Coding - should I try a different language?

[Nervina]

I’ve been looking to change careers for a while, and as coding is often recommended (on Mumsnet and in real life!) I decided to look into it a bit more. Through my current role in marketing I come into contact with data teams regularly and enjoy data analysis (and think I’m quite good at it!), so decided to do an 8 week course in SQL through one of the course providers which has recommended on Mumsnet a few times.

I’ve done two weeks and I’m not getting on with it at all. I’m finding it really dull and fiddly and not getting to grips with it easily as some of the other participants on the course seem to be. It doesn’t help that I also don’t think the course is particularly well run, but aside from that, I just basically find it really boring.

I hate quitting things, but I’m just not sure that I can do another 6 weeks of the course when it’s clearly not for me.

My question is, if I find SQL boring and confusing, would other programming languages potentially be more for me, or should I just forget it and think about something else?

Christ, 8 weeks of SQL?! I am a computer programmer, and I don't think I could handle that (and I'm a bit of an SQL whizz if I say so myself :D)

What do you like doing? If you like data analysis, I understand the language du jour for that is Python (it's not one I use), or more hard core (and probably less employable) something like R

Do you like making things look nice? In which case go front end UI/UX - CSS/HTML/Javascript - then if you want to make websites that do things, then you can branch into things like React or Vue (which use Javascript as the language, but which are a framework that makes 'doing things' easier). Or the front-endy style backends like Node.js (also javascript, but which runs on a server)

If neither of those ideas floats your boat, then you can go even further down the stack into what I would describe (somewhat snobbily perhaps) as proper programming languages - this splits into two arms - Microsoft - so C Sharp (should be the hash symbol, but I can't for the life of me find it on my keyboard...) and .NET, or you can go the more open source route and look at Java (different to Javascript), Go (google's language, very well paid if you get good, very well resourced for learning), and all the various niche options there.

Then there is just learning packages - I've just hired someone who's a Wordpress expert because our existing devs are struggling with all our marketing sites for example.

Maybe have a browse on a hiring site (from home!) and see which jobs sound interesting and target the tech they mention.

I've just started python with a view to learning r later as I'm also keen on data analysis.

Finding it fascinating, frustrating, difficult, occasionally mystifying, but not boring!

I've never tried SQL though.

Thanks both - Python has come up a few times, so perhaps that might be one to have a look at. I think maybe learning at my own pace might be better as well.

I did an SQL course as I thought it might be something nice to have under my belt if I did want to career change into the future. I'm from a STEM background so figured I'd love it and be a whizz at it. Did not happen.

I did 2 classes and then quit. I was just bored, and I think it didn't help that the pace of the class was a little fast. The attendees were a mixture of programmers and those who had never coded.

I then tried a web development course, equally hated that.

I think learning coding is great if you have a genuine interest in it. If, like me, you were doing it just for a good career option, probably not worth it.

SQL is pretty bleh - boring, limited and inflexible. (I also can't imagine what you could fill 8 weeks with.) I do prefer Python, and that's definitely the language to learn if you want to get into data science, so maybe give that a try and see how you feel?

I adore SQL and could happily spend my day writing queries but it isn’t really a programming language as such - you’d be better off with Python or JavaScript.

Any recommendations for where/how to start learning python?

Try future learn- they have lots of short & free modules to get you going. Otherwise there are loads of books out there as well.

So glad it's not just me who found it boring! Everyone else seemed to just get it immediately!

Thanks @Iamnotamermaid !

SQL isn't coding though. It's for interrogating databases to make visualisations or extract datasets or automating existing database processes. I'm not sure why anyone would need to spend 8 weeks solid learning it - a few days to get the basics then google/GitHub for specific stuff.

Try python. Python would be revelatory.

I've spent years learning SQL and still so much is new to me. I can only be motivated to grasp it when I have useful data & huge datasets, can't have either on a training course. I can believe 8 weeks if part time & baseline = no coding background.

I love SQL and its variants- but the data set is the key rather than the joy of sql itself. 8 weeks is ducking ludicrous - I did 3 days with oracle and it was more than enough - a couple more days with teradata.

for me it’s never been about the language - it’s the investigative fun of finding that needle in a haystack - that one odd element amongst billions.

if you do want to do pro courses I’d really recommend working with the big software houses - they know how to teach.

Python is quite a data science driven language, it can be used as front end or back end, but it is more predominantly a back end language, so a lot of people love they do stuff at the beginning then drop out as they don't see how it engages the user until you get deeper into it. Wondering how you are getting on with it now?