Things to Remember on Your Journey

Months have past since I committed myself to becoming a software engineer. Reflecting on my journey thus far here are somethings that I feel are important:

Your Learning Style Take time to understand your learning style! When embarking on a technical journey it is so beneficial. You will be learning so much new information and it's no good if you don't retain any of it. Of course, there are so many bootcamp and tutorials, etc. on various topics but if it doesn't help if you aren't able to retain the information that is presented to you. I've discovered that I retain new information better by reading it first. Then attempting to do tutorials or starting my own project. Starting with tutorials left me confused when it was time to begin a project independently. By understanding your learning style, it ensures that you are getting most of the material. Figure out your learning style through this site take a free quiz.

Network! Network! Network! We all hear it how beneficial it is when looking for a job. I've been networking with new and experienced developers/engineers and the support that I've received is amazing. Along this journey self-doubt has kicked in and having others that understand the challenges that you are going through is so beneficial. Also so many tips and resources have been shared with me that I would've never learned about if I didn't begin networking. Now I have people/groups to reach out to when I'm having challenges with my code or just self-doubt. Twitter has been my top platform for networking due to it being less formal in comparison to LinkedIn. I've been able to find like-minded individuals but also so many groups/discords just by following hashtags. Don't be afraid to reach out A simple introduction and brief question can go a long way. There are so many people will and wanting to help.

Ask for Help In the past I've sat on a coding problem for days before I understood the issue which is so unproductive and discouraging. I wasted so much time dwelling on a problem when I could have asked for help and moved on. Especially taking the self taught route, it can be lonely and you need that feedback to ensure that you are on the right track.
Best practice when you are stuck is to spend no more than an hour on a problem before you reach out for help. Always give yourself grace, you are still learning somethings may not click initially.

Let Go of Perfectionism This is something I am just getting my head around. When you are learning ALOT of your projects are going to be ugly. Accept it and move on. I was so stuck on trying to get my projects pixel perfect that I would loss confidence when I couldn't achieve it. GRACE! Give yourself grace. The more you practice the better you will get.

All in all continue to push through and remember why you started!