day is going to be a challenge when you are learning new things. There is nothing less conducive to learning than negative self talk. Trust me. I have been there.

This stuff is hard. Especially if you are just starting out. It was difficult for most people. And even those who found it easy had days where they could have pulled their hair out. If it gets too frustrating or too confusing, just step away from the screen for a bit. Go do something you love. Make a cup of tea, sing a song, dance in the kitchen (kitchen dancing is a big help for me). Just take yourself away from that situation. You aren't going to learn anything in a frustrated state of mind. Take a moment to cool down and come back to it when you can have fun again.

Secondly...It will take as long as it takes. Your skills and abilities will grow in their own time. Trying to rush yourself to learn as much as you can as fast as possible will only cause problems later on. You will forget stuff, skim over important bits, get distracted by the shiny things that you could be making if only you could blast through these "boring" bits. To be honest, you will end up making the process longer if you don't take the time to embed those ideas when you are learning them. You will probably still have to come back and revise some things, but that will be just so that you can keep it fresh in your mind rather than because you don't actually remember ever doing it.

Thirdly...Try not to compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has things that they excel at, but at the same time, everyone has their own difficulties and weak points. If you start to compare yourself to others in terms of knowledge, ability, who is better than who, it is easy to get stuck in a loop of being awful to yourself. Each person must take responsibility for their own learning. At the end of the day you can learn from others, but to be able to move forward with that knowledge means that you understand it for yourself. Just because someone is further ahead on their journey than you doesn't reflect on you at all. You are not in a race against anyone but yourself. As long as you are learning and making progress, that's all that matters.

All the best,

Anton