Staying Fired Up: Tips for Beginner App Developers to Stay Motivated
Things to Know Before You Begin App Development
You have an idea.
You wish to turn it into an app.
But coding and developing complete software solution seems dreadful.
And it is.
Where to begin. Planning, designing, prototyping, and developing. Keeping track of what goes where and when. System requirements, functional requirements, and non-functional requirements. How everything fits together to make a single cohesive product. And on top keeping it altogether without breaking apart when the user interacts. It is a struggle.
Programming is like plumbing.
You never know which pipe may end up leaking or brusting. And locating the leak is even worse especially in the inner most pipes. All you see is a damp wall and mold. Most of the times the leaking pipe isn’t even where its damp.
Just like code. You might get a null pointer exception when your data is never null. So you keep scratching your head, while debugging aggressively, bringing your system and IDE to a boiling point until you figure it's a runtime Out Of Memory Exception. And only happens on specific devices, of certain models, under specific conditions.
Hurray you caught the error.
But don’t get too excited.
The harder part hasn’t even begun.
The reason is found. Exception is caught. It's time to fix it.
You are all pumped up. Feeling like a rockstar. “I can do this no problem. Just a simple memory fix. Let's use little resources and release used resources where necessary.”
After a try or two.
It seems not that easy.
You google. And you google. And you flood stack overflow with all sort of dumb questions. Until your face is upside down.
You try your solutions. But it requires deeper understanding of the system.
You are hit by the realization.
“Nothing Works.”
“Until I know more.” More than this. Enough to know how the framework, library or the system works. More than the basics.
This requires devotion. Time. Energy. Resources.
And most of all patience.
Programming or development tests your patience.
Maybe the solution is right around the corner. But due to our limited knowledge of the area we don’t know the shortest possible routes so we end up going through all possible routes until we are at the right route.
This part, one cannot skip.
You can’t move further ahead in programming until you have been roughened up by taking all possible routes. And then only do you have insights into better planning and execution.
But how to remain motivated on the path?
Smaller Projects
Start small. Build smaller projects. The smaller the project the more the chances are of it being completed. And more refined it will be. Less compromise on quality. Lesser pressure.
Feedback
Feedback plays a crucial role in getting better and motivated. Once you have completed a project make it public through GitHub, social media, or your blog or website. Getting feedback appreciation or even criticism will make you more aware of your product and will get you going for the next idea.
Update / Revision
While you are working on your next project or after you have completed a few more projects you can review your previous project and modify, enhance, or remove defects. This way you can keep implementing everything you are learning from your newer projects in your previous projects.
While these tips can help you gain exposure and build more you still need to be prepared to have a few non-productive days and hiccups. And keep on going in the face of all odds. Slowly you will build up a routine. It will feel much easier to stay motivated.
