How to Get Ahead of 99% of Self Taught Developers (Starting Today)

Summary

This video provides actionable advice for self-taught developers who want to stand out and join the elite 1% club. Key tips include learning with purpose, focusing on in-demand skills, avoiding distractions, mastering fundamentals over frameworks, and tackling bigger projects that challenge you. The speaker emphasizes consistency, deep work, and problem-solving over memorization. Additionally, the importance of embracing struggles, avoiding comparisons with others, and staying committed to your learning journey are stressed. Ultimately, the path to success involves hard work, patience, and perseverance to eventually become a hireable developer.

Takeaways

• 😀 Learn with a purpose: Focus on the specific area of software development you want to enter and align your learning with job market demands.
• 😀 Research job market trends: Focus on skills and technologies with a lot of job openings to increase your employability.
• 😀 Set a structured learning schedule: Treat your learning process like a college or bootcamp curriculum with deadlines and dedicated time for daily practice.
• 😀 Consistency over speed: Prioritize consistent progress in learning rather than rushing through materials without retaining knowledge.
• 😀 Minimize distractions: Turn off notifications, avoid social media, and focus solely on learning to ensure deep work and concentration.
• 😀 Focus on one course at a time: Avoid juggling multiple courses or tutorials simultaneously to prevent information overload.
• 😀 Master fundamentals before frameworks: Gain a strong understanding of core programming concepts before diving into complex frameworks or libraries.
• 😀 Problem-solving over memorization: Shift your mindset from memorizing syntax to solving problems and understanding the reasoning behind solutions.
• 😀 Build projects that challenge you: Take on complex, real-world projects to push your limits and stand out from other developers.
• 😀 Embrace the learning struggle: Coding is difficult and requires time and persistence. Accept challenges and understand that growth comes from overcoming them.
• 😀 Don’t compare yourself to others: Everyone learns at a different pace. Focus on your own progress and avoid letting others’ speed affect your confidence.

Q & A

What is the first step in getting ahead as a self-taught developer?

The first step is to learn with a purpose. Rather than aimlessly learning random topics, you should research what skills are in demand in the job market and focus on mastering those areas.

Why is it important to focus on job-relevant skills?

Focusing on job-relevant skills ensures that your efforts align with market demand. If you spend time learning skills that employers aren't hiring for, you’ll struggle to find a job after learning to code.

How should you structure your learning process as a self-taught developer?

You should set up a structured learning schedule, much like you would in a formal educational setting like college or boot camps. Consistency is key—make coding a daily habit and ensure you're progressing steadily.

What is the significance of learning how to code every day?

Learning to code every day builds consistency and helps reinforce concepts. While it might not always be realistic, even dedicating a couple of hours daily can make a significant difference in your progress.

How can you avoid wasting time while learning to code?

You can avoid wasting time by learning with purpose, setting a realistic schedule, and sticking to a roadmap. Recognizing that coding takes time and not rushing through the process is also essential.

Why is it better to prioritize understanding over speed when learning to code?

It’s more beneficial to understand concepts deeply and retain them rather than rushing through tutorials and memorizing code. The real learning happens during projects and exercises that reinforce your understanding.

What is deep work, and why is it essential when learning to code?

Deep work involves eliminating distractions and fully concentrating on the task at hand. Turning off notifications, staying off social media, and focusing on coding without interruptions help you retain information and solve problems more effectively.

What are the risks of learning multiple courses or topics at once?

Learning multiple courses at once can lead to confusion, as the information may start bleeding over. It's more effective to focus on one course or tutorial at a time to build solid foundational knowledge before moving on.

Why should you focus on fundamentals before jumping into frameworks?

Understanding the fundamentals before learning frameworks or libraries helps you grasp how these tools work under the hood. It makes you more adaptable and allows you to use frameworks more effectively.

What mindset should you adopt when solving problems as a developer?

You should focus on problem-solving rather than memorizing syntax. Being an architect of solutions involves understanding how code works and learning to read documentation, debug, and adapt solutions to real-world problems.

How can building bigger projects help you become a better developer?

Building more complex projects pushes you beyond your comfort zone and forces you to solve real-world challenges. It helps you stand out to employers and gives you the practical experience needed to work on larger, more sophisticated applications.

How should you handle the inevitable struggles that come with learning to code?

You should embrace the struggle as part of the learning process. Coding is challenging, and it’s normal to feel lost at times. Stick with it, focus on the small wins, and don't compare your progress to others. Consistency and patience are key.