![]() ![]() It takes time and a lot of discipline, but it is possible. Learning to code (especially to the point where you can switch careers) is a lot of work. It’s common to give up right before change is about to happen. So you need to grow your developer toolkit and understand which tool makes sense for each problem that they encounter.Ģ6. There are so many different open source libraries, tools, and frameworks at your disposal. Programming is about using the right tool for the job. Too many people have the impression that you need to think like a computer. New technologies come out all the time, so the programmers that succeed are the ones who continue to learn and develop their craft on an ongoing basis.Ģ4. The most important thing is understanding that you can figure out the stuff that you don’t know.Ģ3. ![]() Try to remember that it’s normal to not know everything. You’re never going to feel like you’re ready to program full time. An easier way to think about this is the strategy that you would take to find one specific name in a phonebook.Ģ2. Algorithms are a step-by-step approach where there is exactly one correct next step. An algorithm is like finding a name in a phonebook. In the process, I learned the most important lesson of my programming career.Ģ1. I once made a mistake that cost my company $10,000 dollars. ![]() And when it happens, it’s really freakin’ cool.Ģ0. You’re going to wake up in the morning thinking about code. This takes far less time than 10,000 hours.ġ9. In reality, you need to be good enough to know how to self correct and get back on track when problems arise. It doesn’t take 10,000 hours to be good enough to land a job. Nobody expects you to know everything right away.ġ8. When you land your first programming job, you might be inclined to “fake it till you make it.” Don’t. So when I realized that I could sneak a feature in before a teammate so that he/she had to deal with these instead of me, I was super excited.ġ7. ![]() Avoiding merge conflicts makes you happier. But once I did, I realized that there were a ton of developers just like me.ġ6. In the beginning, it was pretty intimidating to get myself to the point where I felt comfortable attending these. I never would have arrived where I’m at if I hadn’t stepped back and admired the awesome things I was building along the way.ġ5. If you’re not a “math person,” that doesn’t mean that you can’t be a programmer.ġ4. It makes you think about problems in a holistic way.ġ3. When you go through this process, you’ll often come across a solution without ever asking for help. Explain why you think it should be working differently.Explain exactly what is actually happening.Explain exactly what you think should be happening.And when you do, make sure that you do these 4 things: Everybody needs to ask for help at some point. You’re not writing a book that can’t be changed once it’s published.ġ2. But making improvements to your code is normal. I used to think that every piece of code I wrote needed to be perfect. Changing bad code is part of the process. There is no faster way to learn how to code.ġ1. Computers are so complex and there is so much to learn, and you’re never going to understand everything. In the beginning, I tried to chase down the “why” to every problem I encountered. Trying to understand everything is a lost cause. It took me a while to get used to noticing subtle differences between similar symbols, and it can be pretty frustrating until you get used to it.ĩ. There’s a BIG difference between a capital letter and a lowercase letter. The computer that you own right now is probably good enough to use to start programming. Contrary to what Hollywood might tell you, you don’t need an insane external monitor setup to be a programmer. When screwing up is such an integral part of the process, you need to be ok with making mistakes in order to grow.ħ. You’re going to see error messages on your journey to becoming a programmer. Talking about code and collaborating with other aspiring developers is a better way to learn for most people.Ħ. ![]()
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