This is the album cover of my first music project, Dan San Reborn.
I recently decided to finally start learning how to code. I’ve been working in tech for 3 years but have had a desire to learn how to code since the Winter of 2013. Back in December 2013 I was 19, depressed and figuring out what kind of mark I wanted to leave on this world. I had just dropped out of college less than a year ago and began a relentless pursuit to become a successful salesman and entrepreneur in the direct sales industry. For the first 2 years of my entrepreneurial pursuits, I did most of my business offline by cold approaching people on the street, getting numbers, having cafe meetings and doing stuff the old-fashioned way. I cold approached well over 10,000 people and cold called over 50,000. These skills certainly have value but when I started learning more about online marketing I found that I enjoyed building websites more than I imagined. When I started creating my first personal website I started to reconsider my career path and began dreaming of building an online media business. I had no idea what type of media company I would start but I made the decision to move back to NYC in February 2014 to figure out what I wanted to do. I was focused on tech and made a goal to move to San Jose California, the heart of the Silicon Valley by 2016. I ended up spending 1 year focused on music before I finally transitioned into tech. I joined Meural in June 2015, the same month I released my first EP.
Since then, I’ve sold millions of dollars worth of Meurals but have always had a strong desire to create. I wanted to be part of the innovative landscape in tech, not just someone who sells innovative technology but someone who also creates it. I’ve been dabbling with online marketing, WordPress, and basic online HTML/CSS courses during the past 2 years but never really immersed myself into computer programming. When I got the opportunity to take classes without having to travel in early 2018, I decided it was finally time to learn how to code. I just started taking classes and so far am having a great time. It all makes so much sense but I’m sure it’s only easy for me due to the online course I took before. Right now, I’m just studying markup HTML/CSS at NY Code + Design Academy but I’ll quickly be learning Javascript over the next 2 months followed by an intensive UX/UI course at General Assembly. My goal for these classes is to become a basically proficient front-end web developer. From there, I can practice by following up with Udemy courses and freelancing simple WordPress projects alone and with a basic offshore development team. Through this process, I will find 3 to 5 offshore developers to become my remote full stack dev team. The first assignment for my team will be to build an MVP (minimal viable product) for a business idea I’ve had for a while that I won’t reveal just yet due to the changing laws around it. I would then start charging money to build software MVPs for startups ups & small businesses in NYC and the Silicon Valley. My unique angle would be the fact that not only would I help a business owner develop their software prototype but I can apply my business, finance and sales acumen to help them grow their business simultaneously. I won’t go into too much detail with what I have planned but my firm will be niche and focused on helping pre-seed media/cannabis software startups reach an exit through a rigorous incubation process. My firm would essentially be a combination of a startup web dev shop, accelerator and incubator focused on supporting strong and coachable founders in my niche market.
By doing this I can create a powerful base of value contribution, capital, connections and innovation with which I can help other people build companies and achieve their dreams. This has been a dream of mine for over 4 years and learning how to code brings me closer to being able to execute my vision in a way that will allow me to be creative, involved and technologically literate. Technically, you can create a successful tech startup without even knowing how to code but knowing how to code can give you a huge advantage from a creative and managerial standpoint not to mention the savings of building an MVP in-house. When I first told people I am learning how to code they assumed I want to get a job as a computer programmer, I have no desire to become a full-time programmer. I am an entrepreneur and the foundational skills of computer programming gives me a base from which I can draw from to start and support my ventures. Software is everywhere and soon software will be in everything from your clothing to your physical body. At a recent summit of tech leaders in Washington D.C, Tim Cook of Apple made a great point about how America’s government is technologically behind and explained that computer programming should be mandatory in public school. I couldn’t agree more because we live in the digital age yet most people don’t understand the language that commands the computers that dominate every element of our day to day life. Coding unlocks a power to understand, create, solve problems and even change the world if you have the supporting skills to manifest greatness. I am grateful to be born in this era and look forward to learning more about computer programming. I hope you consider coding as well and maybe even join me on this journey.
Question of The Week: Do you want to learn how to code or already know how to? If so why? Comment below, I’d love to hear your reasons why. Thanks for reading and if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date with my posts.