Inspiration for a ‘Top 50’ Website – The Rebbe
Shloime (Sam) Fellig was a ‘non-technical’ guy whose idea for a new website landed him on the Time’s ‘Top 50 Sites of 2013’. His inspiration? A quote from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
From a non-technical guy with an idea to building one the Time’s Top 50 sites of 2013, Sam Fellig’s story is nothing less than magical. But the founder of Outgrow.me says anyone can learn, as long as they stay positive.
Why did you want to learn to code?
I’ve always been the type of person whose mind is continuously racing with startup ideas. My wife is forced to act as the sounding board for all of my hair brained schemes, and I’m always sure to remind her when a startup is successful with “AN IDEA I THOUGHT OF AGES AGO!” At some point, I decided (she decided) if I wanted to stop talking and start doing, I’d need to learn to code.
When looking around online at the available options, I really wanted something hands-on and not just endless video tutorials. Codecademy definitely fit the bill.
Where did the idea for Outgrow.me come from? And how did you get started?
As an avid backer of Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects, I would often wait months for projects to fulfill rewards, and I’d sometimes miss campaigns and have no way to follow up on when the product I wanted would be available. I saw a need for an online marketplace for crowdfunded projects and decided to make it my first project, Outgrow.me
When starting with Codecademy, I was amazed at how quickly I was able to pick up the information. After just a couple of weeks I was convinced I had amassed a huge wealth of knowledge (I didn’t) and was fully capable of launching my first website (I wasn’t). What I didn’t know yet I figured I’d be able to learn on Codecademy while working on a project simultaneously (this turned out to be true!).
What kept you going when you hit problems?
Blind determination. I set my mind to it and decided nothing was going to stop me. In a very genuine way, at no point was failure on my list of options.
What are your own plans next with regards to code?
I’m really focused on learning Rails and APIs with the new tracks made on Codecademy. I’m working on a new, more complex project and I’m excited for what’s to come!
What are the first steps you’d recommend for someone who’s interested in learning to apply programming in their work?
First, just start. Start somewhere. Start anywhere. Just start! Second, stay positive. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and give up when the going gets stuff. The key is to stay positive. The worst thing for a project is negativity. A favorite quote of mine: “Think good and it will be good.” – Rabbi M. M. Schneerson.
Chaim
Um…. Not to cool the fever… But that’s not a quote from the Rebbe.
Yehuda
Actually, it was the Maharash who said that.
lol
yee umm atcually the tzemach tzedek
Levi
To be fair, that quote is generally attributed to the Tzemach Tzedek who shared the Rebbe’s name. I imagine the article would have said Lubavitcher Rebbe if that’s really who he was referring to.
name
The tzemach tzedek’s name was menachem Mendel schneersohn!
CH.Info's Mistake
He said “Rabbi M. M. Schneerson” in the article. That IS the Tzemach Tzedek. CH.info’s mistake. They should edit the title.
what is this about?
What is he talking about? This article is poorly written- it’s in code. Must be generation X stuff. I was born in the 1970’s. We were taught to write clearly so that everyone could understand.