Learning Code Through Listening

When I first started my journey into learning to code, I hadn't actually written a line in an editor before. I didn't know anything about using the terminal. I honestly had no idea if I would even be interested in the skill. What really sent me off on this voyage was listening to podcasts. While the list has changed over the years, these are the podcasts I've learned the most from regarding development.

1. Developer Tea - This has been on my list for the longest, and I feel like it was one of the biggest influencers in my decision to go after a career in development. It's hosted by Jonathan Cutrell and he has plenty of bite-sized episodes for quick listening. It's great for short commutes or when you're stuck in line somewhere, and he also has a TON of great interviewees on the show (from data scientists to lead developers to CEOs). The thing I like most about this podcast is that I never walk away from it feeling like I wasted my time listening. There's valuable advice in each episode regardless of what part of the journey you're on, or what position you hold or wish to hold. New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (unless there is a holiday or he's busy having a child or something crazy).

2. CodeNewbie  -  I didn't jump on the CodeNewbie train until my senior year of college (when this had already been established for a year) but I LOVE listening to this when I'm feeling like my learning journey is going too slow. The host, Saron, does a great job of having her guests talk about how they began in the industry. She also does a great job of talking about job opportunities and tech meetups in the NYC area if you're close to there. These episodes are quite a bit longer than Developer Tea, but super easy to digest over multiple commutes if yours is short. I think the most recent season just ended because there hasn't been a new episode since mid-December 2017.

3. Learn to Code With Me - This podcast has sort of evolved over the seasons and the current season is broader than it used to be. I really like going back and listening to the older episodes where she talks specifically to developers and about their learning process, but if you're interested in broader topics than development (I.E. data science, growing a freelance business, machine learning, cyber security, etc.) this season will be great for you! The layout is very similar to CodeNewbie, as the host (Laurence) interviews different people from tech. Typically released every Tuesday.

4. Syntax - The guys who host this podcast (Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski) are really fantastic at breaking down development concepts and discussing the latest trends in the industry. They both have their own tutorial websites with tons of free/paid resources on learning to code and keep the focus on more surface-level topics for that reason. I definitely recommend this for those of you starting to learn Javascript (and the episodes are pretty long, so they're great to listen to while doing chores or long commutes). New episodes are out every Wednesday.

5. Front End Happy Hour - I particularly enjoy Front End Happy Hour for its approach to big/senior-level concepts and the hosts' ability to simplify things. This is hosted by a group of developers/senior developers (I believe in the Bay area, as most of them are with Netflix). They all sound so happy to be hanging out with each other every episode and, of course, they all have their favorite happy hour drink by their side. If for nothing else, this has been great for me to hear that senior-level developers at tech giants STILL go through things like imposter syndrome, and some even still have difficulty staying on top of the most current languages. Because of the extras (drinks, jokes, general off-topic-ness), these episodes get really long. However, they're completely worth it! Usually updated twice a month.

Do you have a favorite that isn't on the list? Let me know in the comments!

This article was originally published on Medium.