Anyone here dyslexic? Thinking about learning web dev code to help with my marketing role. Wondering if any other dyslexics have any advice?
Posted by QuietMrFx977@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 9 comments
My marketing role focuses a lot on marketing data and I happen to come across needing a knowledge of html, JavaScript, PHP and I think python has come up as well. Typically I would use Google tag manager etc.
I worry I'll need to change careers at some point with the rapid pace AI is making. I don't really know what to do but I think learning some code would be useful.
Any advice would be appreciated. I think starting at HTML and working though CSS and then JavaScript is the right path but there's so much to learn.
Quokax@reddit
I’m not diagnosed, but I consider myself dyslexic. I don’t find that it makes programming any harder. I am bad at spelling but consistent with my spelling mistakes. The syntax highlighting in my code editor lets me know when I’ve spelled the reserved words correctly. When I’m creating my own names for variables or classes or functions, I don’t need to worry about spelling. My code runs just fine if it’s spelled incorrectly, as long as it’s spelled the same way each time.
SideLow2446@reddit
Not directly related to dyslexia, but I have schizophrenia and despite the haze and chaos that is my mind, somehow I've managed to become a fairly decent programmer. I understand that a dyslexic programmer will probably face challenges that are different from a schizophrenic programmer, but the effort required could be (as a wild guess) approximately the same.
What I'm trying to say that it should be possible to become good at programming despite mental issues that you might have, at least I managed to do it despite my schizophrenia.
Good luck!
Ms_Holly_Hotcake@reddit
I find the project stuff better than doing alot of the course examples. But I also find making programs about working out fuel consumption levels of car abit dull of boring. So I look for other stuff to do, games like pong I’ve done some micro py on Raspberry Pi like making a trail camera that’s trigger by an infra red motion sensor.
With VS code I think I just have python and a python debugger. Nothing fancy.
I’ve only done a few weeks of the HTML and CSS stuff. I need to look at Java Script to finish that project, just got distracted by other things. I could probably go back to it and after a day or so get the hang of it again. It’s very much what is says is what it does type language. With a few exceptions.
Here is an example of HTML, not a great one to prove my point but it makes sense. The syntax for making tables
td = table data cell, defines a cell of a table that contains data tr = enables rows th = defines a header
table>
Here is a python example for sending data. Only part of it. It’s the process of receiving a packet, variable data, that’s larger than 4096 bytes and how it will add it to a variable response and if it’s less/done it will break out of the loop.
while recv_len: data = self.socket.recv(4096) recv_len = len(data) response += data.decode() if recv_len < 4096: break
As you can see HTML kind of tells you want it is/what it is doing. Python just disappears into the ether and gives you an answer.
Just make sure you understand the process of a function/code and not just what it does. The downside to that is, or what I’ve found for me it can take a while with the reading or finding a decent reference video. But it’s 100% worth the time to understand it than just it works.
pVom@reddit
I don't have dyslexia but I paired with a guy who did when I was studying it.
I'm sorry to say that dyslexia makes coding very difficult. There's 0 forgiveness for spelling mistakes. Backseat driving while he was typing was a very painful experience for me.
That said there's lots of jobs in software development that aren't directly writing code but require knowledge of coding. Things like product managers and UX designers.
QuietMrFx977@reddit (OP)
May I ask how that guy is getting on now? Spelling is not a fun thing for me, but I write marketing reports etc so I'm quite good at fixing spelling and grammar.
I don't know you or him but sorry... It's not a great time finding out you're stuck with one of us, I tend to either realise really fast people are annoyed or months later. Regardless I'm always grateful for any help and try to help others were I can.
pVom@reddit
This was quite a few years ago. I know he went on to do another coding course somewhere else because he didn't do so well and most of the rest of us went into the workforce. After that I'm not sure.
I felt bad for him, in my experience it was pretty debilitating. Although in fairness he wasn't exactly busting his ass to overcome it. But he knew the concepts just getting it down "on paper" was a real struggle for him.
Don't be too disheartened, I'm sure there are people who make it work. There are tools that help catch syntax errors and actually typing out code is a small part of being a software developer, most of it is thinking about what to type. It's an even smaller part of the software development process and there are peripheral roles that are important and pay well too.
There are opportunities and it will be worthwhile to learn.
Ms_Holly_Hotcake@reddit
I’m dyslexic I’ve been learning to code on and off for 2 years or so. Focusing more on Python, but I have touched CSS and HTML which is quite straight forward in its syntax. By which I mean it uses ‘boarder’ or ‘colour’ but the American spellings.
I have touched briefly, abit of C it’s very complicated to understand as its abstract. But I liked it because it’s lower so it’s like looking at a car engine almost so you can see what it’s doing. Whereas other languages is abit like use this function and it pulls from a C library and does some voodoo magic and its works.
My biggest issues are remembering syntax and formatting. But I have a shit short term memory and can go some time between sitting.
Spelling can be an issue, but if you get close enough VS code will say ‘did you mean this xxx’.
Just keep practicing and find projects you like doing. I’ve managed do some for me reasonably complex programs just through lots of reading, videos, asking people and persistence.
QuietMrFx977@reddit (OP)
I am similar with remembering things, once I get it, I'm quite good but getting there can be a right pain.
Did you find project lead learning to be the best approach? I've heard about it but haven't looked into it in detail.
I have already installed visual studio, I'm avoiding getting plugins as I didn't want to cheat myself with tools that make things easier to do but don't help me learn. Hopefully the spelling bit is in the default programme.
Do you find that you can jump back to html when you want after time away from it?
jacobissimus@reddit
I’m dyslexic, but there’s a broad spectrum there and I don’t think I’m really aware of it impacting how I learned software—but maybe I’m just not really self aware enough to realize it. I didn’t have an comorbid processing issues that stopped me from approaching language in an analytical way and did read a lot, just slower than most people with the same language exposure.