TIL most beginner coders quit before writing 100 lines of working code

I was reading a blog post from a coding bootcamp in Austin. They tracked their students and found that over 60% of people who start learning to code give up before they've even written a full 100 lines of code that actually runs. That number really got me. I'm maybe a month into trying to learn Python, and I just hit 50 lines in my first little project, a tip calculator. It's so easy to get stuck on one error and just close the laptop. The blog said the big drop-off happens around the first 'wall' you hit, like setting up your environment or a syntax error you can't fix. It made me feel a bit better about my own slow progress, honestly. Has anyone else tracked how much code they've actually written, or hit a similar early wall?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_butler2mo ago

That first real frustration hits everyone, not just coders.

ryan9522mo ago

Remember trying to assemble IKEA furniture without the picture guide. Just a bag of screws and that weird little wrench. Took me three hours to build a nightstand. Three hours. Ended up with two extra bolts and a door that swings the wrong way. Pure rage.

christopher95221h ago

Good call on always keeping the manual nearby, but here's a trick if you lose it. Search the product code online and there's usually a PDF version on their site. Also, that extra hardware is normal, IKEA throws in spare screws and dowels for different wall types or just in case you drop one behind the dresser. As for the door swinging wrong, just flip the hinges before you tighten them all the way, saves you from having to take the whole thing apart again.