Having recently had a break from my university work, I've been beginning to put more effect into progressing my knowledge and skills within Technology and Software Development, to help prepare me for my upcoming Internship and Employment after University.
In just the few weeks that I have been attempting to grow my skills, I've noticed development opportunities that I've been missing out on, by not properly applying myself to other work throughout my studies.
Throughout University, I tend to focus most of my time on my studies, completing coursework or learning new modules, however I've noticed there's so much more that I could be doing to improve my skills that I've been missing out on.
Some of the key material that I've recently found, having spent the time at trying to improve my Software Development skills as a whole can be described below :
Tech News :
I've realized that keeping up with Tech News is not only very important but very interesting as well. I've always felt that I kept up with the news here and there, with new information on AI or what Tesla or other companies are doing, however I realized that I never kept up with the news in the key area that I am focused in (Software Engineering and Web Development).
Although feeling like I was keeping up with the news, I realized that the news in the area that I cared the most about wouldn't appear largely within the general media, as knowing about new React updates or etc isn't wanted by as many people. However, having now started keeping up to date, reading such articles from Medium and TLDR, I've felt like I learnt so much more about the languages that I am using, much more than what a Tutorial on YouTube could give you.
In starting an Internship soon, I realized I'm having to c*atch up with the newest features* and uses of React as most likely this is what's going to be used. Previously, I felt I had good React and JavaScript skills however, having started to read more news about React, I realized that most of the skills I've learnt are from Tutorials more than 2 years ago and may not be used anymore.
Additionally, though, learning about these new developments in languages and tools that I care about have helped inspire me to continue researching and learning about the new features that I can implement that previously I wouldn't be able to. I feel like it has inspired me to be more passionate and excited about developing and making new projects rather than just reusing the technologies that I'd already learnt.
Overall, initially, starting to keep up to date with the news was a bit intimidating, as there were new features and new terms that I hadn't seen before. However, having done some research and learnt more about them, I feel inspired to continue learning and feel more confident about the abilities that I have than before.
YouTube Content :
Additionally, I have started to watch and keep up to date with a lot more Software Development and Technology Focused YouTube channels. Instead of watching TikTok or any generic YouTube video that I previously watched, I've been beginning to watch videos focused more on Coding and Technology and didn't realize how much I'd learn and be inspired from the videos I'd watched.
One particular video comes to mind, Are Junior Devs Screwed, which I initially thought would be another video talking about the lack of jobs and how hard it is to find a job currently within the market. However, having watched the video, I ended up feeling inspired and have a whole new view about how I can improve as a Software Dev than I previously would have known, some of which can be seen below :
Don't just ask AI to solve your problems
- As a dev, I previously aimed to use very little AI for coding, as I always felt it was better to learn it myself. However, throughout the years, I've began using AI more and more, especially when solving errors. This video really helped my issue, as sometimes I would just ask AI to solve an error for me, and instead makes me look forward to the next error I face so I can solve it myself
Building Trust is very important for Software Devs
- Previously, I would always make my Github commits and post my projects to Github as I thought that was best to do. However, this video helped me see that nowadays, especially with more and more AI being used for Github projects, trusting someones Github commits isn't always enough to get you a job anymore. It taught me that I need to be much more involved with the community (hence why I am writing this post) and be more involved within the community I care about, instead of making projects here and there and hoping that'll be enough for a job
Asking the Right Questions are Essential
- Another part explained about how to ask questions to others, especially to get the outcome you want. It helped me see that, when asking questions, you need to make it as easy as possible for others to reply or to help you, rather than making it a mission for anyone to respond to it. Especially starting an internship soon, it helped me see that, when asking questions, you need the answer to be as easy as possible but still in a way that will help you improve and learn in the topic ; instead of asking someone to explain a misunderstanding you have, ask for resources to learn more so you no longer misunderstand. Additionally, it explained that, especially when working within an area that you're passionate about, questions can be a great way to stand out as you'll be passionate and thoughtful about the questions your asking
Overall, this video helped give me so many ideas about how I can improve and not only improve my skills more as a Software Dev but also about building trust within the community, something that previously I didn't know was important. It helped inspire me to be more active and to contribute more within the Software Dev community, rather than making my own projects in the shadows.
To conclude this article, I realized that, throughout the University year, you can get so distracted with coursework or exams that you forget some of the other, very important, things that you would need to do, to help develop your skills and learn more about the industry you're passionate about. I'm hoping to apply these ideas that I've learnt to hopefully improve myself and my skills, in hopes of securing my first developer job after graduation.
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