DEV Community: Mina Oh

Advantages of Knowing Multiple Programming Languages

Mina Oh — Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This article is originally posted on my blog — 🔗minaopada.com. Read it on the site by clicking here.

Are you a jack of all trades, but a master of none? Do you jump from one programming language to another? That's not necessarily a bad thing.

One of the most common pieces of advice for success in programming is to focus on one language, that is, one set of complementary technologies.

For example, the knowledge and mastery of the Tech Stack below should be mutually exclusive.

Stack 1 : HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node JS
Stack 2 : HTML, CSS, React, PHP, Laravel
Stack 3 : HTML, CSS, JSP, JavaEE, Spring, Hibernate

I do agree with it, so much so that I was concerned with my trajectory. There is merit to this level of concentration: you will gain mastery of the language. However, there are also benefits to defying this advice.

I use at least three programming languages in a week for different projects. As a jack of all trades, master of a few 🦄, I saw the value of being a generalist and how to use it to my advantage.

Developer Journey 👩🏻‍💻

First, a bit of context. I have been coding for a little over ten years now 🙈, half of those in the Tech industry.

In those years, I have:

Coded in over 17 scripting and programming languages
Learned over 5 frameworks
Developed > 30 personal and professional products (some, I mentioned here), > 25 of those were created from the ground up.

Here's a handy depiction of my journey as a developer over the years.

You can see that in the past 5 years, I've used multiple languages each year. I've never really focused on just one thing.

In the past, I was insecure about this so I joined DEV and dedicated my first post to it. It is only until recently that I found the value of wearing multiple hats.

Here's why it's awesome 😎 and advantageous 📈 to be the jack of all trades, master of a few

#1: It facilitates learning new programming languages

Most programming languages closely resemble one another. They only differ in syntax, but the basic concepts are there. It's largely similar to spoken languages, the words differ but they share the same components — grammar, parts of speech i.e. noun, verb, adjective, etc.

Here's how I transitioned from one programming language to another.

Java → C# .NET

I had to dive into C# when I started working in 2015. Because I had a wealth of experience in Java, the transition was a breeze, and the learning curve wasn't steep. 💁🏻‍♀️

JavaScript → Swift → React Native / ES6 → React JS

JS → Swift. I learned JS in our Web Development class in college. This helped me gain enough confidence to purchased classes on Udemy, where I learned Swift.
Swift → React Native / ES6. Because I know Swift (only for iOS), it motivated me to learn React Native for cross-platform mobile development. RN wasn't available when I took an interest in mobile development.
React Native → React JS. Knowing React Native made learning React JS incredibly simple. Seriously, I learned React JS in a day, learned by doing.

Java EE, Spring, Hibernate → PHP, Laravel

Backend Development Transition

I learned PHP in just one day, thanks to Codecademy and my background in various programming languages.
It's challenging to learn and adjust to new frameworks and Tech Stacks. Fortunately, PHP + Laravel was slightly similar to the projects I have done in the past with JavaEE + Sprint + Hibernate. So, it only took me less than a week to get comfortable.

#2: It increases your problem-solving capacity as you transcend language limitations

Every language has its limitation. For languages of the same type, there's at least one workflow or process that one does better, or another doesn't support.

Think outside the box. Knowing multiple programming languages means you won't be restricted to the capacity and limitations of one language. General knowledge allows you to think more deeply about problems.

#3: It helps you become a more versatile developer

With the breadth of knowledge, you can identify the best, most appropriate technological solutions on an architectural level to a variety of business problems. If you only know one, say, Java, your solutions will be limited solely for the problems the language can solve.

For example, you can easily identify the most effective Tech Stack to address the business problem in an efficient, robust, cost-effective, and scalable manner.

Last year, I was involved in AutoServed, a local Automotive startup.

Only three of us developed the website. We had to determine the best Tech Stack to use.
✅ Requirement: Create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). 😎 Meaning, we should create the product with only the core features as fast as possible.
😓Dilemma: I was the Project Manager and Back-end Developer for the project. Planning and organizing were second nature to me, but my back-end skills were limited to Enterprise programming (JavaEE).
🏆 Solution: Use the Tech Stack that's easy to set up and code. This is where point 1 above came in handy. I had to learn PHP and Laravel — fast! And I did! 🎉

Instead of just sticking to what I know (JavaEE tech stack), which takes time to set up and even more time to code, I adapted to the demands of the project and learned a new language so we can achieve our goals. When you know more technologies and the nuances between them, you can deliver results in the smartest way possible.

