We become professional PHP developers. Part 2: The Importance of Other People
I bring to your attention the translation of the second part of the series of articles “Becoming PHP professional”.
First part. "Missing link"
And now we will focus on the mentor system. In fact, this is my personal opinion, which was formed over the years I spent in this area, but nevertheless, I would advise everyone to read the article and find out how many people will agree and disagree with me.
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In the article “The Missing Link,” I mentioned that you can find a mentor, partner or friend to work together. I would like to consider this item in more detail.
When you study alone, you are most likely at a dead end. In fact, experienced programmers find themselves at a dead end more often than newbies, but the very speed with which they find a way out of this situation allows them to stand out from the gray mass.
If we take a closer look at this problem, then, on top of that, beginners slowly move forward only because they do not know where to look for a solution to their problems, or where to direct their thoughts. Alone, the novice stops in front of a problem he had never met before. This usually ends with the fact that he tries many solutions and, as a result, returns to what was at the very beginning.
When you have a partner who is also interested in this business and has proper motivation - whether it be your mentor, boss, member of your team, even a cat to whom you shout your versions of problem solving or an ordinary person who thinks logically and can help you with a solution - the problem is solved twice as fast.
Even an imaginary friend can help you at first, if one is not around. In most situations, I explained the problem to my boss, only to get half closer to the solution, and so I listed all the alternatives and “workarounds” to the solution.
But, you ask, since 2 heads can solve a problem 2 times faster (or even at the same time as expected), 10 heads can solve a problem 10 times faster, right? The answer is: not always.
They say that if you feel the smartest person in the room, then you are mistaken in the room. This applies to all areas of our life, but especially to the logical and scientific disciplines. Teamwork does not mean that you have to solve a problem as quickly as possible, if only you are working on it.
The most important thing is to know each member of the team well and to correspond to the level of professionalism of each of you, not to mention the level of individual development (although this influences the atmosphere in the team very well). Being on the same wavelength with your colleagues increases your brain activity, whereas if you are separated from your colleagues, it only hurts you. As a result, a good atmosphere in the team allows you to effectively solve problems.
If you are on a team, find someone you will admire, someone you want to beat. If you think this is bad, then I assure you that this is absolutely normal. Just be inspired and act! Equalize with them and develop. Learn from them, absorb all the information that you get when you are near them, talk. Never hesitate to ask for advice and do not be afraid to ask others for help.
If the mood in the team is hostile, or someone in it behaves in this way, if the atmosphere is depressing, if a key member of your team knows less than you and does not recognize it, you should choose a better place for yourself. Such a mood in a team not only opposes progress, but also slows it down. You will be surprised how often you will search for a solution on the Internet than you do now. Stay away from such people.
You have no team? Or does it fall apart and burst at the seams? It's time to get out of your comfort zone and find yourself a good mentor. If you are an introvert and you are not comfortable talking to strangers, although we, the developers, just need it, try searching for someone on various forums, or use pseudo-anonymous services, such as Wizpert.
If you need a more narrow-profile mentor, there is an excellent site for this! Meet - PHP Mentoring. How it works: people who share their knowledge and those who want to get it are registered on the page with a list of all participants. You need to specify only your name, city and level of your skills. Mentors indicate their area of activity, and students - what they want to master. In a way, this is something like a dating site - you are viewing a list of people, and if someone lives next to you, you can meet someone who will teach you or study with you personally or on the Internet.
You may be surprised when you find out how these same mentors feel. They make new acquaintances, communicate with new people and get pleasure from helping someone to improve. Some use such services in order to train someone to work in their own company or to take a team to develop their project. And most often students earn on this.
If you are engaged in this business, and it does not matter whether you are learning or studying, you should be punctual and constantly communicate with others. And it is important to note that being a student does not mean being a beginner. Someone may be an expert in OOP, but be weak in testing.
Do not underestimate your colleagues or their main specialty. If you have no one else, then your progress will stand still.
The most unpleasant and dangerous thing on the path of your transition from a beginner to a middle link is your ego. It can be affected for many reasons, but usually this happens for the following:
When this happens, the developer begins to think that he is absolutely right and his approach is the best. He believes so zealously that he even tries to convince his colleagues and clients to think like him. It is because of this that project development slows down and customers become frustrated. Also, your ego is detrimental to others, because it makes people blindly believe you and not think for themselves, and you also put pressure on your colleagues with your arrogance. Sometimes more assertive team members can stop you, but more often than not, you’ll just let it out.
But there is also the other side of the coin - an understatement of self-esteem. This, in truth, oppresses a person and he cannot work normally or develop. This happens, again, for various reasons, for example, when a pompous egoist realizes that he is wrong and is replaced by a more restrained specialist. This condition can last for several months, because of what you lose the most precious - time.
Surrounding people, whether online or in real life, can protect you from all this. A good mentor or partner will tell you that you are wrong and, so to speak, have gone astray. They will give you the proper motivation and will not let you freeze in one place.
As Bill Nye once said (“American engineer, actor and host of the Bill Nye the Science Guy program, translator comment):“ Any person you meet knows something you don’t know. ”
Don't underestimate others. Go to a conference or a meeting, even if you have not written a line of code, subscribe to various newsletters, read forums, talk to people - but never underestimate them! You can learn some knowledge by digging into the minds of others, be it a beginner or a professional. And who knows, maybe this drop will turn into a whole ocean.
