Discussion on: Is it just me or...

Hi,
It's always interesting hearing from those entering the trade.

I've been coding in JavaScript for many years.
I've coded in other languages but JS is my favorite, for it's the most flexible and unopinionated.

Here are some tips for those new on the scene...

• don't (let yourself) be overwhelmed by the details; the hardest thing to do is read (mentally decode) somebody else's code. So realize it's normal not to enjoy that :)

• make sure you like this type of work; the frustration and tediousness is part of the process of solving problems.

• finding solutions can take many session or days. Give yourself time to "sleep on it". The answers come in time.

• the learning never ends

• always try to be thinking of the big picture; think in terms of larger systems; spend alot of time diagramming things out; figure out where the nodes and relationships of the system are.

• spend more time documenting your code in natural language; very few developers do this but it truly is an art; and you only get better at it with practice.

• always be open to alternative and maverick ideas (I have lots of them myself :)

• there are always two or more ways to solve a problem. Create a weighted pros and cons list to help you objectively decide the best path to take

• always deploy your code somewhere; Become the master deployer; three-quarters of coding is DevOps and configuration