Learning to code & build products in less than 1 year, Steph Smith [Nomad Summit 2020]
This past weekend in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was the 8th Nomad Summit.
I attended the full conference day on Saturday & then taught a writing workshop on Monday.
Below are my notes from Stephanie Smith’s presentation: Learning to code & build products in less than 1 year.
For an overall review of the Nomad Summit event, venue, high-level takeaways, book recommendations, and links to all the other speaker notes I took, check out my main review:
- Don’t live in dichotomies: everything doesn’t need to be either / or, or forever, skills can help cross support other things you’re doing
- Feb 2018 — started from zero (didn’t know about WordPress, excel macros, divs, etc)
- Nov 2018 — launched 4 projects
- Why does tech matter? Influential industry, digital product need are important, and it empowers you to create things
- We often label ourselves as someone who is “not a developer” based on learned beliefs
- Cannon-Perry test 1966 — identified characteristic, informed how recruiters hired developers, self-fulfilling stereotype (ex: developers don’t like people / are antisocial)
- Stack / language doesn’t matter, just pick one to execute. Know your goals to decide what to learn.
- What is programming? Logic = reasoning conducted, syntax = set of rules
- Myth of being “too late” to start learning — only 0.5% of the world knows how to code (ref: Diffusion of Innovation curve)
- Find your Habit loop = routine, reward, cue & repeat!
- Ideas are less valuable then execution (imagine multiplying a great idea by 0 execution, vs a mediocre idea x excellent execution — which yields more?)
- Her site: Begreat.me/tools
I loved that Steph challenged stereotypes about who could be a coder, encouraged people to track their time, attention, investment, and KPIs. I’m a big believer in keeping records to help us evaluate how we’re doing with data, and it really helps be more mindful.
Katherine Conaway is a digital nomad, working remotely while she travels the world — on the road since June 2014.
