Patrick,
I commend you on expanding your knowledge and skill. Creating, modifying or
even just understanding computer code can be very satisfying. While in some
sense it doesn't really matter what kind of code you learn as a beginner, you
may want to start thinking about what direction you want to go with your
coding. Web design, app development, gaming graphics, AI, administrative
scripting, and many others are all very different coding paths. Be prepared no
matter which direction you go in IT/programming to always be learning new
things. It is a fast and ever-changing world.
Personally, I like working in a library (as a sysadmin who writes a fair number
of scripts) because there is so much variety and surprising complexity and the
people I assist are generally friendly, intelligent (even if they aren't
"techies"), and interesting. If you are more of a
tune-out-the-world-and-grind-through-a-specific-problem-without-concerning-yourself-with-the-bigger-picture
person, a larger, corporate coding environment may be more to your liking.
If I can give one single piece of advice that I tell to anyone who will
listen... Learn regular expressions ("regex"). Even if you decide that you
hate writing code, knowledge of regexes can be beneficial in ANY job requiring
general computer use. It is my firm belief that -- like learning to swim or to
tie a few useful knots-- *nobody* regrets learning basic regular expressions.
That's my $.02. Good luck!
Erich
On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 18:09, Patrick Pletcher eloquently inscribed:
> Hi, this is my first time posting to a list like this. I am a circulation
> clerk who is
> learning to code at freecodecamp.org. Right now I am studying html and css,
> but I plan on going through all the lessons on the website. I enjoy working in
> libraries, and I also enjoy writing code. I am not sure where I am going with
> this. Do I stay in the library field, or do I go off in a completely different
> direction? I would appreciate your input. I think I would like best to work
> for
> a company that provides access to eBooks or audio books. I like print, but I
> don't see people using ink printed on dead trees 50 years from now, with all
> of the environmental issues the planet is facing.
