Ask HN: Who have taken months off to learn coding and explore startup ideas?
How did it go for you? Would you have any tips on how to make best use of it, e.g. any specific bootcamp to join? Thanks!
4 comments
I have done it, but to learn to code and get a job, not explore startup ideas. As a side-effect, I also happened to build two products as side-projects. So my experience might help you on that too.
I was studying/coding between 6 and 8 hours each weekday for about 8 months until I got my first job as a frontend web developer.
I am of the opinion that you should not buy any resource (video courses, books) for learning to code until you can evaluate by yourself if it is worth the money. Which means that you should only go for free resources in the very beginning.
I spent the first 2 months solely on freeCodeCamp.org that I wholeheartedly recommend. Then I moved on to creating my own projects based on official documentation (I was mostly learning React, which has good documentation for beginners) and any tutorials that I could find.
So, first tip: after an initial understanding of the fundamentals, use it to build a project before you are comfortable to do it. freeCodeCamp does a good job at it, but I think you should think of projects yourself and go on to build them, not just following your course projects.
Second tip: routine was very important for me. My wife would go to work, I would go to study, it was my work. I had all the flexibility in the world studying on my own, with free resources, from home. But I tried to follow work hours mostly. Of course the flexibility is nice and I took advantage of that, but those were the exception, not the rule.
About specific bootcamp, from an outside point of view, it seems that Lambda School seems a good place to learn. But only if you want to learn to code to get a job and start a career in software development.
If you are pretty sure that learning to code is a tool for building your own product while exploring startup ideas a similar path to mine is good enough. freeCodeCamp (or wherever site you prefer) to get the fundamentals and building a lot of small projects (googling how to do it while doing it).
By the way, learning to code helps a lot with exploring startup ideas. A lot. Good luck!
I was studying/coding between 6 and 8 hours each weekday for about 8 months until I got my first job as a frontend web developer.
I am of the opinion that you should not buy any resource (video courses, books) for learning to code until you can evaluate by yourself if it is worth the money. Which means that you should only go for free resources in the very beginning.
I spent the first 2 months solely on freeCodeCamp.org that I wholeheartedly recommend. Then I moved on to creating my own projects based on official documentation (I was mostly learning React, which has good documentation for beginners) and any tutorials that I could find.
So, first tip: after an initial understanding of the fundamentals, use it to build a project before you are comfortable to do it. freeCodeCamp does a good job at it, but I think you should think of projects yourself and go on to build them, not just following your course projects.
Second tip: routine was very important for me. My wife would go to work, I would go to study, it was my work. I had all the flexibility in the world studying on my own, with free resources, from home. But I tried to follow work hours mostly. Of course the flexibility is nice and I took advantage of that, but those were the exception, not the rule.
About specific bootcamp, from an outside point of view, it seems that Lambda School seems a good place to learn. But only if you want to learn to code to get a job and start a career in software development.
If you are pretty sure that learning to code is a tool for building your own product while exploring startup ideas a similar path to mine is good enough. freeCodeCamp (or wherever site you prefer) to get the fundamentals and building a lot of small projects (googling how to do it while doing it).
By the way, learning to code helps a lot with exploring startup ideas. A lot. Good luck!
I have never specifically left a job to explore ideas. But when other reasons drive me to leave a job, I typically do not find my next job immediately -- I use it as an opportunity to explore options. If you have the means to take time off between jobs, I highly recommend it, as it also is a nice mental palate cleanser before you jump into something new.
I do exactly this as well.
Leaving an existing job (for any reason) is a moment of opportunity that allows me to evaluate where I'm at in my life and what the best options for me are.
Sometimes, it's getting another job. Sometimes, it's starting a new business. It all depends.
> If you have the means to take time off between jobs, I highly recommend it
I think the importance of this is hard to overstate. I make sure that I set aside enough money that I always have the financial means to take some time without an income.
Leaving an existing job (for any reason) is a moment of opportunity that allows me to evaluate where I'm at in my life and what the best options for me are.
Sometimes, it's getting another job. Sometimes, it's starting a new business. It all depends.
> If you have the means to take time off between jobs, I highly recommend it
I think the importance of this is hard to overstate. I make sure that I set aside enough money that I always have the financial means to take some time without an income.
I did it once. Here are the important things:
Screen the people you work with very closely. You might have the best startup idea, but if they just can't do their part, the time you invest in them takes away from your productivity. Sometimes someone you like is best in an unequal relationship.
Pay close personal attention to the business (selling) side earlier than you want to. You don't have to sell your demo, like some people do, but you want to get a good feel for how your product fits into the market before you spend lots of time working on a dud.
In my case, I spent too much time working with someone who wasn't the right person to work with. If I had spent some time early on selling, instead of relying on my cofounder to do all the selling, my idea might have gone somewhere. Ironically, I believe that, if I found customers before I partnered with my co-founder, the business would have been a success.
Screen the people you work with very closely. You might have the best startup idea, but if they just can't do their part, the time you invest in them takes away from your productivity. Sometimes someone you like is best in an unequal relationship.
Pay close personal attention to the business (selling) side earlier than you want to. You don't have to sell your demo, like some people do, but you want to get a good feel for how your product fits into the market before you spend lots of time working on a dud.
In my case, I spent too much time working with someone who wasn't the right person to work with. If I had spent some time early on selling, instead of relying on my cofounder to do all the selling, my idea might have gone somewhere. Ironically, I believe that, if I found customers before I partnered with my co-founder, the business would have been a success.
I can't talk about coding boot camps but I can talk about making the most of your time off.
