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Discussion on: Do I need to code in my free time to be a good developer?

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damiensawyer profile image
damiensawyer • Edited

Thanks for the article.
I've been coding professionally for nearly 25 years. I started learning 10+ years before that.
Every "great" coder I've ever worked with or encountered in the industry has coded out of hours.
Plenty of people play the piano, but do you think that the true greats only do it 9 to 5? Why would it be any different with the craft of software engineering? Work hours will take you so far. Weekends will take you further.
So, how far do you want to go?

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chechenev profile image
Maxim Chechenev

That’s true, sure.

Of course, coding outside of working hours can take you further, but you really should want to do it - to spend your time to be a better developer. And it’s absolutely fine, my point is that you decide what to do - go deeper because you really love it (and then, perhaps, achieve results a bit faster) or just learn it with a different pace and different environment.

I also think that learning abilities depend a lot on personality - if working hours are enough for studying then it’s great.