Why is it so hard to get back into coding after you stop?
Posted by Lonely-Zucchini-5612@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 12 comments
I’ve been noticing something (and honestly dealing with it myself too):
A lot of people want to get back into coding… but just don’t.
Not because they’re lazy or can’t learn but because they get stuck in this loop:
- “Where do I even start again?”
- “Do I need to relearn everything?”
- “What language should I pick this time?”
- “I’ll start tomorrow”
And then tomorrow never really comes.
I’ve talked to a bunch of people about this, and it’s almost always the same issue overthinking the start.
What’s been helping (me and others) is just making it really simple:
- pick one thing
- don’t worry about the “perfect path”
- just start doing something small again
Even like 20–30 minutes.
I’m curious for anyone who’s tried to get back into coding, what’s been the hardest part for you?
TrainerStrong5652@reddit
This is so true, i start trying to make progress with one course, one project or even one practice problem, and all the while i feel like i am falling behind on other things which i am not doing. I end up trying to start that parallely, and both remain undone. Its really a true struggle.
akshay-savaliya@reddit
The hardest part is definitely the first step. Once you write a few lines of code again, the rest usually comes back faster than expected.”
Nerketur@reddit
This is caused by a number of factors. The main one being you never loved it in the first place.
When you love something, those overthinking things don't happen, because you love it. It's easy to find something to do, because it's a hobby. You understand it takes time, because you've been through that process before, and that's what spurred you on in the first place.
When you just do something for the money, then you don't really want to do it, no matter how good you are at it. So you keep making excuses.
This can also happen if you've done something for a long time, like going to the gym. You can "not feel like it". It can happen to things you love, too. But when you love it, you push through, and are usually better off for it.
My passion is developing software and tools. I had to stop that for over a year after being let go from a job (covid reasons), and getting back in, for me, was as easy as applying for a job, showing I understood programming, and then getting back into the swing of development over the first few weeks.
I'm not saying that my process is the norm, but I can say with reasonable certainty that it's not really as hard as people make it out to be if they enjoy it enough.
If you don't enjoy it, it's a slog to learn new things.
If you enjoy it, it's fun, and never stops being fun.
CoffeyIronworks@reddit
Haven't found that to be my experience, feels like riding a bike. Are these people who forgot very passionate about programming, and is it web dev?
captainAwesomePants@reddit
The first time you start programming, it's because you're excited. Excitement at a new thing can carry pretty far, sometimes for months. But after a while, it's a slog. Nobody likes slogs.
Same thing happens with learning anything. Languages, skills, history, academics, juggling, musical instruments, you name it. Nobody likes a slog. And it's ten times worse if you already have a full time job or kids or something else that mentally exhausts you. Nobody finishes a stressful day and thinks "now I'm excited to study!"
Recent_Possession587@reddit
Yeah so I worked really hard as an adult to get in to coding, managed to get a job, 15 months in a had really bad management who were playing games with me, at the same time my mum had cancer, I also had a girlfriend who had relapsed in to hard drug addiction.
It just became to much and one day I just walked out the office and never came back, huge mistake on my part. I’ve been wanting to get back in to it ever since.
I’ve recently completed a small project, it’s just a web based 0 and Xs game but I’ve tried to make it scalable, so it’s in a MVC pattern and things like the check wins are not hardcoded by algorithms that can be used for other games like connect 4.
Anyway, the hardest part for me is knowing how to focus my time to actually get back I. To work, there’s so many frame works languages, experience you need etc.
It’s hard to know what I should actually be building.
I did this project to prove to my self I still could, but I don’t actually know how useful this is to prospective employers 😕
AdMurky5620@reddit
Because things change very fast and it’s hard to get back into it
usernamenottakenwooh@reddit
Programming changes constantly on the surface, but the core ideas barely move. You still store data (variables & types), control execution (if/loops), and structure logic into reusable pieces (functions/abstraction). You organize data (data structures) and manipulate it efficiently (algorithms), while keeping track of state and side effects, where most bugs still come from. On top of that, every program deals with input/output, handles errors, and benefits from separating concerns so things don’t turn into a mess.
Languages, frameworks, and trends come and go, but these fundamentals have stayed the same since the beginning, and very likely always will. If you've got those concepts down pat, you'll be fine.
DueCapital8117@reddit
I felt that It's not just coding.This happens in every field of work. When you take a break your momentum stops there and slowly start decreasing .That is why discipline is very important aspect in life this helps you to maintain and increase your momentum. This happened to me before when I took a long break from my studies I felt it really difficult to gain the speed while solving the problems and also understanding the concepts I am still iny way to get back where I left and discipline is something that is helping me in this journey I hope this will be useful for you.
TechnicalWhore@reddit
Coding has become so specialized as it expands the markets it now serves. And one of the issues is what will survive the latest round of fad popularity. I can recall dozens of "hot" new solutions that didn't last more than a couple years. So I get it. The thing is its all so derivative. You can dive back in and tread water for a while until it clicks and then you, along with a large population of others, will need to absorb the next wave of change.
YouRSav1ouR@reddit
If you come back to programming and can’t remember much or how to start again. It could have been a telling sign you didn’t practice enough.
Servbot24@reddit
People get too obsessed with finding optimal paths. If you just start a sub-optimal thing right now you will make more progress than people who try to maximize everything.