DEV Community: juanmillord

Measure what you are learning by time, not for getting it all the first time.

juanmillord — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 16:31:51 +0000

Pomodoro.

You probably have heard that word before and also know what is about. Well is a productivity technique use do get results and progress during a task. When I began learning to code I used feel very bad sometimes because I was not understanding what I was learning or because I was really far away from finishing the book or the tutorial. That can hold you back and me you feel you are not moving forward.

So I started using the Pomodoro technique but with a little mindset tweak. I would start studying for 25 minutes and each time I finish one Pomodoro I would feel I achieve something. Maybe I did not get everything of what I was learning the first time or maybe I did not finish the lesson but I finished the 25 minutes. I would do it again and again. At the end of the day I had lots of repetitions and when you repeat your brain start to make the connections you need to stick knowledge.

Is powerful. Use it wisely.

When are you ready to learn a new language?

juanmillord — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 11:29:22 +0000

I have that question anytime I think to start learning another programming language. Maybe I'm not ready yet, I have to fully master the one I'm using now in order to start a new one. Which makes sense, If you have only 1 year or 2 coding in that language is probably a good idea to stick to the language you are using an become really good at it. But the time pass and you in some way postpone learning the new one. The idea of learning and using a new language is exciting but the feeling you will get overwhelm by it eats you from the inside.

Perfectionism is an issue we have to deal. You don't have to be perfect to do something, and perfect does not exist. The average person never thinks is ready or that know fully a subject, even if you think they are very good at it, and they too, but the fact they are learning is more exciting than the one of knowing all about a subject, they will just tell you they are learning.

Just don't over think it, start what you want to learn now, and give you permission to be a beginner and a amateur on it.

Getting out of the tutorial hell

juanmillord — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 00:09:29 +0000

Learning is shaped by habits and time. If you learn to code by yourself you know that you can get addicted and stuck to learning from tutorials and when the time comes to solve a problem in your job, you think there is actually a tutorial that can solve the issue you are facing. But there is not, and even though you know that you go to YouTube, Udemy to see if your problem can be solve by watching and later implementing what you watched.

The thing is you were hired to solve problems, and problems are unique. I know there are pattern design and ways other people in the past solved issues, and I take the time here advice you to learn design patterns, but at the end of the day your problems are there for you to solve. So summarizing:

1-Start getting familiar with reading documentation. Start a project using the technology of your choice and build it using only the documentation of that particular framework or library.

2-Get a project in mind, plan how to solve it and the technologies you would use, and do it using only the docs.

I hope want that you only get into tutorials because you want genuinely want to learn something new. Thank you.