The moving target of career goals

[jlumen]

 More than anything in the world right now, I would like to be a Building Energy modelling Expert. Building Energy Modeling also know as BEM, is the skill of using software to simulate the energy usage and performance of a building. Typically BEM is referred to in reference to software such as EnergyPlus, EnergyPro, and use with a bunch of other software.

The problem is I started out an intermediate in BEM, and 9 years later, I'm still an intermediate.  With the type of work that I do, they need experts so it makes it really hard to grow. And now that I'm a mother, I don't have the time for the "free labor to learn things for work". It's a little frustrating in cnsultanting that there's little room for learning. But I think that's largely a thing in most jobs theses days, it's a tough market.

I'm considering picking back Python learning because althought I've been avoidng it like the plague, if I would've started when I first wanted to learn Python... 6 year ago I could be so far ahead now. And I do think there's some little things here and there I could sneak Python learning into my personal life, I have a few ideas.  Even though I have less free time now and for all I know in 6 years Python might be extinct, I think that learning one language does make it easier to go to another. 

In college, I had to learn Java and C, the basics of Object oriented programming. Once I was prolific in HTML and CSS, ( back in livejournal, greatest journal days, I even had a personal website). Even though the nuances of those language skills are far gone, I stil have the basic  understanding of how codes work and so it makes me really good at spec-ing things to the coders. Which should make it helpful when there's something I want to do with Python or any other code. I've got a real firm grasp of if/then, while loops. Which sounds almost silly to sound out loud but you would be surprised how often people don't consider those things when scripting. 

Since the main hobby I can fit into my life these days is knitting and crochet, it would be cool if I could figure out some way to take these things,  perhaps with Excel or even some pattern making. We shall see. 

The thing that always gets me stuck in learning coding is that the beginning is soooo boring and I give up and stop. So if anyone has any suggestions out there, let me know. 
 

ETA: a spell check because I obviously didn't do that the first time I posted. 

Comments

[cyberneticdryad]

The beginning stages of learning are always the hardest! A couple of my friends like to gameify their lessons, and I think one of them tried Codedex and had a decent time with it (for C++, so I dunno about their python course). Honestly, anything to make those early stages more interesting is always good in my book.

[jlumen]

I'll have to give codex a try, I do like a good gamification. I think that and having some solid ideas about things I'd like to make or ways I can use Python regularly will help me keep it up and get better at it.