#4: It makes it easier to adapt to changing technologies

More programming languages emerge every couple of years, each with its unfair advantage. The new ones are becoming more powerful, accessible, learnable, and readable each year.

A good example is the rapid progress of mobile 📱development over the past couple of years. In 2014, my only options were Objective-C for iOS (too complicated) or Java for Android (environmental difficulties). Swift was pretty new at that time, so people were careful and doubtful — but I went for it anyway.

A few years later, cross-platform tools emerged, enabling developers to code both Apple and Android apps with one codebase, requiring only minimal modifications. Now, it has become widely popular, with React Native, Xamarin, and Unity among the most well-known.

If I adhered to Swift, I wouldn't be able to program Android apps with more flexibility and less code repetition. Nor would I discover the remarkable online community of React and React Native!

Although, there is a downside...

If you want a higher position, companies prefer mastery of certain technologies over well-roundedness. In short, they prefer people who specialists over generalists who are spread too thin.

The Silver Lining

If you're not too particular about climbing the corporate ladder, there's a multitude of job opportunities available. At this age of information, programming skills are in high demand. Even the pandemic does not deter the need for developers and designers. So, you can afford to be particular!

Final Thoughts

Don't worry too much or feel insecure about your development skills. Every developer has her own journey. When in doubt, remember why you code — for the challenge, the satisfaction of creating, for the sheer thrill of it.

My advice, become a generalist first, and then a specialist. Explore as many programming languages you fancy. Try playing the field first. Once you found your calling, stick to it. Master the craft, learn the different flavors.

That's why it's great to be the jack of all trades, master of a few. You will have breadth and depth. 😉

"I'm not a great programmer; I'm just a good programmer with great habits."

― Kent Beck

Keeping Sane: Daily Doses of Productivity

Mina Oh — Fri, 01 May 2020 00:09:00 +0000

This article is originally posted on my blog — 🔗minaopada.com. Read it on the site by clicking here.

How personal projects kept the stress away in this trying time

No one could have ever predicted that their lives will be turned upside down in 2020. Now, everything is on pause.

As a self-proclaimed control freak who has a plan or a list for every hour of her life, I see canceled plans at this scale as a major pain point. Of course, there is more to this crisis than the disruption of the old “normal”, but I won’t get into anything morbid or depressing here — we’ve had enough of that.

Everyone deals with stress differently. Some signed up on TikTok, or scrolled endlessly on social media, or binged watched (i.e. KDramas) on streaming platforms.

I buried myself in personal projects. 👩🏻‍💻 It was only when I stopped working that I felt the pang of sadness, which is perfectly normal when in crisis mode.

So, in the first month of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in thePhilippines🇵🇭, both my partner and I created the following products, keeping our minds preoccupied, and our days consistently productive.

Here's what we worked on. Both products are developed using reactJS and firebase.

Project #1: Fakepatrol.app ✅

Fakepatrol.app website

Fake Patrol, my partner's passion project, was the first project we worked on during the ECQ. It's a website that helps users determine whether or not an article or post is fake. We created it as part of #HackPHQuarantine, a hackathon in the Philippines, but until now, we haven't heard from them 😂. But that's okay, we didn't do it just for the hackathon.

Initially, FakePatrol was intended to be a mobile app. However, Google Play hasn't approved it yet (it's been three weeks). Hence, we created the website to process requests in the meantime.

The road isn't without hiccups, but we got through it. And, we launched the product on ProductHunt. 😉

Project #2: ProductiveAtHome.club 🧠

ProductiveAtHome.club Landing Page

ProductiveAtHome 🧠 is my passion project. It's a platform where people can share their knowledge and learn something new interactively for free. I've had this idea since late last year, so I was ecstatic.

We launched 🚀 the site last April 16, in time for ProductHunt’sMakers Festival (WFH), andposted on ProductHuntlast April 19.

ProductiveAtHome on ProductHunt’s MakersFestival

😂 Funny story: I posted the wrong link on my submission for PH’s MakersFestival. If you look for ProductiveAtHome here and click on the link, it will show nothing because of a typo 😅 on the link. There’s a ‘t’before “https”. 🤦‍♀️

I was so excited to launch ProductiveAtHome 🧠, to share “my baby” to the world, I couldn’t sleep. That excitement and determination helped me see this project through to completion.

How working on personal projects helped kept me sane

Remember when I said I felt the pang of sadness? Well, the week after releasing those products, I was on strict hiatus. I permitted myself to relax, meaning, after-work activities should not entail making products.

