When someone asks me what the best thing about being a developer is, my answer is always the same:
It's an endless game of learning.
And most people either think it's a joke or think I'm crazy. But I'm not. This is why I got into development. The ever-changing ecosystem and upcoming frameworks fuel my endless need to learn and grow.
Never stop learning
Never stop learning comes to mind when thinking about what it means to be a good developer.
And I would say this should be the fact for every single one of us. There is always something to learn, something that changed, or something you could improve on.
It also means we are never at 100%, making the hunt to become your best self even more fun.
Once upon a time...
There was a raging evil called 'imposter syndrome'.
Note: Don't worry. Imposter syndrome happens to all of us.
Let's paint a scene for a second.
You are a legendary Angular developer, but your company has a massive product that runs on Angular 10, so it's what you dream, breathe, and code like a legend.
You might be the best in the world when it comes to being an Angular 10 developer!
At one stage, the business might finally decide to switch, and they make a drastic decision to move everything over to Vue.
You've seen Vue, you know the basics, but the intern sitting next to you seems to be doing a better job than what you used to do 🤯.
However, a good developer will put this feeling aside and take this as a learning opportunity.
Dive into Vue, master that, and you'll be back to your old self.
Why?
Because good developers have a knack for learning, absorbing, and mastering things.
How to keep up?
Keeping up is not easy, I can tell you that.
It also depends on your goals, where you are, and more.
The main advice:
Take small steps!
Some might think I do a lot, but I only learn a tiny amount, but I do this every day. So over time, I'm soaking up massive amounts of data.
If you try to master React in a week, I'm sure you'll be burned out within three days. It's just not feasible.
And sorry to break it to you, there are no shortcuts.
Also, depending on your preference, you can decide on taking a reading learning approach or the practical approach.
I love a more practical approach, as seeing stuff happening makes things more straightforward. But if books work for you, there is nothing wrong with that.
Another tip that can help you is documenting your journey. This doesn't mean writing in public. It can even be a notebook you keep next to your computer.
The main thing is, you can use this as a reference and see how much you've grown.
Concepts that once looked impossible to grasp are now as easy as changing a lightbulb.
These moments will make you realize you've grown so much!
What to learn
This is, of course, very personal, and nobody except you can answer this. However, people can help inspire and encourage you.
It all comes down to knowing what you already got, at what level, and moving forward.
I often look at my current stack and decide if I can explain a concept to someone.
If the answer is no, I'll revisit the basics of that.
If yes, I can see the next best thing and go from there.
By taking this approach, you make sure your basis is strong and will never fail you.
Conclusion
Never stop learning!
There is always something we can improve on, learn more about, or even something new we could pick up.
That's what it means to be a developer. And that's why I fell in love with being one.
How do you keep up with learning?
Thank you for reading, and let's connect!
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