DEV Community

Cover image for Mistakes as a Beginner Programmer
Kritika Srivastava
Kritika Srivastava

Posted on

Mistakes as a Beginner Programmer

Hello,Dev Friends.In this article I want to talk about some of the mistakes we often do as a beginner in programming.Some of them are from my experiences while some of them are common mistakes.

So,here we go:

1.Not setting the end goal clearly,for example,"I want an entry/mid level React Developer job in some place by some date."You need to know first what do you exactly want.It can be a job in Data Science,Python,etc.Make an estimated deadline based on your study plan.

2.Planning on the mindset required.As per my opinion,you cannot just simply start doing something without planning and understanding the mindset required behind coding.Do you understand the essence of being a programmer!

3.This is an important one.Break the problem,solve the problem first and then code the solution.Do not code directly.

4.Be confident about the language and frameworks you want to learn and stick to it.Do not get confused in between and try to learn everything.For example,if you want to learn web development then you need to learn HTML,CSS,JavaScript and then decide if you want to learn Vue/React/Angular,etc.

5.Have a portfolio with few good projects to apply for the job.Maintain those projects on Github.

6.The job of a Software Developer is not just to code but to solve problems.This is an important point and we need to understand the depth of it.To be a better problem solver,practice DS and Algo questions daily in your preferred language.

7.Solve those problems again which you failed to solve in your previous interviews.Most of us leave it unsolved.

8.Tutorial Hell:This is a very common issue which we all face in the beginning.I would suggest to decide on the limited courses which you want to finish first and then jump to other courses.Learn a topic first from one source.

9.If you are new to the industry or changing careers then join your nearest Coding meetup,online Dev community to interact with the like minded people and learn from their journey.

10.This one might be bit off the topic but apply,apply and apply for the jobs,attempt interviews and do not give up in your journey.Let not failures define you.Something or the other will definitely try to stop you in your journey but make sure that you stay consistent,may be take a short break but do rebound back to your path and stop only once you reach the end goal.

Let me know your points in the comment section which you would like to add to the above list.

Happy Coding :)
You can follow me on Twitter and Github.

Top comments (5)

Collapse
 
danmar0801 profile image
Dany Marcha • Edited

I made so much mistake when starting and I still make so many mistakes. One mistake that I made, was taking notes with pen and paper while following a guide instead of actually trying the guide in vs code or such. The best way to learn is just to mess with things, try different things and see how things work. Thank you for sharing

Collapse
 
martinromario55 profile image
Martin Romario Ntuwa

Some people learn better as they write, and others as they code along. I don't think it's a mistake, you just have to know and understand what works best for you.

Collapse
 
kritika27 profile image
Kritika Srivastava • Edited

Thanks Dany. Yes, I agree that the best way to learn any language is by creating different things.

Collapse
 
devcoder profile image
devcoder

Maybe something to add to number 4. Learn git/GitHub from the start as it’s going to be used in almost every dev job and is very important. It’s better to be familiar with it early on before you get that first job.

Collapse
 
kritika27 profile image
Kritika Srivastava

Thank you for adding the point.