Based on the posts of Ted Hagos and Sergio Tapai I wanted to share my two cents (literally) on the topic. There are a lot of small little things that can help you get further. Instead of a long 143 items list with small things I wanted to point out two general principles I apply every single day, even outside of coding.
1. Find a balance.
You won't learn how to code by just reading books and watching courses. With actually writing and putting it into practice comes extra obstacles you can solve. These can help you in future similar situations. The opposite is also true, building things is great but always question your own workflow and see if there are any other ways (Shoshin) for solving the same problem.
2. Don't ride the bandwagon.
Learn the fundamentals first. HTML, CSS and JavaScript aren't going away any time soon. That doesn't mean learning frameworks and libraries is a bad thing but dive into one to broaden your skill set and if it seems relevant to you, not because it's what all the job listings tell you.
On a last note, I highly recommend you watch this video about 'The Gap' by Ira Glass. It fundamentally changed the way I look at other people that try to code for the first time.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on @dandevri and feel free to reach out to me if you have something to say!
Top comments (5)
Most importantly: ask questions.
Within your team, within your company, everywhere you get a chance. I cannot count how many problems stemmed from mine and other people's assumptions, miscommunication or avoidance of appearing to be dumb or incapable.
If anyone feels they'd hurt their career or relationships with management and peers by doing so, then that sounds like quite a hostile place to work at. My advice would be to get a mentor outside of that company, or, better yet, find another company to work for.
Solid advice Danny! The bandwagon thing is a big one for me. Learn the basics and expand as necessary.
Thanks Ben!
Pretty short article...
I recently wrote an article with a bit of my own advice
My Advice to Beginner Devs
Brian Emilius ・ Aug 3 ・ 3 min read