I still remember that night so clearly. I was sitting alone in my room, laptop on, coffee already cold on the table. I opened YouTube and typed “learn coding for beginners.” Within minutes, I was completely overwhelmed. One video said start with Python, another pushed JavaScript, and some even recommended jumping straight into React. Everything sounded important, but I ended up even more confused. I closed my laptop thinking, “Maybe coding just isn’t for me.”

If you’re feeling the same way right now — confused about where to start, scared of taking the wrong path, or feeling like you’re already late — don’t worry. This article is written for you, from someone who was exactly in your position.

My beginning was a total mess. I started learning to code at the end of 2024 because I wanted a new skill that could open up opportunities. But my approach? Complete chaos.

One day I tried Python, the next day I switched to JavaScript tutorials, and the day after that I was installing something else. My laptop was full of empty folders, but my brain was empty too. Every time I opened code, I got errors. Every tutorial I watched, I could only follow halfway before giving up.

Until one day I decided to stop chasing everything at once. I told myself, “Enough. I need to focus on one simple path first.”

That’s when things slowly started to change.

I chose to begin with HTML and CSS. The reason was simple: I could see the results immediately in the browser. I used two main resources. First, Dicoding — their free “Learn Basic Web Programming” course was perfect for absolute beginners. Second, YouTube: Sandhika Galih (Web Programming Unpas). His explanations are clear, relaxed, and easy to understand in Indonesian.

In the first two weeks, I just played around making simple web pages. They looked ugly and the colors were terrible, but I felt so happy when I saw them appear in the browser. Finally, I had created something myself.

After getting comfortable with HTML and CSS, I moved on to JavaScript. This stage frustrated me the most. Sometimes I’d be stuck for hours just because of a capitalization mistake. But I kept going with Sandhika Galih’s videos because his teaching style is really comfortable.

My first real project was a simple Todo List. When I finally managed to add and delete tasks, I took a screenshot and sent it to my friend saying, “Bro, I actually did this!”

Around the third month, I started trying React.js, still using materials from WPU. It was still confusing at first, but this time I had a foundation, so it wasn’t as bad as before.

Along the way, I learned a lot. Errors aren’t enemies — they’re the best teachers. It’s okay to be slow, as long as you open your laptop every day, even if only for thirty minutes. Don’t stay too long in tutorials. It’s better to quickly make your own projects, even if they turn out messy. And most importantly, I stopped comparing myself to others on LinkedIn.

Honestly, there were many nights when I wanted to quit completely. There were weeks where I didn’t touch my laptop at all because I felt lazy and frustrated. Sometimes I’d think, “Other people are already building complex apps, and I’m still struggling with a todo list.” But I always reminded myself that everyone who is good at coding now also started from zero and felt confused, just like me.

Now, after almost seven months, I can build decent-looking websites, deploy them online, and most importantly — I’m no longer afraid when I see errors.

So if you’re confused about where to start, my advice is simple. Start with HTML and CSS using Dicoding and Sandhika Galih’s YouTube channel. You don’t need to become an expert quickly. What matters is that you start, stay consistent, and enjoy the process little by little.

You’re not alone. Many of us have been right where you are now.