In our industry, it is said that programmers are usually not fired for lack of knowledge, but an inappropriate attitude. Programming is not rocket science. Anyone capable of learning can learn it. It is logical, however, that to be good at something you need to spend a lot of time on it. It’s hard to devote it to what you don’t like. The IT industry is a particularly fast-growing industry and the only certain constant is change. As a future programmer, you should be prepared for the fact that you will have to train throughout your career. Not only to be better and earn more. Also, to stay afloat on the market. Relying on a strictly reduced skill repertoire may give you employment until retirement, but it doesn’t have to. Constantly learning is the key.
Always-learning mentality
“The only way to learn a new programming language
is by writing programs in it.”
Dennis Ritchie
However, there is nothing to be afraid of. It is undoubtedly the industry of the present if I do not know what future. According to research, programming is characterized by a very high coefficient of resistance to displacement by robots.
There will be still a shortage of good IT specialists on the market for many years to come. We have very high scalability of wages. You can earn a relatively large amount in a relatively short time. Besides, working from anywhere on earth, very often in a task system – setting the working time and its hours by yourself. It is an industry where everything depends on you and your diligence.
As a beginner in the work environment, you can count on a reduced rate for your skills. In this industry, everyone knows that they know nothing. Even seniors and architects are not required to know everything. Everyone in this industry makes mistakes. Many of these mistakes are made every day. Something that can be considered a mistake in one company will not be a mistake in another. So don’t worry, just roll up your sleeves and go to work. To want is to be able learning anything.
Now let’s get down to business:
Perfectionism stops from learning
One of the most common advice programmers would give themselves if they could go back to their past is not to put their development aside for later. Especially because “we are missing something”. Conviction that you need one more tutorial. One more book, so as not to be ashamed of the code that you will eventually write, really distract you from your goal. As a beginner (and not only) programmer, you should focus primarily on the action.
The key is to solve problems
The most important aspect of being a (good) developer is problem-solving and learning quickly. Writing drafts is one of the best forms of glove-making in this regard. If not the best. When writing projects, you should focus on solving problems in the first place. Taking up the challenges posed by the project. Striving for something to work, no matter by what means. Don’t worry about what the code is. In the future, when you learn more, you will be able to come back to it and correct it or write another better one. Instead of writing nothing at all, focus on creating a so-called prototype. MVP.
“Programming isn’t about what you know;
it’s about what you can figure out.”
Chris Pine
Favour learning by doing over theory
As long as you develop, you understand more and more. You can make things work. As long as you get even small projects to the end, or to some stage that can be introduced, your code is totally OK. Don’t let yourself think that it could be otherwise. There is a lot of theory in programming, just as you can find it in swimming. It’s good to know how to lie down on the water and wave your arms. However, without getting into the water you will not learn to swim. You can always do something different in this profession. You can always do better, but let’s not get paralyzed. Believe me, you know much more than you think (as long as you can google it). All you need to become a good programmer is persistence in action.
The approach to emerging problems
Every problem that comes your way, every moment when you don’t know how to do something is a moment when you feel you need to think or google it; you should greet with joy. It is often easier to write than to do, but this is our reality. In this profession, new things will appear at every step. Problems and moments in which you stand and do not know what to do are everyday life. Getting used to it as soon as possible will save you a lot of nerves and make you overcome these problems faster. Emotional control often comes with time.
Standstill is something to pray
One of the facts that changed my attitude to problem-solving is that the problem that arises, the standstill is the moment when I learn the most. It tells me what I really need to learn at any given moment in terms of programming, but also what I should be working through in terms of emotional control. Frustration, anger when something does not work is largely natural, but the appropriate part of it has been programmed for us over the years. You’ve probably met people who like to fix things. When something does not work, they do not panic, it is an opportunity for them to prove themselves. Individual responses are largely a matter of mental habits. We see that something is not working, we react like this because we were once instilled with such an association. Fortunately, these types of habits can be changed.
Timing in learning is crucial
Another piece of advice that programmers keep repeating is to learn the right things at the right time. Don’t learn everything in advance. Because most of this knowledge may never be of use to you. Of course, there are timeless things, some basics, even common to all programming languages. We will go to them and how to learn them later. Coming back to the topic, how do you know what to learn at a given stage? What would be appropriate at the moment? Just what you need to solve the problem posed by your project. The problems you face in the implementation of real projects are like signposts on the path of your development. Just-in-time-learning is the essence of a programmer’s job.
Summary
Our soft skills are essential throughout our career. How we can motivate ourselves and others. How we can find ourselves in new situations. Stress resistance, leadership and much more. At the beginning of our adventure, it is crucial for us to act and not to judge our performance. Every master in a given field had to start with something. As long as you don’t give up and pursue your goals, as long as you are the winner!
If you want to find out about 3 actions to take to become a programmer faster check this article which will be published soon.
Senior Software Engineer with over 7 years of experience and entrepreneurial background. Most often, apart from delivering good quality code on time, responsible for introducing good practices, teaching programmers and building team bonds andestablishing communication on the line of development-management. Privately Kākāpō and Wombat enthusiast, traveler and retired acrobat.