Think Big, Start Small

Starting anything that you are unfamiliar with is overwhelming. And it is definitely overwhelming when you think in absoluteness.

What I mean is that when I started my journey into web development, my end goal was to become a front end developer. And that is what everyone does. Whatever they start, they want to become that title.

I want to become a guitarist.

I want to become a clay maker.

I want to become a data scientist.

These are admirable goals but they are overwhelming. No one stops to think and say, what are the parts of the whole? What are the steps to becoming a software engineer. What are the steps to becoming a clay maker or data scientist?

When you break down the parts into something manageable a new world opens up. It gives one confidence to start because you are creating tasks that are achieve-able in your mind.

So how does one go about doing this?

Break up the three major components you can find that make up that whole:

• When I first started in web development, the three major things that seem to dominate the entirety of front end was HTML, CSS, and Javascript. So, I had to learn these three things. I researched and learned that HTML was the easiest to start with so I begin with that and so on.

Start with the easier topic:

• If I had started to learn Javascript because it was the hardest, I would have quit my journey out of frustration. Beginning with javascript is a recipe for disaster because it is hard to learn. Learning HTML and CSS gave me the confidence needed to push through and tackle Javascript because I knew I could learn. It would just take a little longer. If there are no easier topics for to start with, try to start with the one that interest you the most!

Don’t look ahead:

• You can peak, but you can’t skip the current topics you are working through. When learning, focus on the present. If you try to skip ahead because you think you are ready, you are going to miss the foundational pieces you career depends on. If you have a shaky foundation of knowledge, the rest of you learning will always be that way. Focus on what you are learning and when you are done, then you start to look at the next topics.

Researching and dividing your learning into sections may initially seem like a hassle, but it is a worthwhile endeavor. The key to success lies in longevity, and to achieve that, you must stay committed to the game of learning. In order to become anything in life, you must be able to attain smaller goals along the way.

Remember, nothing is accomplished all at once. Break it down, study diligently, learn from your experiences, and then repeat the process. Before you know it, you will have reached your ultimate goal and achieved the success you desire.