5 tips for new developers
The last few months I have been teaching an intensive full-stack programming course at Wild Code School in Madrid, and being around people who want to embark on the journey of becoming new developers has made me realise that there is room for advice from an old timer like me🦖.
This article was originally published in the website of Wild Code School and the Madrid blog. This is the re-edited version that is (hopefully) a bit easier to read.
What is your background as a developer?
When I was 8 years old I got a tape-deck ZX Spectrum for Christmas. It came with a whooping 128Kb of RAM and a manual on how to program your own games using BASIC.
I was hooked. Programming computer games was WAY more fun that playing them. Fast-forward 10 years later when the Internet got started and I was keen to build myself a website and help other people with theirs. Before I knew I had too many websites to build and not enough time.
These days I build web and mobile applications, the technologies have changed but there is still plenty of demand. I feel extremely lucky that I get to create interfaces and automations that bring some improvement to people’s lives, and that I get paid for it. In a way its like I’m still making games.
Could you give us 5 tips for people who are planning to become developers?
Sure can, they may not be exactly what you expect, and I bet every developer will tell you something different, but this is the advice I can give.
TIP 1: Get comfortable with feeling useless
Every time i’ve felt confused and useless and ready to give up has been during a period of intense growth. If you want a long and fruitful career as a developer you are going to have to recycle yourself over and over.
I think we usually tell ourselves that learning is an intellectual journey, but from my experience its more of an emotional journey, in other words, a case of letting new knowledge sink in while managing a powerful range of emotions.
You have probably already experienced the feeling of utter uselessness that comes when trying to learn something new, and not doing a particularly good job of it. Well, this feeling is your new best friend, try and welcome it, as it comes when you are growing… Life will be easier if you do. Learn to identify it early and become detached from it, learn to be kind to yourself, and to welcome the knowledge that comes with it.
Just because you feel useless, doesn’t mean that you are useless.
And remember that when you start feeling like you know everything, you are no longer learning and you are getting left behind. Do yourself a favor and keep putting yourself out of your comfort zone so you can keep growing.
TIP 2: Sell your brand
It is scary putting yourself out there, building your network. Specially when there is so much you still don’t know about.
But the reality is that technologies change so fast that many other developers are in a similar situation, they know some things yes, but those are probably outdated, and they will likely have to learn most of their next job anyway. Establishing yourself as a brand will give you choices later. Think of it as an investment. It will mean the difference between finding a job you enjoy and being forced into the least bad of your options.
When you get past the initial shyness, public attention is not so bad. And it saves wasted time on endless job applications which will end up in a black hole anyway. The idea is make it easy for people to find you, so work on every opportunity to make this happen. Try writing articles on LinkedIn, shaking hands with people at meetups, build your portfolio site, share something you’ve read (like this article), talk to people about a project you are working on, make some cool videos or get in touch with recruiting professionals.
Do NOT sell yourself falsely, but put yourself out there anyway. There will be plenty of people that need your skills as they are, even if they are not fully developed, so long as you are open to learning the techology stack specific to that client.
TIP 3: Aim for jobs that expand your knowledge.
Many times I have faced a choice between earning more money or gaining the skills that will push my career in the right direction. I have to say that every time I picked a job for the skills rather than the money, I have been happier in the long run.
I think this is particularly relevant for developers that are getting started with picking their first jobs. Do yourself a favor and point your carreer in the right direction, even if it comes at a cost in the short term.
TIP 4: Build projects you love.
I can’t stress the usefulness of programming something because you love what you are doing.
Try and find time to do this. Life is busy I know, i have have 2 kids. And yet every time I have managed to put time aside to write code for fun I have found some learning that has helped me later in.
This is another way to invest in yourself. Some people are lucky enough to get paid to build something they love. If you can find yourself in this position then great. If not, then there are plenty of opportunities to build cool things too, just seek them out.
TIP 5: Learn to fail.
Lets face it. You are going to break things.
This is particularly true for junior developers.. You can stay away from risk and spend your time adding little value and just getting by, or be useful and risk having sh#t hit the fan.
Obviously tread with care wherever you go. But life is short, and as they say.. `if you want to make an omelette… you have to break some eggs`.
So keep the bigger picture in mind, and when bad things happen (and they will) learn how to avoid blaming yourself and others, and to focus your energy on picking up the pieces (with the help of your seniors). If you do this well, the damage will usually be minimal, yet the lesson will be invaluable.
Each time your break something, remember 3 things:
- DON’T make it worse in a panic.
- Be open, and put your effort on recovery, not on finding blame.
- Take steps to avoid it happening again. This doesn’t mean firing people, it means automating the process to avoid what just happened.
If you take this approach you will generally gain the respect of your peers and managers, who have probably gone through the same right of passage at some point.
What other advice could be useful?
Be yourself.
Honestly, work (and life) is hard for everyone. If you behave as yourself in as many interactions as possible (yes, even that job interview), and you make as many honest choices along the way as you can, you will find a measure of peace in all the chaos and pain that life has to offer.
Whatever path you choose, you can’t take the suffering away, but you can add the satisfaction that every step of the way you did what was most true to yourself as a person.
So go forth ✌️, and be fruitful 🍇 🍓 🍍🍒 …
.. and remember to clap 👏 if you enjoyed this. So more people can see it.
