Introduction
Everyone has different starting points in their developer journeys. This can range from Game Developers, Web Developers, etc. Regardless of what your career is in tech, it is important for us to keep track of our progress. Most importantly, if we still have the ability to self-learn with discipline.
Tech is always changing and it is important for us to keep ourselves up to date with Tech as well as honing our skills as a developer. There is “no ending” to learning in this field since it is always changing. Although we can’t learn everything, there is a checklist that determines, in my opinion, if we are keeping ourselves up-to-date and still leveling up our skills in the field of choice. Here is the list!
You are making progress if you are…
1. Learning and completing tasks at a healthy pace!
Whether you are completing an online course or obtaining certification from freeCodeCamp, consistency is key! Having a good consistency is important because it will prevent you from being burnt out.
For example, let's say we have Person A, where he does his assignment on the last minute. On the other hand, Person B does his assignments little by little each day. Assuming both turns in the assignment on time, who do you think will be more burnt out? It will be Person B!
Although Person B does little each day, it allows him to learn as-he-go and being able to explain the solution he has with confidence. On the other hand, Person A will be the opposite. Although he turns his assignment on time, it wouldn't retain much information because his goal is turning it in on time instead of learning, which is important!
Are you completing a task just to score points or are you completing a task while learning something new?
2. Trying New Things!
Regardless if you are a Game Developer or a Back-end Engineer, it doesn't hurt to try something new whether it is part of your role or not. Even if you do not have the ability to try a certain thing, you could always write or talk about it to other people in the community you are in!
It is always a good idea to try something out of your comfort zone and be expose to something you don't know about!
3. Having Good Organization Skills!
Organization is huge! It allows you to complete tasks in a timely manner as well as not using up brain power to remember if you miss anything or not.
For a good start, I recommend using a physical planner and bring it to you wherever you go. If you are more digital, I recommend using Notion to make your planner! There are other free tools out there that will allow you to make yourself a personalize planner!
4. Not Comparing Yourself to Others!
Imposter syndrome is a thing in the tech community and it is important to identify them early on. As one say:
Comparing yourself to others is the thief of joy.
Always remember that as long as you are making progress, you are fine. It's also healthy to celebrate your wins each week or each month. That way, you will be proud of the progress you made instead of contemplating and overthinking if you are good enough.
You are good enough!
5. Staying Inform on the latest Tech News
Basically what you are doing right now (being on Dev.to)! You can also stay inform by joining the VirtualCoffee community, Youtube, or other communities you are part off. As a bonus point, you get to meet new people and connect with others in job opportunities!
Conclusion
Your journey is unique and can be inspiring to others! Regardless of your skill level or where you are at, it is important to have self-discipline and being able to make progress. That way, you can show your expertise to others and show that you have use your time wisely. Having 10+ years as a Developer with lots of knowledge is more worth than 10+ years as a Developer with little knowledge.
Remember, the hardest part is not starting something. The hardest part is having discipline to ensure you are making consistent progress to reach your goals.
What do you think? What are some things you do to ensure you are making progress in your development journey! Let us know in the comments!
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