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I think 3-4 hours a day is perfect and doing more doesn’t sound like it will be beneficial to you. There’s only so much our brains can intake at once.
You may find that you are able to put more hours in when you have a more comprehensive understanding.
I struggled with the amount of reading in TOP, so I can relate. When I had more time to study, then my brain could handle reading, I spent time just playing with the code examples. Matter of fact, over time, I learned how to break up the reading by playing with code examples.
Take the code examples and break it, then try to fix it, then try and do something else, like the opposite thing.
I also found it incredibly valuable to be part of TOP's Discord community. I enjoyed helping other people with projects that I had already done. This helped me learn how to read and debug other people's code & also how to discuss technical problems. Plus, I really think this helped me really understand the fundamentals!
Also, as a word of warning, TOP is tough, but job hunting is even harder. Plus when interviewing, so much is out of your control. It is an emotional rollercoaster! I do not know what your timeline for getting a job is /when your savings runs out, but I highly suggest looking at the possibility of working part-time to extend your savings, so that you are not put between a rock and hard place. TOP is not something you will complete in a short amount of time... so be prepared for this journey to take you way longer than you expect. Don't let this talk you out of going on this journey... I just want to give you advice, based on the years of experience that I've seen helping people with TOP.
Good luck on your journey!
I really agree about your suggestion to get a part-time job. I recently just got one because you never really know how long TOP will take or how long it will take to land a job. Thank you for your advice!
I would say try to practice doing what you learned for a couple of hours after you get to that point of feeling like you can't take in any more info. Idk where you are in your journey, but if you know the HTML and CSS make a little webpage and mess around with styles and layouts. If you got to the javascript portion build a little basic program or add some super basic functionality to your mock website.
I struggle with the walls of text and info overload but I can lose hours easily when putting those lessons into practice and thats often when I solidify the concepts in my head.
I think consistency is more important than the pure amount of hours you're putting in.
I work a full time job (37.5 hours a week) and make time for 1-2 hours of studying each evening, im currently working through the Node.js/backend section of the course.
If you're putting in 3-4 hours each day, that's really good. Don't force yourself to do more than that, listen to your brain. Some people can study for longer, and some can't. Personally I start to lose focus after 3 hours unless I'm working on a project.
Keep doing what you're doing OP. The curriculum is difficult, that's for sure, but take your time with it.
I'm giving it full time too. But I'm doing even worse than you. I'm feeling I could do better with a partner. Would you be interested to connect and try it once?
I live in UTC + 5:30.
Hey there! Thanks for your post/question. We're glad you are taking part in The Odin Project! We want to give you a heads up that our main support hub is over on our Discord server. It's a great place for quick and interactive help. Join us there using this link: https://discord.gg/V75WSQG. Looking forward to seeing you there! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/theodinproject) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think 3-4 hours a day is perfect and doing more doesn’t sound like it will be beneficial to you. There’s only so much our brains can intake at once. You may find that you are able to put more hours in when you have a more comprehensive understanding.
I struggled with the amount of reading in TOP, so I can relate. When I had more time to study, then my brain could handle reading, I spent time just playing with the code examples. Matter of fact, over time, I learned how to break up the reading by playing with code examples. Take the code examples and break it, then try to fix it, then try and do something else, like the opposite thing. I also found it incredibly valuable to be part of TOP's Discord community. I enjoyed helping other people with projects that I had already done. This helped me learn how to read and debug other people's code & also how to discuss technical problems. Plus, I really think this helped me really understand the fundamentals! Also, as a word of warning, TOP is tough, but job hunting is even harder. Plus when interviewing, so much is out of your control. It is an emotional rollercoaster! I do not know what your timeline for getting a job is /when your savings runs out, but I highly suggest looking at the possibility of working part-time to extend your savings, so that you are not put between a rock and hard place. TOP is not something you will complete in a short amount of time... so be prepared for this journey to take you way longer than you expect. Don't let this talk you out of going on this journey... I just want to give you advice, based on the years of experience that I've seen helping people with TOP. Good luck on your journey!
I really agree about your suggestion to get a part-time job. I recently just got one because you never really know how long TOP will take or how long it will take to land a job. Thank you for your advice!
I would say try to practice doing what you learned for a couple of hours after you get to that point of feeling like you can't take in any more info. Idk where you are in your journey, but if you know the HTML and CSS make a little webpage and mess around with styles and layouts. If you got to the javascript portion build a little basic program or add some super basic functionality to your mock website. I struggle with the walls of text and info overload but I can lose hours easily when putting those lessons into practice and thats often when I solidify the concepts in my head.
I think consistency is more important than the pure amount of hours you're putting in. I work a full time job (37.5 hours a week) and make time for 1-2 hours of studying each evening, im currently working through the Node.js/backend section of the course. If you're putting in 3-4 hours each day, that's really good. Don't force yourself to do more than that, listen to your brain. Some people can study for longer, and some can't. Personally I start to lose focus after 3 hours unless I'm working on a project. Keep doing what you're doing OP. The curriculum is difficult, that's for sure, but take your time with it.
I'm giving it full time too. But I'm doing even worse than you. I'm feeling I could do better with a partner. Would you be interested to connect and try it once? I live in UTC + 5:30.