5 Non-Coding Bits of Advice I Wish Someone Told Me as a Beginner Programmer
Things that should make your path to programming easier today
There are some things I wish somebody told me when I started learning to program. They would have made my journey easier and smoother.
I did not have anyone to tell me those things, so I want to be that somebody for you. I want to make your programming path less difficult.
Without further ado, let’s see what those are!
1. Be an Active Learner
There are two types of learning, and they differ greatly in effectiveness. The two types of learning are:
- Active learning
- Passive learning
An example of active learning would be building applications yourself, and an example of passive learning would be watching tutorials.
However, active learning is more powerful than passive learning. Programming is a practical skill and you learn practical skills best by practising. Not surprising, right?
Thus, when you write code yourself and build applications, you learn more than watching others build code in tutorials. I would say building one application by yourself teaches you more than watching ten tutorials.
The morale is to be an active learner. Get your hands dirty, and build applications. Break code. Tinker with code. The more you do it, the better you learn.
2. You’ll Never Know Everything
In tech, you will never know everything. That’s a fact.
There are too many tools, technologies, and frameworks to know them all. But the best thing is that you do not even have to know them all.
Pick an area and focus on that area. Once you picked your area, pick your tools and focus on them.
Of course, that does not mean ignoring new stuff altogether. If something new comes out and it improves your life significantly, go for it. The idea is not to run after every new technology released.
If you try to learn everything there is in tech, you will only put stress on yourself. You will always be running after the next shiny thing, and you’ll never reach the finish line.
The morale is to focus on your area and a handful of tools.
3. Network and Meet People
Networking and meeting people are of the utmost importance — even if you are an introvert.
There is a saying that goes “you can be the best if nobody knows about you.” In addition, there is another saying which says something along the lines of “your network is your net worth.”
Shall I continue? By this point, I believe you get the idea!
However, networking and meeting people does not mean making friends with the sole purpose of benefiting from them. That would be rather counterintuitive for you and your career.
Make friends, help, help, help, help, and then only ask. Networking is about giving.
The morale is to seek genuine friendships and the rest will fall in place.
4. Do Not Put Yourself Down
“I am not made for this.”
“I am not smart enough to become a programmer.”
“This stuff is for smart people, not for me.”
I told a variation of these statements to myself as well. I bet I am not the only one who put himself down. There are many people out there that think programming is not for them.
However, that is false. Software development can be difficult on its own, let alone when you put yourself down.
The morale is not to put yourself down. Know that everyone struggles with programming, more or less.
5. Join an Existing Community
One of the best things you can do is to join an existing community of programmers. The path to software development is more enjoyable when you share it with others.
You can share the struggles and the wins with fellow programmers, which will make the process more enjoyable. Also, you are less likely to give up when there are people to support you.
Moreover, you can also support and help other people in turn. Joining and being part of a community is not a one-way street. You can receive and give support.
The morale is to join an existing community because learning with others is more enjoyable.
Conclusion
These are the things I wish somebody told me when I started to learn how to code.
Do not forget:
- to be an active learner — tinker with code rather than watch others write code
- that you’ll never know everything — focus on your area and tools
- network and make friends — seek genuine friendships rather than looking to benefit from people
- don’t put yourself down — know that everyone struggles with programming more or less
- join a community — learning is more enjoyable when you share it with others
I hope they help you!
