The self taught path is lonely. Embrace it.
Online communities are only helpful up to a point...
It’s no surprise that the self taught route is different than going to college to get a degree or bootcamp to get a certificate. A major difference is that there’s no structured curriculum or learning path.
Another often overlooked major difference is loneliness, in that you don’t have anyone to hold you accountable or discuss your findings and learning with. Basically, no one knows that you’re learning to code. And those who do might not even care if they do not flat out discourage you.
It feels bad when you hit a major milestone or a breakthrough and there’s no one to share that with.
I have been there, and if I’m being honest, it was sad. Unfortunately, that’s part of the self taught journey.
What about online communities? Discord servers? Facebook groups?
They could be helpful and encouraging, making your journey less lonely and more fulfilling.
However, there’s a downside to joining multiple online groups that many people forget to mention, which is that if you aren’t careful enough, you will end up spending most of your time "socializing" with others in the group rather than progressing in your coding journey.
I don’t recommend joining online communities if you’re motivated enough, have a plan, and know your end goal.
If not, online communities can motivate, help, and guide you to your end goal. Not to mention introduce you to tech and resources you have not heard of yet.
However, online communities tend to act like a hivemind where the latest, shiniest language or framework is glorified and hailed as "the killer of [insert-current-top-language-or-framework]".
Regardless of how much "better" a new tech is, beginners shouldn’t participate in debating its viability for the simple fact that they don’t have the knowledge to make fair comparisons. And they should not, because:
https://twitter.com/KhalidWarsa/status/1599784132615311362?s=20
https://twitter.com/KhalidWarsa/status/1629558609724993538?s=20