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πŸ§‘β€πŸŽ¨Β It’s Time to Stop Consuming and Start Creating

Cherlock Code πŸ”Ž on October 05, 2023

A quick guide for when to study and when to build. We’re all consumers. Consumers of products, consumers of services, and probably m...
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wraith profile image
Jake Lundberg • Edited

Great post! This is a very common problem, especially with younger (in experience, not age) developers. If I may add a few little tidbits that I've seen really help with this:

  • As the OP mentioned, start with an MVP. But I see a lot of people fall into the trap of "I'll just add one extra thing". Do this half a dozen times and you've lost the spirit of the MVP. To help with this, write down exactly what the MVP will include before you start working. Once you've settled on that list, stick to it. If you have new ideas as you continue, that's awesome! write them down or add them as issues to your repo for a later iteration (never waste an idea!). By doing this up front, you have given yourself a clear target to shoot for. You know when you're done.

  • Only ever do 1 tutorial or video for a topic. After that, force yourself to rely on the documentation. This works great for me, and I have shared this with juniors I've worked with, and they've said it really helped them too. There is nothing wrong with doing a tutorial, or watching a video on a topic. It really helps to familiarize yourself with high level verbiage, concepts, and nuances of the tech. But after that, force yourself to get used to looking through documentation. This is where you will find quicker answers (rather than trying to remember what video or where in that 4 hours course you heard about that 1 thing), and deeper understanding of the tech.

  • If you find that you never finish the projects you start, fear not...you are not alone. There are many reasons why this might be, but let me share a few tips that have helped me and other I've shared them with:

    • Make the project personal. If you're a big sports fan, figure out a way to fit sports into the project. Theme it around your favorite team. Maybe think of a way to implement the rules of the game into your project! Maybe you like Pokemon. Find a way to use the Pokemon API in some way, or theme the whole thing around your favorite pokemon type! I personally love gamification and easter eggs, so I find ways to add these elements in many projects I work on, and it really keeps me interested (and often sparks tons of ideas!)
    • Make it small. If the project is purely for learning, and you don't intend to build out a massive application that will be shared the world over, keep it small. This is where the MVP idea above will really help you. Learn what you intended to, and move on. No need to force yourself to work on a project that has outlived its purpose. Keep it small, learn what you intended to, finish it quickly and move to the next thing!
    • Keep a mindset of iteration. You don't have to completely start and finish 1 project before you can start the next. Let your motivation and interests guide you. Getting bordered working on a particular project? Move to something else for a week or 2, come back to it later. For example, right now I have 5 different personal projects I'm working on, and any given day I work on the one that interests me at that moment.

Thanks for your article! I hope to read more soon!

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evergrowingdev profile image
Cherlock Code πŸ”Ž

Thanks for your detailed response, you've added many useful tips.
One of my favourites was around keeping projects small. I think sometimes when learners take on projects that are too big, it's very easy to get overwhelmed, get stuck on something and then quit. Keeping it small so that the task can be completed will drive confidence and motivation.
Cheers for this!

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maryluzmeva

Agreed! Is very important to make every project, ours, that people see like our style, etc. Also, that helps to not be bored or overwhelmed. I like these tips too.

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maryluzmeva

Amazing post! And direct to one of the biggest problems for self-taught, you think you are never ready or have not been enough. But in a world that is in constant change, you will never know anything. The better practice is working, making a team in a workspace, and learning from others.

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evergrowingdev profile image
Cherlock Code πŸ”Ž

Thank you 😊 and yes that's exactly right!

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pavelee profile image
PaweΕ‚ Ciosek

Great post! πŸ‘ Could you share some community channels? πŸ™

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evergrowingdev profile image
Cherlock Code πŸ”Ž

Thanks 😊 For communities I think being here on Dev.to is a great place to start because there are so many people and conversations to get involved in where you can talk to like-minded individuals. I would also recommend the freeCodeCamp community and Stack Overflow (for more technical support) and even Reddit can be a great place to engage and get support.
Hope that helps πŸ™

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Kevin Mutwiri Mwenda

Amazing post. I am pivoting to start creating and this post was of immense value to me. Thank you

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evergrowingdev profile image
Cherlock Code πŸ”Ž

Thank you, I'm glad to hear this 😊

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arisdelacruz

I love this entry. Such an eye-opener. Thanks.

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evergrowingdev profile image
Cherlock Code πŸ”Ž

Thank you, I wish you all the best 😊

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VanTiennn

That correct, i did as you say, when i am a student at university, i build 2 personal projects, but i feel alone, because nobody in my class did what i did, they usually following the course at university and it is very boring and not valuable, when i am a 3 years student i got a jobs and did not have much difficult to adap with real work. when i read your article, i rethinking about the time in college, i am did not know this tips, but lucky i am do right way :v, when i read the title of your article, i am thinking about you say about become a creator like blogger or something like that :v