5 mistakes that prevent a programmer from building a career
Difficult and unpredictable IT career career. Sometimes you can stumble and fall just because you can not keep up with the technology. We will not panic, but will learn from the mistakes of others. Sharing
In order not to make typical mistakes - find alternative ways to prove yourself, find a job or just get a cash reward. For example, solving the problems of large companies and startups is now possible . ')
1. Do not have a specific goal
Moving through life without thinking about where and why you are going is a rather dull business. You cannot always go with the flow, especially if you want to achieve success in at least something. If you want to build a career in IT, you should be aware of exactly what you are going to do. It’s not enough to just dream about the ideal code and eternal glory - you need to be able to set specific and achievable tasks that will help you to move up the career path in the future. After all, you yourself have seen people who have worked in the same position for decades. Their worn outfits faded from the dust, and their beards on their faces compete in length and pomp with their own anecdotes. If you do not clearly admit to yourself what you want to achieve, then you risk being in their club. So grab your head and start building and implementing plans for the future. To be faithful, you can write down these thoughts and hang them on the wall. Nonsense, but motivating.
2. Do not develop your "soft skills"
Do you know what programmers do best? Truly, write code! They can comprehend and build the most complex architecture in the mind, which is completely beyond our control, commoners. But you know what? Caught in a situation where you need to make an urgent decision, motivate the team or do some work in addition to writing code, many of them will be in a stupor. If you want to become more than just a programmer, then it is in your best interest to develop in all respects. To survive the deadlines will help you competent motivation, self-regulation and clever to determine priorities. You'd be surprised, but sports can help you easily manage all of the above. Go to cooking classes or learn how to negotiate - you never know which of your skills will help you next time.
3. Do not be part of society
Most people have a daily need for communication, friendship and support. People like to be part of something bigger, to feel each other's support. Many programmers boldly destroy this stereotype and limit themselves to communicating with themselves and with machines.
We still advise you to “go out”: learn to work in a team, participate in camps and in hackathons. If you absolutely do not want to meet people face to face, then at least start your non-anonymous blog (the thread does not count for two). In the end, to capture the world is much easier in a team of like-minded people than alone.
4. Do not study
Nothing is more important than your education. And we are not talking about the university. In order to be "in trend", you need to constantly monitor what is happening in the IT world. In addition, you need to have a "foundation" - a few books and courses that will become your indispensable source of information and confidence in your knowledge. Make a small plan: for example, read two articles per week or one book per month or spend 45 minutes a day on your education. This is the best investment for your successful future.
5. Do not have specialization
Find yourself a small niche and become a specialist in it. This does not mean that you should not do anything other than that (see clause 2). Just devote more time to one thing, to what is most relevant and interesting for you right now. The demand for qualified specialists is incredibly high, they have fewer competitors and higher wages. Plus, imagine how cool you will feel when you realize that you are doing something cooler than everyone else on our planet. Let it be your superpower.