Coder Coach: How You Can Benefit

Hello coder! I'm Joe, a self-taught full-stack javascript developer, coder coach, and the founder of CuzImACoder. If you're a successful, seasoned, solid programmer then this post may not pertain to you. But if you're relatively new to programming, thinking about making a change, or trying to learn how to program on your own then you should continue reading. 

Programming is a unique discipline, there is tons of information out there that you can learn from, and that's a blessing, but it can be a curse if you don't have a plan on how you're going to take that information, learn from it, and use the knowledge you gain efficiently. It is very easy to get stuck in the proverbial 'tutorial hell' and even easier to spin yourself in circles trying to learn too much. You may be thinking to yourself, "Wait! How the hell can I learn too much?!". Fair enough, but you definitely can, and I know that from experience.

I started coaching a couple years ago, after I realized how much time I wasted learning certain aspects of programming that did nothing to further my programming journey. That's how you have to think about programming, as a journey, and a journey is only that when there is a destination, otherwise you're just wandering around. This is where a coder coach can come in handy, they can help you pinpoint that destination, and plot a path towards it. 

Coaches are not tutors, they are not going to be teaching you hands-on, but they will point you to materials that will contain all the information you need to know to get you where you want to go. The next question is: do you know where you want to go? If you don't, that's fine, because a coach will take the time to learn about you, they will delve into your strengths and weaknesses, they will examine your interests and non-interests alike. Just the fact that they ask questions, pertinent ones, will drive you closer to the ultimate goal of becoming a successful programmer. So what's the process of hiring a coder coach like, and how much can you expect to spend to hire one. Take a look at my personal process.

Coder Coaching

HOW IT WORKS

Personally, whenever a potential client reaches out to me the first thing I do is schedule a consultation with them, and we just talk, sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes for an hour, however long it takes to figure out if , and how, I can be of service. The consultation is the most important part of the process, and sometimes the consultation is the only thing that person needs. A good coach doesn't start every client in the same place, that would be ridiculous, everyone's starting out point is different, and a good coach will act on that fact consistently. 

After the consultation I will devise a training program that gets the client to where they want to go. This plan will sometimes span weeks or months, but will have a certain number of milestones baked into it. Milestones are supremely important because they guide us on how to proceed. Sometimes we will slow the training down, or even speed it up based on how efficiently each milestone is reached. 

At each milestone completion we assess the progress that the client has made, discuss any pain points, and most importantly we make sure that the client is enjoying what they are doing. In between assessments we encourage clients to reach out if they are having trouble with the training materials, or if they are just confused with a certain topic. Depending on the issue, we will either provide a simple explanation ourselves, or provide additional training materials which delve deeper into the topic in question. This process is completed until the goals we established during the consultation have been met. 

At the end of the day, as a coach I consider myself successful if I was able to save the client valuable time. Ask any programmer and they will tell you how miserable it can be to be stuck on a problem for hours, if not days, just to finally find out how small the issue truly was. I experienced this countless times throughout my time learning how to program, and I can only imagine how much faster I would have progressed if I had a coach myself, that's why I dedicate some of my time to preventing that same situation for aspiring programmers. 

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that every experience I have with a client is successful, often times it is not. The client needs to be ready to put in the work because the process is not easy, but nothing in life worthwhile is usually easy. Sometimes clients get bored, realize that programming is not what they thought it was, or sometimes they just get lazy and let themselves down. A coach can be helpful in keeping you on track, and plotting the path, but they can not make you walk it. 

Stay tuned for a future post about different coaching services that currently exist, but if you want to get started today, we are offering consultations here on CuzImACoder, click the button below to schedule a consultation. Whether you seek out a coach or not, just start. Start learning to program today, get your feet wet, find out if you like programming, if you do, and have a solid work ethic, you can be a coder.