What are 3 pieces of advice that I would give someone who’s just beginning their journey with software development today?

Beginning a software development journey can be the best decision you ever make. If you’re looking for a few tips before you embark on this amazing journey, this article is for you. Having started programming almost two years ago, the 3 pieces of advice that I would give someone who’s just beginning their journey with software development today is to be consistent, curious, and patient.

Consistency

Have you ever set out to learn a new skill, and after getting the hang of it, packed it in the attic of your mind? What happened when you tried to practice it a few months later? There’s a saying,

“What is not practiced is soon forgotten.”

Well, the same applies to learning how to code. Staying consistent has helped me to retain what I learn and helped me develop what I consider to be coding muscle memory or coding reflexes. When I began coding, I found that the more consistent I got with writing a few lines of code every day, the more I was exposed to different challenges that got easier over time, and this in turn boosted the confidence I have in my skills. So next time you learn something new, I recommend starting a project from scratch where you get to repeatedly implement that newly learned feature.

Curiosity

The second thing I would advise is to cultivate your curiosity. Because you’ve embarked on a journey to become a software developer, somewhere within you lies curiosity about this amazing world of ones and zeros. Curiosity provides momentum and is essential in order to push boundaries. Curiosity was the main reason I started coding and propelled me to look under the hood of working websites and programs. The curiosity of knowing what makes things tick has helped me pursue a deeper understanding and implementation of the things I learn in this ever-evolving field. The curiosity of whether a program or functionality can be optimized or done differently keeps me glued to my keyboard and drives me to push beyond my comfort zone.

Patience

So you’ve tried to understand a new concept or tried to write a functioning program, but you are facing a steep learning curve or getting numerous errors when you run your program, and you have no clue what to do next. Like everybody else, getting frustrated and insecure about your endeavor would be the natural outcome, and this is where patience comes in. Being able to exercise patience with myself was and still is the most important virtue in my career as a developer. Patience is part of having a growth mindset and keeps you grounded when getting over that steep learning curve or overcoming that obstacle. When exercising patience, you remind yourself that even though it seems hard now, it will be a no-brainer later, and all you need is some time to understand the problem and find the solution.

The field of software development can be extremely rewarding and satisfying, so I encourage you to join this beautiful journey and take every step with stride as you stay consistent, curious, and patient. I wish you all the best in your wonderful endeavor and encourage you to share your experiences with others who may benefit from them. Stay focused and happy codding!