A couple of days in, I felt melancholy, but I couldn't understand it at first. The reality of the lack of normalcy, the isolation, they're finally dawning on me.

Eventually, I learned to deal with those feelings, realizing that ironically, the relaxation time wasn't good for me. I was better off building the next website or app. Keeping busy was keeping me sane. 👩🏻‍💻

Focus! (Photo by Kevin Ku onUnsplash)

Here's how my personal projects helped keep my sanity and positivity intact.

#1: Working on them meant I was offline most of the time. This kept the negativity away 💁🏻‍♀️

Living life unplugged

Keen to launch as soon as possible, we had to work for two weeks straight on top of our day jobs. We didn’t have time to scroll mindlessly on social media, where stress and negativity thrived. We had to disconnect.

Out of sight, out of mind. With this form of detachment, I only allowed myself a 15-minute-maximum online time to check COVID stats and skim current events. The rest, I deemed as mere unnecessary distractions from the goal — product launch 🚀.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. And that’s okay. It’s always okay to protect your mental health.

#2: To “begin with the end in mind” is to leave little room for distractions 🙈

Photo by IanSchneider onUnsplash

On top of disconnecting from social media, we limited our time on streaming platforms, too.

When you are so focused on your goals, you will do everything in your power to achieve them. So, eliminating these distractions weren’t difficult.

We are so keen to launch, we did nothing else but code. Other than completing the project, we didn’t give anything else the time of day.

#3: Hitting milestones and building products meant ending each day satisfied 😌

My productive loop

There is no doubt that happiness affectsproductivity. And I was in a productive loop: Eat, sleep, code.

I had a list for everything — modules, marketing, bugs, plus a daily to-do list. On most days, I feel accomplished and satisfied as I tick everything on the list. That sense of achievement kept me happy and motivated me to keep working. Thus, reinforcing points 1 and 2 above.

Moving Forward

It's clear to me that on top of additional activities like talking with friends & family, pampering myself and the like, my true calling is creating more products, doing more work precisely because it doesn't feel like work.

And so, I've decided to finally set up a blog for Tech, Business, and Professional Development, and buying a domain with my name on it.

Now here we are... minaopada.com we see today

Conclusion

Throughout the first month of the ECQ, I kept myself busy 🐝 by devoting most of my time to developing products. Such tenacity and determination gave birth to 2products: ProductiveAtHome andFakePatrol.

The products themselves were a constructive distraction from the harsh reality that nothing will ever be the same again — this is the new “normal”.

My next personal project is now adding more relevant content to this blog. 🤓

Find your own “sanity project”

A sanity project is any activity that helps you keep your sanity. Don't bother googling. I made it up 😜.

The best way for all of us to cope with the global crisis that is COVID-19 is to keep busy — sign up for classes, host video calls, talk to your friends and family, minimize your time on social media, dance on TikTok, watch movies &series, volunteer, donate (time or money, you choose), exercise, do yoga, etc. Balance the productivity 💪🏼 and relaxation 🛀🏻

My personal projects are what kept me sane and happy. I urge you to start one. 😉

Do something productive ✅ every day, but always leave room for downtimes.
Don’t try to do everything at once. 🏋🏻‍♂️💃🏻📚🏓🎹🎨🎸🎮
Focus 👁 on one thing at a time.
Most importantly, don't force yourself. Do something you enjoy and it will be a breeze 💨.

Keep sane and stay at home. I know we will get through this, we just have to be patient. 😊

Let me know what personal projects you worked on, or how you're keeping sane in the comments below! 🤔

ProductiveAtHome.club is a productivity site I started with my partner under our startup, SevTech,Inc. Sign up on the site! You can also connect with us onFacebook, Twitter, ProductHunt.

FakePatrol.app is a mobile app (pending approval) turned website my partner started with myselfunder our startup, SevTech, Inc. Sign up on thesite! You can also connect with us onFacebook, Twitter, ProductHunt.

Always a beginner: Jumping from one programming language to another

Mina Oh — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 14:25:05 +0000

A lot of people say that to succeed in the business, especially in the Tech world, you must focus on one thing, and be damn good at it.

But how do we know which language to choose from? Have you ever felt so lost and so confused?

I'm willing to bet that at some point in our lives, we all have.

I handled my confusion differently -- I tried to learn as many as I could in my youth without nothing much to show for it.

A lot of us didn't know where to begin... so we depended on education. As did I.

High School: Java, C++

My batchmates and I were fortunate enough to be one of the first students who had programming in high school. There, we learned the very basics of Java and C++.

