{
  "id": 19082670,
  "title": "I Started Coding at University While My Classmates Were Already Freelancing. Here's What My First Month Actually Looked Like.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/i-started-coding-at-university-while-my-classmates-were-already",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-09T04:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/aheadkit/i-started-coding-at-university-while-my-classmates-were-already-freelancing-heres-what-my-first-iff"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "My classmates were sending invoices to clients while I was still learning how to install Python and reading contradictory online answers. In my first week of coding, I couldn't make a simple five-line program run. The error message was daunting: \"IndentationError: unexpected indent.\" After a full evening, I learned that Python treats indentation as grammar, and a stray space is not a typo but a syntax error.\n\nIn week 2, I finally wrote a tiny grade calculator. I input my real and imaginary marks, and the program ran every time, printing the correct average and GPA. This experience was rewarding and confirmed that despite the challenges, I was making progress.\n\nWeek 3 was the most challenging. My classmate posted about a freelance job, and I compared my progress to theirs, feeling discouraged and contemplating quitting. However, the grade calculator kept me motivated, and I started writing my first functions and noting the errors I encountered in a notebook.\n\nWeek 4 was a slow month for major breakthroughs. I worked on a terminal to-do list, learned to write functions, and started documenting my errors. Comparing my progress to my classmates, who were freelancing, made me feel like I was falling behind. Nonetheless, I recognized that starting at university meant having a specific reason to learn coding, and limited hours forced me to be more intentional with my sessions.",
  "summary": "My classmates were sending invoices to clients while I was still searching \"how to install Python\" and reading three contradictory answers. I am a naval architecture student in Bangladesh, well past my first year of university, and in my first week of coding I could not make a 5-line program run. Here is my first month, week by week — the error that ate an evening, the first thing that worked,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Started coding at university while classmates freelanced",
    "Faced IndentationError in first week, learned Python grammar",
    "Completed grade calculator in week 2, motivated to continue"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The slow initial learning curve highlights how academic constraints can force more intentional study habits even when students feel they are falling behind their more experienced peers.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}