What are three pieces of advice that you would give someone who’s just beginning their journey with software development today?
Smiles, writing this article gladdens my heart as I can share some struggles I had starting this development journey.
Learn the basics
By basics, I mean build your foundation, it is imperative as everything you will learn afterwards depends on this.
It can never be over-emphasized that learning is a vital ingredient in the journey of becoming a software developer.
I started out jumping right onto building applications without understanding the framework I chose to work with. It was difficult for me as I had little to no understanding of some frameworks or even the language I was working with despite studying computer science at the university.
However, I know that studying computer science in university doesn’t necessarily make you a programmer.
Things got better for me when I decided to take a step back, to self educate myself on the principles of programming, things got much better when I joined an online school for developers (Microverse). Besides, I have become a better programmer, I can confidently read software documentations to get a perfect understanding of a topic. It’s being a smooth ride all the way.
Be confident
It is a normal thing not to be too sure of yourself especially when you’re just starting a new career path much worse if it’s a burning desire inside of you. I had so much desire in me when I started, I still do. Then, I wanted to learn and know everything. This slowed me down, as I was not focused on achieving one goal at a time. However, there were several times, I lost confidence in myself and the journey. Eventually, I scaled through by listening to other developers experience, working and learning from them as well as doing a lot of self-development.
I like learning, surrounding myself with experienced developers, and enjoy problem-solving.
Take Up Challenges
Don’t be the guy in the last row using someone as a shield. This attitude will not help you discover yourself in problem-solving, run towards challenges and solve complex problems. The more you solve, the more you will learn.
Attend webinars, join a group of developer slack channels, connect with fellow developers from who you can learn.
As they say, programming is a skill best acquired by practice and examples rather than books
