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In our previous post we talked briefly about the benefits of learning to code and the different ways of achieving that.As a student of Alida School, the end of your course is actually the beginning of your learning journey. While your time as a student may be officially over, in order to become a top tier software developer you’ll have to continue to learn daily.Whether that’s JavaScript, Python, Vue, CSS, is irrelevant.
The most important is for you to know how to apply the core fundamentals while coding. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in software development and don’t know where to start, this is your go-to guide for skills, salaries and the best programming languages to learn.Software development is a dynamic and ever-changing field. As the saying goes, change is is the only constant and beginners often feel overwhelmed by how much they did to learn even to just get a junior software development role.
1) Step out of your comfort zone and try new programming languagesTry to use different programming languages even the ones that you think you don’t like. You love Python but you never tried JavaScript, well give it a go and you may find a new best friend.Front end development is your cup of tea but have you ever tried back end development? You may find a new love my friend!
2) Find a mentorAt Alida School, we’re big believers that the best way to learn is by doing that’s why we run 12 weeks and 24 weeks coding cohorts. As a student you’ll make mistakes, that’s life.However, we don’t expect you to make the same mistakes as the ones that senior programmers made when they were junior programmers.A great mentor will help you with problem-solving, to navigate your career path and challenge your way of thinking.In the case that you cannot find a (great) mentor, the best alternative is to do pair programming.
3) Optimize for your career, not for your salaryAt the beginning of your career, you should always seek to work in places where you’ll grow and develop both personally and professionally.When assessing prospective employers, ask yourself these five questions:
1- Will you have a supportive and knowledgeable mentor at the company?
2- Do you have a keen interest in the company’s sector? For instance, if you like edtech and fintech but don’t like healthtech and legal tech, can you see yourself working in one of those companies for the next two or three years?
3- Will you learn and be able to do something new at this company?
4- Can you choose the tools of your work?
5- Will you be able to contribute or create value at the company?If you answered yes to four out of the five questions, in that case you’re definitely in a company that will facilitate your growth.
4) Join a community of programmersWe all heard it at least once: You’re the average of your five friends.Join a group of like-minded individuals with similar interests as yours. Answer each other questions - you learn a lot by teaching others - help each other grow, network, share memes, have a laugh, make the most of it.By answering other people questions or by helping them to debug their code, you’ll start to build a stronger connection with your community and also learn how to mentor other people.
5) Create coding content: Coding tutorial or write a blog postCreating online content such as coding tutorials of your favourite coding languages or favourite apps, technical writing or writing a blog post about the last programming that you learned will accelerate your growth as a software developer.
These are great ways to:
Document your learning and growth as a software developer.Strengthen your knowledge on specific topicsBuild your reputation as an expertWe hope you found these recommendations beneficial.
