Human Nature Answer - NO!

As with anything new or challenging, it is only natural to start to have a number of defensive thoughts and negative processes.

• What is I fail?
• What if it is too hard?
• I am too old surely - (I'm 45)
• It will take me years.
• Perhaps I should stick to what I know.
• I don't know where to start.

These were certainly part of my thought process a few years ago, but I had a niggling bug to get into it somehow.

Qualified Accountant

I have always been the goto person for Excel help whether for employers or clients, and I was self taught to become such an Excel wizard, the simple fact here is I had learnt by 'doing' and 'using' Excel over the years without realising.

Over the years I have worked and qualified as an accountant but have always had a keen interest in software. I have built and designed spreadsheets and created accountancy systems for many clients.

I can use most of the accounting Software applications such as Sage, Xero and Quickbooks and have produced advanced Excel works using some simple VBA, and just like many accountants have these skills as part of my career. It is these skills that will help me in my coding pursuit.

Accounting Consultant

I run my own accountancy business 'Numbers for Nerds' providing Accounting Consultancy Services covering training and system installs for Xero, Sage and Quickbooks and of course tax returns and accounts!

If you would like to get in touch you can email at chris@counter2coder.co.uk

Thanks for reading and happy coding!

Christopher

If you like what I do and you find it of use I am always grateful of a coffee to keep me going in the late nights and you can keep me going here to buy me a cup of coffee.

There was once a warning and disclaimer by a manufacture of children's superhero's costumes that read: "WARNING: This costume will not allow you to fly."

A bit over the top I think but the manufacture obviously felt it necessary to point out, just in case.

But it does highlight a significant point, it warns you that you are not something that you may think you are.

Wordpress

I have used and played around with Wordpress for a few years now, building a few sites for fun and a few for my business, one being Numbers for Nerds.

I usually start by setting up the domain on my hosting and then installing the latest version of Wordpress, and then it appears just like magic with the standard theme ready to go.

I look for a theme in the Wordpress theme directory and often search google for paid themes to see what other and better themes I like. However, once I have a theme, I am never 100% happy with the theme itself, and I set to making it look different.

Most themes have a 'customisation' option, whereby you can change the colours, fonts and sometimes the layout all with the click of a button. Soon it starts to look customised to how I want it. I can upload images and insert my content into the placeholder sections and it starts to look really good, well in my opinion anyway.

I feel that I can accomplish building a website with Wordpress but here comes the warning of reality.

I am not a Web Developer - I am a Wordpress user!

Similar to the cape, being able to use Wordpress doesn't actually make me a web developer. I can simply use a piece of software that prompts me to make edits and guides me through the options available, which results in a website. The theme itself has been actually built by the real developer.

This is another reason why I wanted to learn to code and further my knowledge of web development.

You see, there is lots of magic going on in the background that I clearly didn't understand how or why or what it was doing. I always wanted to tinker with the theme more and more. I started to use custom css, adding more and more plugins and over all feeling disgruntled the theme didn't do and look exactly how I wanted it to - until I finally thought, why not just learn to build a basic website from scratch!

Accountant or User?

The same principle could be said witin the accounting profession.

With many software applications offering certifications and rewards on learning to use their software it raises the same question:

"Are you an Accountant/Bookkeeper or are you simply a User?"

You really need to know the fundamentals behind the software to actually understand how, what and why it is doing what it does, meaning you need to think for yourself like a Web Developer or Accountant / Bookkeeper and without experience it will be hard to achieve this.

Thanks for reading and happy coding!

Chris - Counter2Coder