Asides from luck, chance and habits are other determinants that separate a successful person and a non-successful one. As important as luck is, some form of habits must have been formed to take that lucky person to that stage of preparedness for the situation in question. Same as in programming. Being lucky is almost not a thing, as it's not enough to hold you up there when it matters most.
In programming, you don't count on luck to be successful or better at it, you count on the knowledge you've gathered over time. And this knowledge isn't just woken up to in a day, it's a lifetime of work, studying, coding, reading documentation etc. These aren't things you can buy with money, you invest your time in them, to get better at them. Programming is a journey, and it's almost a lifetime for most programmers I know.
Programmers are lifetime learners. If you check my Twitter, it's stated there; I am a perpetual learner. Programmers never stop learning, because like the proverb says "you die when you stop learning", so we are lifetime students, and we have too much to learn because programming languages evolve, the same as technology. Friends, let's talk about some of the habits that will help you grow exponentially as a developer.
NOTE: I will be using the word programmer interchangeably with the developer. That's who we are.
MAP OUT A TIMETABLE: Like in school, timetables are important to us as developers, or else we will be lost in the moment. Timetables help us know when we are getting on our computers for serious work, how long we are learning/working for and what we will be working on. Draw out a timetable for yourself if you are learning a programming language. That as a first step helps you set things in motion, it helps you structure out what you will be learning, and how you will be learning these things. The most important item on your timetable is the number of hours you will be spending every day learning that language. Once you have these things mapped out, ensure you follow through on them day by day, and you will see how much better you have attained in a short time.
MAKE MISTAKES AND LET YOUR EXPERIENCES BE FROM YOUR MISTAKES: Mistakes are a part of life, and having to learn from one's mistakes is a gift. As they say, experience is the best teacher. This saying is true because life reminds you not to take the same approach you took when you tried it the first time and failed. Learning from experiences stick in our brain, and it helps us to devise a better way to approach our endeavor. You only learn the difference between a controlled form and an uncontrolled form after you try working on both.
BE CONSISTENT: Being consistent does a lot to you, the most important being how it increases your learning trajectory. This is the most important outline in this article, as it does so much for you. When you're consistent, it helps you write better codes, helps you learn a lot in a shorter time, and helps you appreciate how much you have learned and how much more you still have to learn. If this is the only outline you pick out of all the outlines, it's enough because, in a very short time, the quantum progression you would have made would exceed your expectations. This is the magic in the mix that makes the best developers who and what they are. I can bet it is the secret of most senior developers.
HAVE A MENTOR: Programming is a difficult job, except if someone else is lying to you; it is. I can't remember the number of times I got stuck while working on a project, because I didn't know what else to do. This is one of the times when having a mentor comes in handy. A mentor not only helps you when you get stuck in code, but they also help you may with a strategy to achieve in a shorter time. They have once been where you are, and now they are a lot better, so it's easier for them to understand your pain and the guide to help you sail through.
WORK ON PROJECTS: This is a no-brainer. You don't get better at programming just by learning, watching tutorials or reading books and documentation, you get better by getting your hands dirty on projects. Project-based learning is an important key. Projects mostly differ in scope, and by working on different projects, you get to learn different techniques and approaches to a difficulty. Also, choose projects based on your proficiency level, not projects that are out of your league. The best way to learn through projects, is by advancing on the difficulty level of the projects, usually from beginners => to intermediate => to advanced.
DON'T BE A JACK OF ALL TRADES: Being a Jack of all trades doesn't work in programming. Programming as a career is not an easy one. Programming languages evolve from time to time. Frameworks change from time to time as well. So tell me, how do you intend to learn it all, seeing how wide programming is and can be. Choose a path, and follow the roadmap on that pathway. One very big mistake I made earlier on was gunning to be a Fullstack developer in a short time(I've corrected my mistake anyway). I call it a mistake because there was so much to learn while on my Frontend journey, and then I went on to learn Backend in a very short time. I realized I seemed to like Backend more, but most opportunities I have gotten so far were from frontend. I do not have regrets about being a Fullstack, I just feel I could have spent that time getting much better in frontend. So, choose a path and stick to it. After learning Backend, I wanted to move on to learning Mobile App Development, but then I had to slap myself back to reality. Don't be like me in the early stages. Choose a path, and hone your skill to become the best in that field.
REST! REST!! REST!!!: After learning and working so much time, always take time to rest. Burnout is real, and it can do more harm to you than you would ever think. Try to take breaks in intervals while learning, so your brain doesn't get saturated. Resting helps your brain to relax, and then take in more afterward.
Follow me and like this article if you think it was helpful; it would encourage me to write more like this. Also, you can read my other articles, I trust that they would add more to your knowledge.
Have a nice day friends.
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