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Learning as a software developer

My thoughts about the challenges of learning and growing as a software developer.

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Productivity

Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Jan 8, 2017

Are You Hard to Convince?

When discussing a new technology, I’m rarely the first one to jump on the bandwagon. In fact, I’m usually the killjoy that ends up arguing against using a new library or a new language feature when the enthusiasm is high and everybody is eager to get started.

Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Sep 25, 2016

Writing a book: how to work on many projects

After quite a bit of pondering, writing and editing, I shipped the Learning as a Software Developer book last week. The whole process took about 6 months to complete, so I had time to experiment with a few ways to work. During that time, it was…

Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Jan 23, 2016

Every programmer is self-taught

There are many ways to become a programmer beside getting a computer science degree. If you’re on that less conventional path, you may be wondering what you should do to catch up to people who do have a degree. How can you compete with someone who spent many years in a…

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Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Apr 2, 2016

Gamify your learning goals

Learning a new programming language or framework is hard work, even if you love doing it. You can’t get around this: to complete a course or a side project, you have to put your head down and do the work to reach the finish line. How do you motivate yourself when there are so many…

Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Mar 5, 2016

Embrace the power of teaching to learn better

You’re learning a new programming paradigm, trying to understand functional programming and JavaScript. It’s going well and you’re completing tutorials and courses with ease but something is missing. Somehow, you’re having trouble making things stick…

Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Jan 9, 2016

Year-long goals are too long

With the new year, everything you wish to improve about your life and your skills come back to the surface. Everybody is making lists and sharing them online, so it’s hard not to join in the fun even if you don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions.

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Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Feb 20, 2016

Controlling your novelty-seeking behavior

Getting started with a new technology is always exciting. You see all the things that it does right, unlike your current tools. The tutorial is fun, you have new toys to play with and you’re looking forward to cracking open that book or course. The first…

Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

May 21, 2016

To learn, you must ship your code

When working on a project, the temptation is strong to make everything perfect before showing it to the world, or even just to your co-workers. You know each and every line of code you wrote, but you have a long list of bugs to fix and don’t want to expose your work…

Cindy Potvin in Learning as a software developer

Jun 30, 2016

Take a break, go out and play

There is so much to learn and so many cool things I can make as a software developer that I can stay on my computer all day without getting bored. It gets a bit hard to concentrate after a few hours, but nothing that a cup of coffee can’t fix. If I feel stir-crazy, I can…