When someone asks me what the best thing about being a developer is, my answer is always the same:
It's an endless game of learning.
And most people either think it's a joke or think I'm crazy. But I'm not.
This is why I got into development. The ever-changing ecosystem and upcoming frameworks fuel my endless need to learn and grow.
Never stop learning
Never stop learning comes to mind when thinking about what it means to be a good developer.
And I would say this should be the fact for every single one of us.
There is always something to learn, something that changed, or something you could improve on.
It also means we are never at 100%, making the hunt to become your best self even more fun.
Once upon a time...
There was a raging evil called 'imposter syndrome'.
Note: Don't worry. Imposter syndrome happens to all of us.
Let's paint a scene for a second.
You are a legendary Angular developer, but your company has a massive product that runs on Angular 10, so it's what you dream, breathe, and code like a legend.
You might be the best in the world when it comes to being an Angular 10 developer!
At one stage, the business might finally decide to switch, and they make a drastic decision to move everything over to Vue.
You've seen Vue, you know the basics, but the intern sitting next to you seems to be doing a better job than what you used to do π€―.
However, a good developer will put this feeling aside and take this as a learning opportunity.
Dive into Vue, master that, and you'll be back to your old self.
Why?
Because good developers have a knack for learning, absorbing, and mastering things.
How to keep up?
Keeping up is not easy, I can tell you that.
It also depends on your goals, where you are, and more.
The main advice:
Take small steps!
Some might think I do a lot, but I only learn a tiny amount, but I do this every day.
So over time, I'm soaking up massive amounts of data.
If you try to master React in a week, I'm sure you'll be burned out within three days. It's just not feasible.
And sorry to break it to you, there are no shortcuts.
Also, depending on your preference, you can decide on taking a reading learning approach or the practical approach.
I love a more practical approach, as seeing stuff happening makes things more straightforward.
But if books work for you, there is nothing wrong with that.
Another tip that can help you is documenting your journey. This doesn't mean writing in public. It can even be a notebook you keep next to your computer.
The main thing is, you can use this as a reference and see how much you've grown.
Concepts that once looked impossible to grasp are now as easy as changing a lightbulb.
These moments will make you realize you've grown so much!
What to learn
This is, of course, very personal, and nobody except you can answer this.
However, people can help inspire and encourage you.
It all comes down to knowing what you already got, at what level, and moving forward.
I often look at my current stack and decide if I can explain a concept to someone.
If the answer is no, I'll revisit the basics of that.
If yes, I can see the next best thing and go from there.
By taking this approach, you make sure your basis is strong and will never fail you.
Conclusion
Never stop learning!
There is always something we can improve on, learn more about, or even something new we could pick up.
That's what it means to be a developer.
And that's why I fell in love with being one.
How do you keep up with learning?
Thank you for reading, and let's connect!
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Top comments (31)
Thanks for the article.
A couple of strategies I use for deciding what to learn are market trends, and what I like.
As I get closer to "retirement" age, I will not top working, but want to do more things that I enjoy. That is why I am diving into Apple development, learning X-Code, Swift, SwiftUI, etc. I believe Apple will be around for a while, and I can leverage this and learn something fun at the same time.
To understand the market, look at sites that try to give an idea of where software development is moving. For example: Stack Overflow 2021 Developer Survey
I think though the main idea is to learn things that you are passionate about, that motivate you to learn, and that you can use in ways that inspire you!
Great point Paul.
I agree with the point you make about doing what you love.
Life is only so short, no time to do stuff that we don't like.
It's also not about picking the "most popular" thing if you don't enjoy that.
There will always be a need for the things you love, especially if you are super passionate about those.
Interesting reflexion. I have a 2 hours slot every week for learning about new things. From my experience as you also mention, this tiny slot works better than trying to put a tons of hours every day!
Some weeks I need to add extra time, but other I just watch a video or listen a podcast that is enough to get something new
That's a great approach Juan.
And by taking this short time frame we drastically improve over time. (Compound learning)
I didn't know the term. Good to know!
Love the article!
Though I cannot speak from a perspective of a Dev. As a student, I love learning new things, not only in the field of Computer Science but anything in general, especially things that fascinates me, such as psychology, Business, etc.
Though I definitely agree, that one must be up to date with Technology, don't restrict yourself to it, there's a ocean of information out there, it wouldn't hurt exposing yourself to it (even if it's the basics).
Also definitely agreeing with the take it in small steps, most of the time I personally stop learning something is because I try to take too much in a small time, small parts a day goes a long way.
100% There is something about breaking it down in small steps that makes it maintainable and not overwhelming.
And in the end you actually grow more. π
Great post π we all have the impostor syndrome π and it's awefullπ
It is!
Acknowledging it is a big step to overcome/work with it.
No. No we don't.
I meant all of us had or will have it sometime in our life as a programmer π
Again, no, we don't.
The best feeling as a developer is when you learn something new and realise how badly you coded before. :)
Growth is always a great feeling π
Thank you for your post!! My English very bad, but I read it very easy, thanks
I am freelancer and last month I feel imposter syndrome, so I think your post help me) I should learn more about my stack
Hi Alex,
Thanks for taking the time to respond, appreciate it.
Awesome enjoy your journey as a freelancer and let me know if you ever need anything.
I read
Thanks a lot :)
Thanks for the support π
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Thanks for the support Saf π
Thank you for your advice. I will try follow your advice in my web development journey. π