For one semester each, we were introduced to this bizarre world of syntax, code compilation and execution -- and a lot of printing! We covered until arrays. As if loops weren't hard enough!

College Education: Java, C, C++, COBOL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript etc.

Then, when I went to college and chose the wrong course in school #1, I took a programming class for two semesters: Java. We actually made a game in the end. We covered advanced topics: graphics, sockets, threading etc.

When I shifted to Computer Science and went to school #2, we were bombarded with programming languages -- the very foundation of them. I learned:

C - The first programming language taught to freshmen. I absolutely hated it. I never really liked procedural programming. And, oh, pointers! Ugh!
C++ - I liked this one, even joined a programming contest at school and won second place, I think. Finally, some object-oriented programming, I thought.
Assembly - Low-level programming. I struggled printing my own name.
HTML, CSS, JS - Just the basics. Nothing fancy. At one point, we were asked to replicate the google balls animation and replace that with our name. That activity was pointless. We just changed the coordinates.
COBOL - All I can remember is 8 spaces! And we had to write it. On a yellow pad paper.
Mobile Development - Nokia - Oh, don't even get me started on this.
Groovy - This was like Java and proved to be helpful while learning python. It could take some getting used to, especially when you come from Java and C++ programming languages.
Java - I joined programming competitions in and out of school. Never won outside of school, though. Haha.

College Side-hustle: Python, Swift, JavaScript

Thinking that what school had to offer was completely inadequate for the "real world", I studied online.

I started off taking free online classes on Coursera. Back when it wasn't so popular, most of the classes were actually for free. I studied Algorithms 2, NLP (for our Thesis), Python etc.

Then, I bought a course on Udemy: Programming in iOS Swift 6. In the years to come, I bought 2 more courses--iOS Swift 7 and 8--and never got around finishing it. What a waste!

I also started studying more front-end, web development languages like CSS and JavaScript on Code Academy.

Internship: Java, Java EE, Spring, Hibernate

I interned at Company X and was immersed in a world full of highly skilled Java developers, masters of their craft.

I was exposed to design patterns, frameworks, MVC, and Java Enterprise Edition (J2EE) programming.

It was amazing. For the first time ever, I actually felt like I was a part of something bigger. I was being productive.

We developed a full-blown web application on our own. It was one of the best experiences ever!

After college, Job #1

In Job #1, I was exposed to mostly C# .NET, Visual C++, and C. My programming exposure was predominantly for C#. It was easy to learn because my forte was Java.

I still had side hustles as well: I continued with iOS, dabbled with Machine Learning etc.

Just like before, however, I have never, not once finished a course on Coursera completely. Something always comes up that makes me miss a programming/assignment deadline -- outing, OT, family, other real-world problems etc.

I had some freelance projects as well, all of which were programmed in Java.

Job #2 (Present)

Now, I'm a C# .NET Developer. Yup, from Java to C#, indeed.

I still do some freelance projects, still in Java. Why? Because most projects are desktop apps. And I'm using a Mac.

I remain consistent in my drive for learning and continue to subscribe to free MOOCs. But I still can't finish them.

On top of that, I also learned the basics of React Native. I joined a couple of hackathons and developed prototypes with my team for iOS and Android. That has been one of my ultimate goals -- to publish an app on the App store.

The Ultimate Dilemma

I have learned a lot of programming languages in the past and have covered most, if not all, of the basics. Not much has come from it. And how could it? I only scratched the surface.

I mean, you can't create an app -- any app, web, desktop, mobile -- if all you know are arrays, printing, loops, and basic UI. No, you have to learn the integration, study the libraries, the API, learn new components, build... so much to learn, so little time.

"Jack of all trades, master of... [a few]"

I still want to finally publish an app on the App store/Play Store.

Also, I want to legit improve my C# skills because I love my job.

I want to finish my MBA with flying colors and become a future founder or co-founder in the near future.

I also want to eventually become a renown blogger and publish a book someday.

I want to do so much with my life.
But how? How can I become all those things and, at the same time, start learning and mastering a new language?

To the programming beginners (self-study)

You're lucky. You're choosing the programming language you want to study based on your goals and interests.

To the CS / IT students

Stick to one programming language -- fall in love with it and master it. You will be a subject matter expert in no time.

I have known a handful of people who made it when they focused on one language. They became experts in the field and are now well-traveled Tech speakers.

To the people who have made it

How did you come to choose the language that which you now are an expert? Any advice for a puzzled, goal-oriented, and passionate developer?