Hey hey 
On Wednesday, August 18th, Codecademy turns 10! 
Reflecting on the past decade at Codecademy, we’ve gone through a lot of changes (naturally!) but the one thing that has remained constant is serving learners like you, who are dedicated to life-changing outcomes. Thank you for learning with us and being part of this community! 
Now, onto the question of the week…
How has learning to code helped you live the life you want to live?
I started learning how to code since a young age (I think it was when I was 9?), but back then I didn’t really want to code. My Dad kept looking for new and better ways for me to learn to code. Eventually he purchased an Android course and we took it together. I learned a lot, but most importantly, I started to really like coding.
Some years passed, and my Dad found Codecademy. He told me to start the HTML, CSS and JavaScript courses. As I was going through those courses, I couldn’t help myself and I started exploring Codecademy’s full catalog. “Whoa, I wish I could learn all of these things”, I told myself as I realized that most of them were pro-only courses.
Eventually I convinced my Dad to buy me Pro, and it was extremelyexciting to start those Pro courses I had been wishing to start for a long time. I started learning React, SQL, Python…
The more I learned, the more I started to love coding.
I never thought I’d actually like coding, but now I love it just as much as I love drawing (hint: A LOT.). Now I am able to create all sorts of stuff, from mobile to web apps, and currently I’m learning how to make games with Phaser (thanks for the course on that too, Codecademy!).
Being able to create all these things gives me a sense of achievement, and hopes that one day I can create an app that actual people will use 
P.S: sorry for turning this into a whole story lol
Ten years ago I was a customer service agent making just over the minimum wage, I didn’t have a college degree and I didn’t have the resources to go to school long term. I didn’t feel like I’d ever have a real career. Friends of mine suggested that I learn how to code. I thought they were nuts, coding is hard! People go to school for four years to do that! Who would hire someone who learned to code on their own!?!
Now, I am a lead/staff engineer at a large tech company in the Bay Area. Learning to code changed my life in every possible way. I won’t beat around the bush - a lot of it is about money, pretending that money doesn’t matter is folly for people who have it. Before, I couldn’t afford to go to the doctors office, much less buy a home or take a trip. I lived paycheck to paycheck and don’t have family to fall back on. Now I have savings! I got a passport and took a trip! When my car makes a funny sound I take it to mechanic instead of hoping it will go away!
Beyond money, there are the feelings of security and accomplishment. I don’t need to worry about the company I’m working at going under and getting laid-off. Developers are in demand, I can find another job right away. I feel like my skills matter at work, the work I do is important to my employer. My co-workers respect me.
I learned to code using a lot of different tools but Codecademy has always been my favorite and I was lucky enough to join the site when it was just a few months old. I still remember visiting the old bootstrapped site every day! Even though I’m pretty far along in my career now I come back to Codecademy every so often to check out a new language or get a quick refresher on something I haven’t touched in a while. Everyone has their own learning style and the way Codecademy breaks up concepts is perfect for me. I mentor junior developers and the one piece of advice I stress is to figure out how you learn best and look for resources in that format.
Good luck to everyone working on their journey!
I used to work a job I hated in manufacturing. Long hours, shift work in harsh environments where I was shown very little respect. I felt like a cog in a giant machine that didn’t matter. I wasn’t able to live the kind of life I wanted. I wanted to work in biology even if it meant a pay cut, but no one outside of manufacturing would hire me. One thing I had learned while working is that the best jobs (for me) would involve computers. I went back to school to get a masters degree in biology and chose a bioinformatics project where I taught myself to code in Python and bash. Before I graduated I was able to get a job as a bioinformaticist at a major medical school, where I began programming in R. Now I work fully remote with an extremely flexible schedule, and with a secure job I could finally purchase a house and have a child. I love the type of work I do. Not only is it fun, but I finally gained the respect I never experienced before all while getting to live a lifestyle anyone would envy. My work-life balance couldn’t be better.
I would have to say I’m still working on the life I want to live but learning to code has empowered me to apply for a software engineering graduate program So That’s a step in the right direction
Thanks a lot to codecademy’s 3-months free PRO help during the pandemic, I was able to pursue a skill path(build a website with HTML,CSS and GitHub pages). It was a 10 weeks path and after the course I knew right away that coding was the career for me. Now i have my foot in the door, surely the gate will not close on me!
Despite being very junior to world of computing (and by extension the world of coding) it has really helped me explore the fundamental nature of computation - something which has interested me since I was very little, playing an assortment of board games with my grandparents.
Learning to code not only helped me dominate playing Monopoly through extensive analysis of how valuable each property actually is (through running simulations, not literally calculating them all don’t worry 
) ,but also opened my eyes to a deeper - almost philosophical world - of numerical analysis and their real world interpretations and usage.
Sounds nerdy, but I do also have friends 
Now I’m about to start studying towards my degree and currently working as a software developer for kids games, apps and research!
Once about 9 months ago I made games here:
Once about 8/9 months ago, I started Codecademy(not Codecademy Pro) and then someone tried(or kind of a little force) to make me do JavaScript. But I didn’t want to. After some time I agreed(which I shouldn’t have), so I did Javascript for about 1/2 weeks. But after I searched up some code related stuff and found out that Python should actually be my first language(I really like that moment), so I switched to Python.
About 8 months ago, I made Python games here:
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But after some time, I wanted to expand my knowledge of Python. So I deleted my CC account(because I wanted it too start all over again and get a certificate on my first course). Then I got pro. I took the Welcome To Codecademy course which was short but good. I then took the Learn Python 3 course which took me an amazing amount of time. The amount of time that I took to do the course was a looot. It was about 6 months!!! After I took about 8 courses about Python. I know am studying C# to make video games!!! What I like about Codecademy is that it puts you into a pretend role like in this lesson:
https://www.codecademy.com/courses/learn-c-sharp/lessons/csharp-loops
, I pretended to make a video game. I have done pretended roles a lot like managing a forest in this lesson:
https://www.codecademy.com/courses/learn-c-sharp/lessons/csharp-basic-classes/exercises/basic-review
Also at Codecademy, I like the projects which actually sometimes are exciting. I have been at Codecademy for quite a while(about more than 9 months but less than 10 months). My coding habits have gone better. From spending 40 minutes on a exercise to about 5 - 10 minutes. I would like to make games using Unity or other game engines. In conclusion, I think that Codecademy really is engaging.
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Your story is so incredibly inspiring!! I’m currently learning to code via Codecademy in hopes of landing a front end junior developer role soon. I too worked as a customer service agent for about a year and swore I would never have to do that again…it was the worst job I’ve ever had. I’m so thankful for Codecademy, as I learn the way they teach 
Thank you again for sharing your story!