I’ve always loved coding. As a data nerd, I spend my days tinkering with Python scripts and digging into datasets. So when I got the chance to run a six-week coding boot camp for beginners in early 2022, I was thrilled. I wanted to share my excitement for programming and, honestly, learn a bit myself. Teaching 25 students, most of whom had never written a line of code, showed me new angles on what it means to program. Here’s what stuck with me.

Practice Beats Theory Every Time

No surprise here: you don’t learn to code by reading about it. My students could watch tutorials or memorize syntax, but until they typed out loops and debugged errors, it didn’t click. We built the boot camp around hands-on work, think small projects like a tip calculator or a text-based adventure game. By week three, students who struggled with variables were churning out working code. Seeing their confidence grow after fixing a bug was the best part of my day.

Coding Is a Team Sport

Programming isn’t just solo hacking in a dark room. Most tech jobs involve teams, where people bounce ideas and fix each other’s code. I wanted my students to feel that vibe, so we paired them up for projects. One duo built a simple number guessing game by combining one’s knack for logic with the other’s flair for user prompts. They learned faster by talking through problems and caught mistakes I’d have missed. It built a tight-knit group, too; by the end, they were swapping memes about Python errors in a group chat.

Everyone Learns Differently

Not every student was a natural. Some picked up functions in a day, others needed a week to grasp lists. At first, I tried one-size-fits-all lessons, but that flopped. So I mixed it up: visual learners got diagrams, hands-on types got more coding challenges, and big-picture folks got real-world examples, like how Python powers Instagram’s backend. By week six, every student had built a portfolio project, from a budget tracker to a quiz game. It hit me: there’s no single way to learn code. Patience and flexibility matter as much as the material.

Running this boot camp changed how I see programming. It’s not just about syntax or logic, it’s about persistence, teamwork, and adapting to how people learn. Teaching forced me to explain concepts clearly, which sharpened my own skills. If you’re thinking about coding, whether teaching or learning, jump in. Start small, find a buddy, and keep at it. The results are worth it.