The Beginning
When I started to program I was full of this enthusiasm of what was possible to do with a computer. I wanted to make stuff, and well, get money while at it. The points I will make forward are of my own experience and might not reflect the reality of the reader. In my quest for learning, I made many mistakes that cost me a lot of time and opportunity, which I hope the reader avoids.
Mistake #1 - Avoiding asking for help:
Maybe it was because of fear of looking dumb asking questions or simple social issues, the amount of frustration I could have avoided just by asking someone who knew better could have saved me much time in the process, my recommendation to any reader who is starting now:
ASK, ASK, ASK, ask in forums, Facebook( or use whatever at the time you are reading this). Ask a friend that knows better, get a mentor if possible and attach to him/her like a leech, I'm not joking, guidance is of extreme importance in a field with so many sources of information, it can be overwhelming and demotivating when you feel lost in the sea.
ASK, ASK, ASK, ask in forums, Facebook( or use whatever at the time you are reading this). Ask a friend that knows better, get a mentor if possible and attach to him/her like a leech, I'm not joking, guidance is of extreme importance in a field with so many sources of information, it can be overwhelming and demotivating when you feel lost in the sea.
Mistake #2 - trying to learn everything under the sun:
While is good to learn multiple technologies it is also true that in attempting to learn everything I ended up having limited knowledge of a bit of everything and being good at nothing for a long time, which was harmful at the end and only created frustration.
If you are not sure on what to learn, ask your local community or mentor about whats on demand on the market and start from there and focus, once you get more experienced you will be able to move quickly between technologies, but starting while trying to gobble up everything just might end up giving you not optimal results.
If you are not sure on what to learn, ask your local community or mentor about whats on demand on the market and start from there and focus, once you get more experienced you will be able to move quickly between technologies, but starting while trying to gobble up everything just might end up giving you not optimal results.
Mistake #3 - Crunching a lot without proper rest and consistency:
The worst mistake I made and that I repeatedly see on many that approach me for guidance. What I mean by this is simple: studying or practicing a lot ( crunching ) for a few days then stopping because of burnout till next week, or just working on weekends a lot then spend the week with almost no practice, this way of practicing and studying proved to be extremely inefficient:
- You get burnt out faster
- You don't absorb information properly.
- It can impact your health badly if it gets out of hand.
While is true that spending time on practicing and learning is essential, it is is also equally important to keep a right balance between rest and consistency, it's better to dedicate a reasonable amount of time every day than crunching a few days a week and getting burnt out.
Some tips:
- Avoid ( if possible ) studying after high school/college/work: by the time you arrive home your brain is tired and full of information to process, it won't handle the new influx of information you bring him the same way, and a lot will put to waste.
- Early to bed and early to rise: study/practice before high school/college/work, the brain is refreshed from a sound sleep and can absorb more information early in the morning.
- Keep consistency: A small-medium quantity of time dedicated every day pays better overtime than crunching a few days a week, always try to keep momentum without getting overworked.
- You get burnt out faster
- You don't absorb information properly.
- It can impact your health badly if it gets out of hand.
While is true that spending time on practicing and learning is essential, it is is also equally important to keep a right balance between rest and consistency, it's better to dedicate a reasonable amount of time every day than crunching a few days a week and getting burnt out.
Some tips:
- Avoid ( if possible ) studying after high school/college/work: by the time you arrive home your brain is tired and full of information to process, it won't handle the new influx of information you bring him the same way, and a lot will put to waste.
- Early to bed and early to rise: study/practice before high school/college/work, the brain is refreshed from a sound sleep and can absorb more information early in the morning.
- Keep consistency: A small-medium quantity of time dedicated every day pays better overtime than crunching a few days a week, always try to keep momentum without getting overworked.
Summary:
- Don't be afraid of asking for help or getting a mentor.
- Avoid becoming a jack of all trades and master of none before even beginning.
- Proper rest, and consistency every day trumps over crunching every few days.
- Avoid becoming a jack of all trades and master of none before even beginning.
- Proper rest, and consistency every day trumps over crunching every few days.