I did something similar but I was already a programmer at the time. I did this to learn about graphics programming. I had been programming for about 14 years at this point but was totally unfamiliar with graphics programming.
I locked myself away in my room in a flatshare for about 6 weeks between contracts and grinded my way through OpenGL tutorials and Khan Academy's maths courses - eventually I threw together some simple scenes and made a simple top-down 3d shooter.
It was very productive. My tips:
1. Set a schedule and set a goal for the day i.e. to be able to explain matrix transforms or fragment shaders to a beginner. I would do about 10 hours a day with a 2 hour break.
2. Use the time also to focus on good diet and exercise. The discipline here will drive you to stick to the schedule. If you drink alcohol or do recreational drugs, take this as an opportunity to abstain. This is also an opportunity to abstain from anything else you feel is letting you down, such as excessive gaming (not a problem I have personally but many feel they do).
3. Have an end goal for the entire session, - in my case I wanted to make a simple 3d platformer but it ended up looking a bit more like the original GTA games
4. Keep a journal with your observations, about what you're learning but also about how you feel and whether your pace is sustainable. One of the mistakes I noted after reading my journal at the end was that I spent far too much time learning C++ to do the work, which I didn't know well. I could have done a better job if I had used a language I know better such as Python.
I later came to know this method of self improvement as "monk mode", only in my case with a very specific goal of learning graphics programming.
In terms of real world effects, I later co-founded a company with a product that used a custom 3d graphics engine to do some of its work. I developed the MVP but eventually hired programmers who have taken it forward beyond my skill level. However, my business would not have existed in its current form without this period of learning and introspection.
I did something similar but I was already a programmer at the time. I did this to learn about graphics programming. I had been programming for about 14 years at this point but was totally unfamiliar with graphics programming.
I locked myself away in my room in a flatshare for about 6 weeks between contracts and grinded my way through OpenGL tutorials and Khan Academy's maths courses - eventually I threw together some simple scenes and made a simple top-down 3d shooter.
It was very productive. My tips:
1. Set a schedule and set a goal for the day i.e. to be able to explain matrix transforms or fragment shaders to a beginner. I would do about 10 hours a day with a 2 hour break.
2. Use the time also to focus on good diet and exercise. The discipline here will drive you to stick to the schedule. If you drink alcohol or do recreational drugs, take this as an opportunity to abstain. This is also an opportunity to abstain from anything else you feel is letting you down, such as excessive gaming (not a problem I have personally but many feel they do).
3. Have an end goal for the entire session, - in my case I wanted to make a simple 3d platformer but it ended up looking a bit more like the original GTA games
4. Keep a journal with your observations, about what you're learning but also about how you feel and whether your pace is sustainable. One of the mistakes I noted after reading my journal at the end was that I spent far too much time learning C++ to do the work, which I didn't know well. I could have done a better job if I had used a language I know better such as Python.
I later came to know this method of self improvement as "monk mode", only in my case with a very specific goal of learning graphics programming.
In terms of real world effects, I later co-founded a company with a product that used a custom 3d graphics engine to do some of its work. I developed the MVP but eventually hired programmers who have taken it forward beyond my skill level. However, my business would not have existed in its current form without this period of learning and introspection.
> I would do about 10 hours a day with a 2 hour break
How.
Seriously, how?
6 weeks of intense 10 hour per day studying...
Did you get a lucky brain or something? I literally can not stay focussed for 10 hours, even with little breaks here and there. And to do that for 6 weeks? The only way I can see this being possible is if the content you're studying is really exciting and fun for you. Otherwise, you must have a monk brain to do this.
How.
Seriously, how?
6 weeks of intense 10 hour per day studying...
Did you get a lucky brain or something? I literally can not stay focussed for 10 hours, even with little breaks here and there. And to do that for 6 weeks? The only way I can see this being possible is if the content you're studying is really exciting and fun for you. Otherwise, you must have a monk brain to do this.
A 2 hour break seems a good amount of rest; much different from _"little breaks here and there"_
My assumption is that GP routine would be 4 hours studying + 2 hours resting + 4 hours studying. Seems ok and most people could endure it for six weeks I think.
If it was 5+2+5, might be a little harder, but feasable. Both ways, I think the long break in the middle would be the secret for me
My assumption is that GP routine would be 4 hours studying + 2 hours resting + 4 hours studying. Seems ok and most people could endure it for six weeks I think.
If it was 5+2+5, might be a little harder, but feasable. Both ways, I think the long break in the middle would be the secret for me
Ah ok. I had read his post as being a total of 12 hours (5+2+5). 4+2+4 seems more manageable.
Actually it was 5+2+5. If I find something sufficiently interesting I don't have a problem with focusing on it. Learning the maths was definitely the hardest and perhaps on those days I didn't perfectly stick to the schedule but when it involved implementing that into a solution, so long as I can see the solution beginning to come together I can stay motivated long enough to work on it.
Perhaps I do have a "monk brain" as you've put it but I certainly wasn't born that way, I actually have very little in the way of formal qualifications and barely made my way through school. I believe I was able to achieve this when I started working and began seeing results as my skills improved.
My life is a bit more complicated now and I couldn't imagine doing something similar today. The best I can do is a few hours over the weekend trying something new. I'm glad I took the opportunity when I did.
Perhaps I do have a "monk brain" as you've put it but I certainly wasn't born that way, I actually have very little in the way of formal qualifications and barely made my way through school. I believe I was able to achieve this when I started working and began seeing results as my skills improved.
My life is a bit more complicated now and I couldn't imagine doing something similar today. The best I can do is a few hours over the weekend trying something new. I'm glad I took the opportunity when I did.