The journey of a million miles begins with one step.
If you’re currently getting into coding, you could not have picked a better time. This was me when I decided to test the unknown waters in the field of software development.
When you first start learning code, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the content available. In the 21st century, web developers’ demand is sky-high and shows no signs of slowing down.
Does this prompt you to want a piece of the cake?
You’re not alone. Better starting salaries and high demand have drawn a lot of people to web development.
But before you start making any haste decisions, read this article for some prompts.
1. Think Code, Eat Code, Breathe Code
If you’ve chosen web development as your preferred career, then coding and programming should be your everyday life.
This means you need to ensure you understand every aspect of programming. If you are a guitarist or an actor but don’t play the guitar or act every day, there will be no difference between you and someone who lives and breathes their specialization with a passion.
As a programmer, you’re not left out of this notion as it also applies to you.
I advise that you make a substantial effort to make your life revolve around programming and coding if you want to make a competent web developer.
Learn everything you can about coding and practice consistently so you comprehend the nitty-gritty details of programming languages.
2. Do Some Research
By now, you understand that technology is a vast field. No lie, ask Elon Musk.
This means there are different areas in technology that require specific skills. If you want to discover the right role for yourself, do some ground digging first. Some of the major tech areas include web development, data science, UI/UX design, product design, etc.
Armed with this knowledge, you can now go ahead and explore the area that you find most exciting.
3. Dig Deeper
You might be thinking that a junior web developer needs to understand a plethora of different languages and technologies, right?
You’re wrong.
Some of the standard requirements you will find on job requirements include experience in Node, React Native, React, Vue, and Angular.
To be honest, this sounds overwhelming if you’re just starting.
I should point out that you cannot know all this at the incept of your career. Don’t make the mistake of trying to learn several frameworks at a time.
As a word of caution, don’t bite more than you can chew.
All you need is an in-depth understanding of a few critical topics. Ideally, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and one JavaScript framework are what you need for front-end web development.
Over time, you’ll be able to understand some of the other complex topics as you progress with your career.
4. Have Mentor(s)
In this digital age, we’ve been graced with a very critical asset: the internet. It is broad and knowledgeable and with plenty of information.
Even with the internet available as a resource, I still recommend having a mentor.
A mentor will help you in following recommended practices based on their experience. Additionally, they have a network of people who could refer you to potential future opportunities.
5. Be Passionate About this Journey
Aim to try and better yourself both professionally and personally.
I recommend that you try coding and experimenting with a variety of tools. This means implementing new ways to write and automate code.
Make coding part of your hobby. If this means skipping your Saturday night out with friends, to do some coding, so be it.
The key takeaway here is, try and code better than your last project.
6. You will Have Bad Days.
Don’t fall for oil merchants promising you to learn to code overnight.
Honestly, programming isn’t easy, and many are the times, you’ll get lost and confused along the way. Some bugs will take days to resolve. Some concepts will take days-on-end to unravel.
Be ready for endless frustrations. While this sounds discouraging, remember that failure is part of success; In a good way, of course. This puts you on the edge of trying new and challenging things.
Remember, the only way to grow is to go beyond your limits. Make failure your friend, and I can assure you you’ll see the benefits rapidly.
Over to You!
Even if it looks hard, just start.
Sometimes, choosing a particular technology career path doesn’t mean that’s what your career journey will always be about. My point is, you can start anywhere and eventually end up switching your career in the future.
Don’t fear to get your feet wet before you can decide to do precisely what you want.
The StoryTeller 