How I ditched Netflix & social media to create my first ever 150+ lines of code

A harrowing start to 2020

It was mid-June 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic had rapidly turned the whole world upside down. With remote work, things got a little better but tighter in terms of balancing work and personal lives. Initially, everything seemed nice, better, and perfectly aligned. But successes for some balance setback for others. Among other things, viral outbreaks continued to claim lives across the globe and a larger pandemic seemed far from over. With so many travel restrictions, you could only go out for daily grocery and pharmacy essentials. In 2020, the world had changed. Being stuck inside your own house for months is like being tangled in your thoughts you can’t undo.

The Breakthrough

Usually, I’m keen on learning new things but a feeling of nothingness had crept in. While manspreading on my couch one day finding my next Netflix series, a voice whispered in my head. “Is this all you are going to do?” Mysteriously, I felt inspired to learn something new while my social life was suspended. I decided to do one thing I feared the most – learn to code. I always felt it was not for me.

Despite years of experience in IT across business solutions, marketing, and strategy – there’s always a fear of failure lingering over your shoulder. But I got over it very quickly – thanks to the pandemic. 😊 Having learned through online platforms such as HBS Online in the past, I quickly threw a few questions to my HBX alumni group, and a lot of recommendations came in. It was obvious I chose CS50B: CS50’s Computer Science for Business Professionals taught by David Malan (Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences). Not that I hadn’t discovered other options, but of course this one breaks through the noise.

• About the Course: This is CS50’s introduction to computer science for business professionals, designed for managers, product managers, founders, and decision-makers more generally.
• Duration: 6 weeks
• Price: Free (You’ll only need to pay if you’d like to earn a certificate – approx. $100. It may or may not be free now, but a quick research may be handy).
• Institution: HarvardX (Platform: edX)
• What You’ll Learn: Computational Thinking, Programming Languages, Internet Technologies, Web Development, Technology Stacks, and Cloud Computing.

The Outcome

With the topics listed above, this course empowers you to make technological decisions even if you’re not a technologist. While CS50 takes a bottom-up approach, emphasizing mastery of low-level concepts and implementation detail, this course takes a top-down approach, emphasizing mastery of high-level concepts and design decisions related thereto. You will certainly appreciate the building blocks of the content and how it all comes together to make you confident in your decision-making process.

The Nerve Breakdown

With computational thinking, the first module, I realized I was going to be thrown under the bus and needed to pull my shying mind together. To be honest, I struggled to keep up with the pace of my learning ability, especially when you’re working full-time. In the second module, “Programming Languages,” I enjoyed my roller coaster ride with programming constructs like functions, loops, variables, conditions, etc. To learn the concepts better, “Scratch” was introduced to us – thanks to MIT. It’s is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations. If you’re interested, take a look at my tiniest little achievement (in Scratch) where I created a visual program in which Ben attempts to score a penalty goal. Click on the green flag and see what happens. Yes, after a few hiccups I was able to pull it off.   

While the course lasts for 6 weeks, I finished 50% in 45 days and the rest took like forever. With a restless work schedule, I got choked with a “Web Development” assignment since it involved coding with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This impasse pushed me away from my goal that led to a long, long, break. Add to that the professional workload, family time, and every possible thing I don’t want to ramble about, but it did happen. 

Make or Break

While things spiraled out of control, I tried focusing on a few programming books, technology reads, GitHub, and other resources to understand coding a bit better. With a couple of weeks left for Christmas and New Year 2021, I took the last 2-weeks of vacation (December 2020) and started my first day of the holiday with the remaining 50% of the course. How admirable? No, not at all. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but whatever.

My assignment on “Web Development” was to create a website with multiple pages, with at least one linking back to the main page. For this project, I ended up writing and rewriting 150+ lines of code that lived under index.html, stylized with several CSS properties in styles.css (an external stylesheet), with CSS connected to HTML. It will be funny for most real-world software engineers, but the fact that I was able to do it all by myself made me proud. Take a look at my clumsy-looking GitHub account and repl.it code (https://repl.it/@tussharphadke/TheDarkPassenger) that’ll give you a good sense. It simply took three-full days of focused effort, and I quickly raced through the rest of the assignments. You need to chase your own goals and life to do something you really want to do. Focus on your goals like you’re ready to binge-watch your next Netflix series. I know it’s not easy, but you’ll get there – eventually. 

The Final Destination

Did I achieve my original goal?

Of course, I know what goes into coding and how-to code. That aside, I’m also watching “Sabrina” on Netflix, Season 4, but only after I accomplished my goal with a “certificate” as a reward.

Am I a skilled programmer/developer now?

No. I cracked some tough problems, learned several concepts across all the modules, however, there’s no magic wand that turns me into a modern developer. But, it certainly drives your ability to understand what goes where, how to initiate certain conversations contextually with the C-suite business and technology IT leaders, boosts your confidence to communicate with developers, testers, program managers, and clients alike. I believe this experience is more rewarding for someone in Sales, Strategy, Marketing, Corporate leadership etcetera, or those who’ve run away from coding themselves. Let me reiterate – it’s easy if you’re ready to throw yourself into the pool to swim through when you can’t. You only need some grit and determination.

To learn more about my specific learnings from this course, hit me up on LinkedIn and I’d be happy to answer.

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-- Tushar Phadke is the AVP, Global Marketing and Business Strategy at DMI, a global digital transformation services company that combines technical expertise, business strategy, and a collaborative mentality to challenge its clients to think differently about digital transformation. He is a strategic thinker who understands marketing and business tactics for any mid to large-scale enterprise companies across various industries and supports their transformation through a digital-first approach. DMI believes that digital transformation that is driven by intelligence, both human and artificial, becomes the foundation for the future of digital leadership. To learn more, visit www.DMInc.com.

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