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I think you’re smart enough to look past the title and know what I mean by all this. Here recently I got this email from Brian:
“First of all I appreciate all the content you provide. I am 37 years old and dabbled with web development for about six months. I learned html, css, and basic php on my own. I actually made a practice business website for my brother-in-law’s auto body shop. It looked pretty good, was responsive, and the SEO got it to the first page of a Google search. I however stopped because of some difficult things in my life. I have had marriage problems and I changed jobs and now have a long 2 hour commute to work and 2 hour back home. Luckily I don’t work on the weekends. Now I’m trying to maximize my time. Is learning a few hours on the weekend enough. Also my real goal is to be able to work from home and be my own boss. I’m getting older and I’m getting tired of the rat race. Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.“
Is learning a few hours on the weekend enough?
Maybe.
I mean honestly… who the hell knows. That all comes down to what you’re actually doing during those 2 hours, the approach you’re taking to your learning, how fast you learn, etc.
But, I’m guessing since you’re asking you feel like maybe it isn’t.
I also question if “a few hours on the weekends” is all the time you have. Like Gary Vaynerchuck says:
“Time is seriously the only asset you have. If you want to make things work you have to spend that asset wisely. Are you ready to spend one-less hour every week watching Game of Thrones? If not, maybe you need to reevaluate what you’re doing.“
Look, I’ve done the 2-hour commute thing. It sucks.
But, I also kept in mind what I was chasing.
This just goes to deeper issues with our society and the way people think right now. This isn’t necessarily you… but everyone seems to think that they’re entitled to a life of getting paid well to do what you love.
You’re not.
It’s actually quite rare.
Before the internet, even more so. So, be thankful you’re living during this time. You could’ve been born 200 years ago and be out shoveling pig s!@# for 16 hours a day on your farm just to have enough food to survive.
You actually get the option to survive doing something you enjoy.
So, you get home after a 2-hour commute… then what?
Maybe it’s 7 o’clock. You’ve got a few hours to eat, shower, play with the kids… now what? Go to bed? Yeah, I know you’re tired. But remember what you’re chasing. This thing isn’t easy.
You have to work for it.
Put in a couple hours from 10pm to midnight… every night. I used to do that exact thing. In fact, most nights I’d go to 2 or 3am. Then, drag myself out of bed… put on my pizza boy costume and go wallow in grease for 8-10 hours.
And, do it all again the next day.
If you really want it… you’ll do it.
I mean, think about it this way… you’re 37. Let’s say you have an average life span… around 72. That’s 35 years left my man! Would you sacrifice a year of dreadfully long nights to get 34 of having the privilege of getting paid well to do what you love? What about 2 years? 3? 5? 10?
I’m crazy… but I’d sacrifice 34 just to get that one… if that’s what it took.
So, you gotta look yourself in the mirror and decide.
And it’s 100% okay if you decide to stop pursuing a coding career. It really is. You’re not somehow less of a person. Clock the hours, make the money and enjoy the s!@# out of your weekends and vacations.
Seriously.
It’s not that bad of a life.
Hell, it’s a damn good one… even today… for most people in the world.
But…
If that’s just not how you’re wired… like me. If you wouldn’t trade one day of doing something that doesn’t have meaning for you… for a lifetime of vacations and weekends… if you have to have purpose and meaning in what you do…
Then, buck up my friend.
Stop watching porn. Turn off Netflix. Close YouTube… or whatever it is you do that you know wastes too much of your time.
Tape those eyelids open and put in the hours.
Now, I’ve said this… you can shortcut the process. You just have to set your ego aside. You have to allow yourself to be sold on something that’s good for you. There are three things you can do to make your learning go faster:
- Follow an integrated program of instruction (costs money)
- Build real applications as you learn
- Find a mentor
These things will reduce the number of 10pm to 2ams you need to get to where you want to go in your career. If you really want it, invest in your career.
It’s always a trade-off of time, money and energy.
If you want to reduce the amount of time and energy you need to provide in order to get any goal… you’ll need to spend some money (on courses, on coaching, on products, on whatever to get your there faster).
And, if you don’t want to spend the money… it will cost you more time and energy.
You decide what’s most important.
For me… the dolla bills ain’t going in the ground with me.
Time… with my kids, my wife, my family… is what I cherish most.
Anyway, it’s your choice… just choose wisely.
Speaking of shortcuts and saving time:
You’ve probably heard me mention my new PHP 101 course. This is the exact thing I’m talking about. 7 bucks to get 11 lessons that teach you the most important fundamentals of writing PHP code. Plus, how to create forms… something SurveyMonkey uses to rake in 113M in revenue per year. This is what I mean when I talk about “no-brainer” investments in yourself.
Get it while the price is still this low: https://johnmorrisonline.com/php
P.S. If you liked the show, give it a like and share with the communities and people you think will benefit. And, you can always find all my tutorials, source code and exclusive courses on Patreon.
