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Daniel Woolfson
Daniel Woolfson

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A Developer’s Eye View - Decoding a Learning Journey

Hello! I help Technical Professionals understand their next steps in their learning journey, often referred to as “a career in Software Development”.

I am intending to write about how it feels to be a Software Developer at different stages of their career.

If this is successful and we find reader interest, I could move on to writing this from the perspective of a Development Manager and other roles within a Development organisation i.e. a Software Tester, UX Designer and Project Manager. It may be interesting for you to see what it is like to be part of developing software from other points of view too.

I have helped many Developers launch their careers and I have been involved in many conversations to help them in their search for a role, approach to their first day and establish themselves with their team.

I have a strong base as a Software Developer, Development Manager and now a Technical Resource Manager within the Software Industry – which uniquely qualifies me in only one respect – I have been there too. I have realised that my personal learning journey has led me to know a lot about how people learn, how software is developed and how to find a role and employer that suits you.

For instance, I have observed that Software Developers often speak about:

  • What they do not know
  • How much they have to learn
  • How their tech is becoming “obsolete”
  • They wish to be like a certain thought leader but see the gap as "very large"

As they start to gain experience of people, technology and organisational culture they tend to move towards realising:

  • My current knowledge is the base for my next realisation
  • Learning takes time, choosing a path will be my guide
  • Tools are transient, knowledge is incremental
  • A thought leader is someone that shares their learning journey with others

Everyone is a function of their unique knowledge, experience and personality. I believe that if this could be codified – this would enable us to refactor approach and gain the personal optimisation we seek.

Please feedback on if you have shared a similar experience. So let’s see where this journey takes us!

Top comments (2)

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dantonelli profile image
Derya A. Antonelli

I am looking forward to the next articles, especially for developers who are at the beginning of their career path. I also agree with the fact that tools are just a means, and one of the key factors to use this means is learning. To motivate into ourselves for learning, we should decide our path first, which is quite difficult for those who are new in developing.

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imranh27 profile image
imranh27

Looking forward to this series!