I started my journey to becoming a professional developer ten years ago. I always thought about what I would do and where I would go. Unfortunately, I’m nowhere near what I thought I would do ten years later in my professional career. With that, I’ve learned so much over these last ten years that I’ve decided to start pushing myself forward by using my blog, YouTube, and social media to share my experience.
The Idea of a Developer
First, anyone who tells you the idea of becoming a developer is easy is crazy. Anyone can learn how to program something. Becoming a developer is entirely different. There are tons of free online resources and suggestions to help you get started. Don’t be fooled by thinking they prepare you for what is to come. Each job, each position, and everything you do differs depending on external factors. Every boss, leader, product owner, manager, and a co-worker has different working methods. It is up to you to navigate through this in the most efficient way possible. So you will prevent burnout.
Every person has a different view of what a developer is, what a developer should do, and how a developer should do it. Take the time to learn from who is willing to help and let that be the driving force to learn.
I suggest starting with learning how to learn—first, take the time to understand what technology you are using, and second, take the time to see what you can do to improve yourself, and third, keep improving your technical understanding. Anyone can make a computer understand a program, but it takes effort to make humans understand it. Learn it. Write it. Teach it.
The Reality of a Developer
Reality usually is not as sunshine and sparkles as people make it seem. A lot of time, you will be using outdated technology. Most new technology will take years to be put into place. This can change from company to company, but most companies will only use proven technology in many cases and tend to steer away from anything risky.
A developer’s job is a double edge sword. You can fall into an endless trap of refactoring code or attempting to do something new. These pits can lead to time problems, project delays, and other issues. Always discuss with the team, ensure deadlines, and ask for assistance when trying something new or refactoring codesets.
The Struggle of a Developer
After ten years as a professional developer, I learned to listen, research, learn, and teach. First, listening requires understanding what the other is saying. Everything someone provided me, I would research it. Then, attempt to understand it and learn it. Finally, teach it to others. Taking the time to teach what you believe you learned and truly understand will show when you teach someone else.
My journey has guided me to join the open source community building, KTweet (Twitter Kotlin Library), and DisTweet (Discord Bot). I hope some of this inspires you to do something you have always wanted.
The end is never the end. Never think twice that you learned everything. Keep pushing forward and learning as much as you can to improve yourself and find a way to always become better in your field. Finding what you love to do in technology is always a struggle. Don’t stop. Push forward.