Hello, so it has been so long I wrote about my experience and tools I use as a developer so I would just try to summarize the major things I have learned and whats my plan forward.
So I would place what I have learnt in different categories which are:
Tools
Coding
Learning
Networking
My Way forward
Tools
I am a lover of using different tools to make my work easier and fun “Big fan of fun 😜”. I always source for these tools on various platforms, from blogs to youtube tutorials and also from friends some of these tools I have listed out in my previous blog post which you can check out Here
I would just list them out then explain how they help me drive progress.
WakaTimer: This is one of my favourite tools cause it helps me track how much time I spend writing code and also debugging. This tool helps me understand which project I am giving the majority of my time to and with this data I can schedule my days and weeks properly to manage myself better.
Scrum Sheet: This isn’t really a tool cause it’s just a way I use my Google Sheet or you can use any other method to perform this task. Basically, my scrum sheet is a document I fill at the end of the day to summarize what I was able to do or archive; I learnt this from my time being an intern at a start. We had to fill the scrum sheet and our supervisors use this to track what when having done and also know what to do next. You can do this with any Spreadsheet application of your choice I just prefer using Google Sheet cause it’s lightweight and free.
Notepad: I do a lot of copying and pasting 😜 . Sometimes, whenever I copy a text and try to paste it somewhere else, it copies the style, which is annoying, so I first paste it into my notepad before copying again paste it where it is needed. I know this is a bit long but it actually saves me a lot of stress.
Canva: This tool has been a game-changer for me since I started using the pro version. I have had less need to buzz up all my friends who are graphic designers and learn a bit more in graphics. You can also use the free version though but I enjoy the pro so much.
Adobe XD and Figma: I recently started improving my design skills which made me pick up UI Design as a focus and I have loved it since then. I love these tools cause it makes moving from design to coding easier with the CSS feature of xd and the free collaborative part of Figma. I use both for different reasons though but I love them both 😉.
So enough about tools let’s talk or write a bit more about coding or programming whichever one sounds better.
Coding
I am not the best programmer out there and I know I still have a very long ladder to climb but I am good and I constantly strive to improve myself which has led me to different waters and also some very bad habits (I am working on stopping and reducing them).
Get (Full) Tutorials
One of the biggest things I have learnt so far is; When I want to start learning something new I should try not to start from youtube tutorials (Some exception exists). If you can afford it or find a free version 😜 please get a course from an experienced or seasoned developer. If you want to learn C# or .Net you can always send me a mail I would forward some of these guys I have learnt from.
Have a Road Map
When you want to learn any new technology and you don’t know where to start from or when you can test if you know enough to add it to your badge 🤣 you then find yourself going in circles cause it can get really overwhelming sometimes and you can get easily confused or even frustrated in this field. So drawing out a road map and verify if its a standard one
Build Projects
The best way to learn a technology is to build a project with it. This can work with the previous point I mentioned “Have a road map” So your road map can be to build an E-Commerce website with .Net so you would take it from the minimum viable product to the main application (Authentication, CRUD Create Read Update Delete, etc) this would help you learn a lot of things added with the main technology you want to learn.
Get A Mentor
This part can often be confused to getting a physical mentor, yeah you can get a physical mentor but most times it’s hard to find one when you are learning on your own so you can just check on youtube and follow some of the Main Developer in the area of tech you want to learn. I have a lot of them and they mostly drop videos weekly that helps my learning and growth as a developer.
Get an Internship or Volunteer
This is a very hard step in learning and for some it is easy. For me, the majority of my growth part has been influenced by the internship and volunteering opportunities I have gotten. I stated that it can be easy or hard cause you might find yourself in some environment that would want you to grow but in a very hard way and some would make it easier for you to learn. I have been fortunate to have the easier path majorly and sometimes it can be frustrating when the stipend you get doesn’t equate to the cost of your up-keep which has always happened to me but what I do it to take full advantage of that opportunity to learn as much as I can also give back to the organisation. I would not advise you to take roles that would not pay and also won’t advise against it cause that’s how I gained the majority of my experiences. So if you are willing you can do that and if you can’t you might just have to focus on getting an internship role that pays.
Learning
I already mentioned some of the techniques I use for learning in previous sections so I would just summarize them here.
Make adequate research about the learning part you want to choose and ensure you are sure about it before diving into it, sometimes you might not be 100% certain but ensure you have the right motivation about it cause it always comes in handy when frustration and Imposter syndrome sets in down the road.
Pick a learning part and ensure you stick to it. I have met a lot of people that jump from one language to another I have also being a victim to it and it almost happens to everyone I know that has tried to learn programming without a road map and enough motivation to and other factors to stick to the path they chose.
Selecting a project is very important and also this is one of the hardest things to sustain cause most people I know find it easy to start a project but completing it becomes a headache. It happens to me also
Networking
I just want to shout this out, please Network with people. This helps in various ways from getting a job to helping you debug your code. The essence of networking cannot be over emphasized cause it’s a very crucial factor for every learning curve.
So finally my way forward
I plan on improving my skills and also gaining new ones.
Majorly I plan on improving my skills in front end Development, Mobile and and improving my UI Design skills.
I recently started a podcast which I discuss various topics that affects me or my environment.
You can check it out
https://anchor.fm/kazeemquadri01
