by freeCodeCamp
Closer to Code, Closer to Dad
I never actually thought I could understand code. To me, code was some complicated language that people learned through years of trial and error.
Even though it turns out that’s largely true, I have no regrets about starting my long journey toward mastering code. Already, this journey has already begun to change my life.
I’m a photography enthusiast and coder-in-progress. It started one evening about a month ago. I was trying to push through some algebra homework. My dad texted me about this new coding community he’d discovered. At first, I thought my dad had gone crazy. He wanted his daughter who had barely been able to pass math class since the fifth grade to try to learn to code. It seriously did not make any sense. It wasn’t until I created my account on Free Code Camp and started working on the first few challenges that I realized how cool coding really was.
Numbers and letters petrify me. Add in some symbols and you have mass hysteria. But the scary part about starting to code was that I actually seemed to understand some of it.
It was a feeling that words really can’t describe. Free Code Camp’s interface was fun and user friendly, and it looked like a program I could actually handle. I mean, my dad had already zipped through and finished his 100 hours within three weeks, so you know it has to be cool.
Not only has learning to code helped me get over my fear of numbers (math just scares us all sometimes), but it’s helped me start to learn and understand high school math better. I’m proud to say that I’ve pulled up my math grades since I started coding, and my thinking process has changed tremendously. This change has been so drastic that my math teacher constantly asks me if I’ve written answers down somewhere on my hand. That’s probably the greatest feeling in the world.
My Free Code Camp Portfolio page.
Coding has also gotten me so much closer to my father. In the past year, our family has gone through some tough obstacles, and it really has not been easy. Since I started to code, my relationship with my dad has gone to new heights. We send texts to each other daily with words of encouragement or just a simple, ‘I love you’. We also share the ‘lightbulb’ moments we reach together by working on code. It truly is the best thing that has happened to us in a very long time. Coding has given me my dad back, and I am so grateful for that.
Free Code Camp, in the eyes of a teenager, is a community where anyone and everyone can belong. At first, it shocked me to see how everyone in the forums was ready to jump in and help if I had a question or encountered a bug. You really become thankful for the people you meet and the friends you make on your coding journey.
Thank you Free Code Camp for not only helping me to do better in school and get closer to my dad, but also for introducing me to the world of coding. Conquering these 100 hours is going to go by so fast, thanks to you. I can’t wait to start working on the nonprofit projects!
Tindall lives in Florence, South Carolina. You should check out her photography and follow her on Twitter here.
Originally published at blog.freecodecamp.com on February 9, 2015.