This is my first post here. I decided to share some of the knowledge I earned through making every mistake you can possibly make as a beginner in software development, I will try as much as I can to cover all a beginner should never try while learning how to code, and how to get over depression if you are already making those mistakes.
Never compare yourself with others: One big mistake developers do while learning how to code is comparing their self with other developers, and this is the beginning of depression while learning to code and believe me nobody should tell you he/she learned how to code in 3 months and got a job as a developer(AKA dream world), we all learn at a different speed, the best way to calculate your progress is looking back to a year ago or 3 months ago when you started coding and check how much you know then and now, trust me you will have the zeal to continue coding.
Learning without practice: Trust me no matter how many Utube videos, Udemy course you view without practicing and am not talking about taking notes I mean real practice on your pc solve real problems and not monkey see, monkey do, you really need to practice because it only when you practice you will know how much you don't know and how much you need to know.
Jumping from one tutorial to the other: Trust me this is what killed 99.99% of my time while learning to code, I can remember how I keep jumping from one Utube video to the other am not saying Utube videos are bad but I see youtube videos as a helper when your stuck on a paid course like Udemy courses(udemy.com) maybe you still don't have a better understanding of what the instructor is teaching, then Utube video is the best option or read the language documentation
thinking you need to know it all: An experienced developer then once told me, Ït not all about how much you know, but how much you can do with what you know, Here I will use redux as an example we all know to set up redux template is a pain and learning to set it up writing all the code will actually take time, in this case you don't need to learn how to set it up but how it works and how it should be used eg, what is a reducer, it is called reducer but it just a store were you store all your app local data, learn all it terminology, after learning and having a good understanding of how it works, create a redux template upload it to your Github or any were so whenever you are working on a big application you can just pull it, it will save you the time of creating a store every single time you work.
Stop Learning frameworks: Yeah you need to stop learning frameworks until your sure you have a core understanding of the language if you don't do this before learning frameworks trust me you will find it difficult later in the future.
Show off: it won't be funny based on horrible replies you would get when you post your work on social media for other developers to see but don't feel bad but take it as an opportunity to learn more and excel as a developer.
Always believe you can.
Top comments (18)
Well, these tips are all spot on. Welcome!
thanks, bro I wish I know some of these when I started my career as a developer
These are some great points that I also try to recommend to anyone starting out!
I cannot stress #2 more though. I struggled with that one personally when I started, I had this strange expectation on myself that if I wrote down notes and watched something I should just know it. What instead worked for me was not taking notes and repetition of working with the language or framework I was learning with some prior research into the documentation.
If I could add to #2 in anyway, it would be to go through the documentation before scouring courses or YouTube tutorials. Find out what, how, and why you're using it and maybe check out the API to get a grasp on what kind of patterns and syntax to expect.
Great first post and welcome to DEV! :D
Am happy I was able to put those together, I will be making a youtube channel soon and I need support from the community
Nice post. But concerning the tutorial video stuff, I usually find it easier to learn from multiple videos when I get stuck, because different tutors explain things differently.
that's my point it okay learning with different videos when you get stuck, but thinking you can start a career, beat the competition out there by just using youtube videos as a beginner is not a very good step to follow.
Hello Dev friend, when I'm learning some new stuff, I first buy 2 or 3 courses in Udemy , analyze them to put in better order to study, because making three ways, I can strong the basis, and learn different things of different instructors, and get different exercises too, and some cases like was with javascript I went to Wesbos website and did the 30 days javascript :) ... With .NET Core I went to MS websites too :) for me always has worked ...
Great post. As someone going through the same challenges, I completely agree with you tips.
Hmmm, now what was number 2 again...
nice
Can you not use gigantic font for your entire post please?
resolved
Thank you.
you're welcome
good stuff bro
Those were definitely good points. One of the key factors to learning is the ability to gain perspective. If this post is any judge of yours, I'd say your well on your way to your career.
Yeah those are my point of view based on my personal experience.
Thanks for the great advice!
Uwc john