First part. "Missing link"
And now we will focus on the mentor system. In fact, this is my personal opinion, which was formed over the years I spent in this area, but nevertheless, I would advise everyone to read the article and find out how many people will agree and disagree with me.
')
Learn and work with someone
In the article “The Missing Link,” I mentioned that you can find a mentor, partner or friend to work together. I would like to consider this item in more detail.
When you study alone, you are most likely at a dead end. In fact, experienced programmers find themselves at a dead end more often than newbies, but the very speed with which they find a way out of this situation allows them to stand out from the gray mass.
If we take a closer look at this problem, then, on top of that, beginners slowly move forward only because they do not know where to look for a solution to their problems, or where to direct their thoughts. Alone, the novice stops in front of a problem he had never met before. This usually ends with the fact that he tries many solutions and, as a result, returns to what was at the very beginning.
When you have a partner who is also interested in this business and has proper motivation - whether it be your mentor, boss, member of your team, even a cat to whom you shout your versions of problem solving or an ordinary person who thinks logically and can help you with a solution - the problem is solved twice as fast.
Even an imaginary friend can help you at first, if one is not around. In most situations, I explained the problem to my boss, only to get half closer to the solution, and so I listed all the alternatives and “workarounds” to the solution.
But, you ask, since 2 heads can solve a problem 2 times faster (or even at the same time as expected), 10 heads can solve a problem 10 times faster, right? The answer is: not always.
Team
They say that if you feel the smartest person in the room, then you are mistaken in the room. This applies to all areas of our life, but especially to the logical and scientific disciplines. Teamwork does not mean that you have to solve a problem as quickly as possible, if only you are working on it.
The most important thing is to know each member of the team well and to correspond to the level of professionalism of each of you, not to mention the level of individual development (although this influences the atmosphere in the team very well). Being on the same wavelength with your colleagues increases your brain activity, whereas if you are separated from your colleagues, it only hurts you. As a result, a good atmosphere in the team allows you to effectively solve problems.
If you are on a team, find someone you will admire, someone you want to beat. If you think this is bad, then I assure you that this is absolutely normal. Just be inspired and act! Equalize with them and develop. Learn from them, absorb all the information that you get when you are near them, talk. Never hesitate to ask for advice and do not be afraid to ask others for help.
If the mood in the team is hostile, or someone in it behaves in this way, if the atmosphere is depressing, if a key member of your team knows less than you and does not recognize it, you should choose a better place for yourself. Such a mood in a team not only opposes progress, but also slows it down. You will be surprised how often you will search for a solution on the Internet than you do now. Stay away from such people.
Learn and learn
You have no team? Or does it fall apart and burst at the seams? It's time to get out of your comfort zone and find yourself a good mentor. If you are an introvert and you are not comfortable talking to strangers, although we, the developers, just need it, try searching for someone on various forums, or use pseudo-anonymous services, such as Wizpert.
If you need a more narrow-profile mentor, there is an excellent site for this! Meet - PHP Mentoring. How it works: people who share their knowledge and those who want to get it are registered on the page with a list of all participants. You need to specify only your name, city and level of your skills. Mentors indicate their area of activity, and students - what they want to master. In a way, this is something like a dating site - you are viewing a list of people, and if someone lives next to you, you can meet someone who will teach you or study with you personally or on the Internet.
You may be surprised when you find out how these same mentors feel. They make new acquaintances, communicate with new people and get pleasure from helping someone to improve. Some use such services in order to train someone to work in their own company or to take a team to develop their project. And most often students earn on this.
If you are engaged in this business, and it does not matter whether you are learning or studying, you should be punctual and constantly communicate with others. And it is important to note that being a student does not mean being a beginner. Someone may be an expert in OOP, but be weak in testing.
Do not underestimate your colleagues or their main specialty. If you have no one else, then your progress will stand still.
Control your ego
The most unpleasant and dangerous thing on the path of your transition from a beginner to a middle link is your ego. It can be affected for many reasons, but usually this happens for the following:
- you coped well with a difficult task;
- too flattering reviews about you from a mentor;
- you are asked questions by newcomers to the team;
- you have successfully sold the site;
- you have been contacted to help write a book for a charlatan publishing house;
- and so on.
When this happens, the developer begins to think that he is absolutely right and his approach is the best. He believes so zealously that he even tries to convince his colleagues and clients to think like him. It is because of this that project development slows down and customers become frustrated. Also, your ego is detrimental to others, because it makes people blindly believe you and not think for themselves, and you also put pressure on your colleagues with your arrogance. Sometimes more assertive team members can stop you, but more often than not, you’ll just let it out.
But there is also the other side of the coin - an understatement of self-esteem. This, in truth, oppresses a person and he cannot work normally or develop. This happens, again, for various reasons, for example, when a pompous egoist realizes that he is wrong and is replaced by a more restrained specialist. This condition can last for several months, because of what you lose the most precious - time.
Surrounding people, whether online or in real life, can protect you from all this. A good mentor or partner will tell you that you are wrong and, so to speak, have gone astray. They will give you the proper motivation and will not let you freeze in one place.
Conclusion
As Bill Nye once said (“American engineer, actor and host of the Bill Nye the Science Guy program, translator comment):“ Any person you meet knows something you don’t know. ”
Don't underestimate others. Go to a conference or a meeting, even if you have not written a line of code, subscribe to various newsletters, read forums, talk to people - but never underestimate them! You can learn some knowledge by digging into the minds of others, be it a beginner or a professional. And who knows, maybe this drop will turn into a whole ocean.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/273609/
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