From the moment I started working as a consultant, I was studying on the side.

I studied for, took, and passed the CPA. No regrets.

I studied for, took, and did decently well on the LSAT. No regrets.

I read a lot of non-fiction. No regrets.

My only side-study regret?

I tried to learn another computer program. A closed-source, proprietary, niche product that would have made me more marketable to another consulting firm. (It was Hyperion Planning.)

I wish I had not spent that time studying a computer program. Rather, I wish I spent the time learning how to build a computer program.

Coding.

HTML, CSS, maybe even Java.

Learning how to build a website scratch.

Can you get by without knowing how to code? Absolutely.

I built the first iteration of Life is NOYOKE using an out of the box WordPress theme and zero computer programming skills. Today it looks like this (and is 30x faster) thanks to the help of some talented developers.

But I wouldn’t be where I am today without a core understanding of accounting and finance, logic, and what makes successful people successful.

Who knows where I’d be with a core understanding of computer programming. The ability to actually code.

Five years ahead of where I am today? Much less reliant on expensive web developers?

Do the three I did, if you can. CPA, LSAT, tons of non-fiction books.

But then drop whatever other side studying you’re doing and learn how to code.

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For a step-by-step guide on how to teach yourself code, take the advice from a developer who sold his business for $20M.

This: Sivers’ step-by-step post on the resources and method he recommends for teaching you how to code.

You should read his life-changing book (that you can read in 30 minutes), too: Anything you want.