Why you should try new things

A few weeks ago I went to a coding workshop. Yes, that’s right. The girl that repels technology has jumped in at the deep end and taken her first step into the world of coding.

I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I think coding is my calling, I don’t. But when I saw that CodeUp UK was offering a free all day workshop as part of National Coding Week, I jumped at the chance.

The workshop was a pre-planned set of modules on how to code a blog. It was a slow start for me, but with the help of my coach, I got the hang of some of the basics by the end of the day.

In between coding sessions, several of the coaches gave exciting testimonies on where the world of coding could take you. One speech in particular really stayed with me. The speaker spoke about the importance of being brave when it came to coding and not being afraid to ask for help or question something if you didn’t understand it.

She then spoke of a study that found – in comparison to boys – that girls would rather not show their workings out to a teacher for fear of being wrong. Girls would rather ask ‘what’s wrong with me?’ than ‘what’s wrong with my code?’ – something that boys didn’t seem to have a problem doing.

As a self confessed perfectionist, I definitely saw myself in this example. I can be quite hard on myself if I believe I haven’t picked up on something quick enough. I become so distracted by this, that I forget to see this new challenge as an opportunity for growth.

This mindset is something I’m going to try to change. And trust me, if there’s anything that’s going to get me used to making mistakes… it’s coding!

If you’re based in the UK and want to find out more about coding, I’d definitely recommend heading to the CodeUp UK website.