20 Tips I Wish I Knew Before I Started to Code

1. You don’t need a super computer to start coding

Beginners frequently postpone learning until they have a "good enough computer" at the beginning of their journey. In reality, though, it's just a lame way to avoid picking up your laptop or computer and starting to code.

2.Googling is the most important skill

There is a wealth of information available to us. The days when information was the only medium of exchange are long gone because it is now affordable and frequently free. Now, hiring individuals who can use the information effectively is more popular.

3.A Math Nerd is not required

In movies, computer science is always portrayed as a topic best suited to those with IQs of 200 or above and strong math backgrounds. In actuality, the majority of computer science specialities just require a rudimentary understanding of operations.

4.Version Control is a must

Probably the most crucial tool for a software developer is version control. It lets you work with other developers and saves and backs up your codebase.

5.Done is Better than perfect

People evaluate you based on your past behaviour, not on what you intend to do. Perfect is just a fancy way of saying never. I'll let you in on a closely-guarded Olympus secret: Every expert you come across was once a beginner. Over time, the novice who continues to hone his art develops into a pro.

6.Work Hard, but Smartly

Hard Work is what gets you closer to your goal, Smart Work is what makes you complete tasks faster. When you combine the two, you can do no wrong.

A client assigned me the task of converting 1.5k.svg files to.tsx files; rather than doing it by hand (ETA: 30 to 50 hours), I built a script (took less than 2 hours) that does it automatically.

7.Tools unlock your productivity

You might think of tools as the life's equivalent of cheat codes;

they enable you to complete tasks more quickly and effectively. You can always make your own tool if you can't find one that does what you need it to do (Hell yeah! benefits of working in development).

8.One Completed Project >> 100 Incomplete Ones

As was previously stated, people evaluate you based on your past performance rather than your future intentions. Since no one will download and run your code, put your best foot forwards and have a few deployed projects to simplify the process for the viewer.

9.Where you end up in 5 years is determined by what you do NOW

Reality is subjective, and where you are in life right now is a direct outcome of what you did in the previous five to ten years. Not your style? In five to ten years, if you work to alter it, you'll be in a place you can be proud of.

10.Self-taught Programmers have the best debugging skills

Self-taught programmers aren't able to get assistance anytime they run into an issue, so through countless iterations of trial and error, they learn the best practises for eliminating bugs.

11.You don’t need the right answer, just a less wrong one

People are so frightened of failing that they never even try anything out, not recognising that even if you attempt, you might not succeed, but if you don't try, you surely won't succeed. Only when you fail to learn from it and keep making the same errors is it truly a failure.

12.It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint

You should get ready for lifelong learning because the development field is continually changing. You will just become exhausted quickly if you work a 100-hour week.

13.Don’t reinvent the Wheel

There is no harm in using a library if one exists to help you with a problem you are working on (unless you are actually trying to build a similar library).

14.Tutorials fail to teach you the most important skill

Problem-solving is the most important skill, and it can only be learned by trial and error. You don't get to see the skill in action when you follow a tutorial because you get a heavily refactored final version of the code.

15.No Technology is perfect

Everything in this world has advantages and disadvantages. Don't waste your time waging the struggle because Tech X is superior to Tech Y in some areas and vice versa.

16.A project is never complete

Find all about the Pareto Principle (Law of disproportionate results). 20% of the inputs produce 80% of the results. Find the 20% in your situation and concentrate on those!

17.The hype train is real, but take it with a grain of salt

Where the puck was, where it is, and where it will be, new players are, good players are, and great players are.

The hype surrounding a technology can give you an idea of where the market is going, but new inventions have a high likelihood of failing, so you should always take it with a grain of salt.

18.Learn what NOT to learn

It is simply not humanly possible to learn everything. Try everything first to test the waters, then pick the technology that most appeals to you.

19.Humility is your superpower

Be proud of your accomplishments on the inside, yet modest about them on the outside. You won't get far by boasting.

20.Consistency: Secret sauce to achieve outstanding outputs with average inputs

Nobody ever become a professional by working 20 hours a day, but many others did it by working 1 hour every day for 20 days. You feed your brain, which needs time to process the information.