Best advice I ever got: My advice to you too

When I first started in Web Development, I had no idea where I was headed. I had chosen a career that was quite unique to my surrounding and I didn't have people to learn directly from. It took me months to navigate through the web and have a descent learning plan. A learning plan that was custom and not overwhelming. During this time of researching and trying to get started, I stumbled onto communities that really inspired and helped me. I read books, blogs, took courses and joined a few groups.

Looking back now, a lot of people had a hand in the way I grew as a developer. I am still growing too. In this article I am going to share just share some of the best advice I ever received that has played a pivotal role in upbringing, learning and work.

Set reasonable goals.

It's is very tempting to set unreasonable goals for your learning, your projects or for your work. Give yourself enough time to breathe and enough time to find a balance your social and work life. Cut down your tasks into workable components.

Goals help you to work towards your dreams because dreams without goals will amount to nothing.

Be willing to learn from others.

Learning this was humbling. You can not learn everything alone. We all come from different walks of life, everyone has a story to tell and and something to share. If you can't go through it yourself, listen to those who have been there.

A wise person is born from listening and learning from others. Don't go in alone when you can get help.

Share the little you know.

One thing that held me back for so long is that I was convinced that I didn't know enough until someone told me that, "until you let it out there, you will never know if it can help someone." Don't be afraid to share what you know. Your take about everything is important and you never know who how many people actually relate to you unless you try.

You will always have something unique to share. Allow others to learn from you.

You are the master of your own ship.

Your life is your is yours and yours alone. Take responsibility for your decisions and everything you do. Own your learning and your growth. You need to be able to motivate and inspire yourself to keep on going when things are tough.

Don't be afraid to take charge of your story and for creating a new path for yourself and for others.

What is your why?

Understand your why. Why are you doing what you are doing? Understanding this will carry you through your journey because you will go through phases when you don't understand what you are doing. Your why will remind you why you started this in the first place. Have an ultimate goal and a deep understanding of where you want to end.

Have passion in what you do and understand where you are coming from because that will carry you through the tough times.

Run your own race.

Understand that you are different. The way you do your things will always be different from others. Understand your pace, accept it and appreciate it. This gave me peace because I was a slow learner. The key if to always have a positive mind and feel comfortable with who you are and how God created you.

Set your values and your principle. Live by them.

Work with what you have.

Don't wait to be somewhere in order to start doing something.

I was surprised to eventually realise that I had most of the resources I needed in me and around me which allowed me to get started. Look intently at what you have around you. It does not only have to be possessions, your surrounding but your personality too. Yes, your work will take you half way but your personality will also do a lot of the work as you are growing.

Build habits.

Be consistent in everything you do. Build a routine around you life and the things that are important to you. Start making small changes today. It's never too late to start doing the right things and the things that you want to do.

Habits are are just tiny actions that will eventually sum up to something great.

You will find people that will appreciate you.

Finding a job or the communities that you will fit in is very hard. The truth is, after a long search, you will find someone or a group of people that are going to appreciate your personality and your experience. They will invest in you, employ you and help you grow.

It's okay to be different and to do things differently. If you are not sure, try it and see the benefits that follow.

This was some of the advice I got that played an important role in my growth as a Front-End Developer. This is also now my general advise to you because I have lived through it and it works.

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