Harsh Truths No One Tells You About Programming

[Music] hey friends welcome back to my channel today we are going to be talking about something that i don't really see anyone else speaking about which is some harsh truths about programming even on this channel we speak a lot about the positives for coding building software technology in general but i really think it's important to highlight some of the harsh truths that maybe aren't spoken about as much when you are learning programming or are a programmer before we get into it though make sure to hit that subscribe button for more tech and coding related videos also as always shout out to some of these subscribers here thank you some of you have been with me for so long it's really amazing and i feel like we've built like it's really wonderful relationship and community so i'm curious to know though how long have you been with the tiffin tech community let me know down below okay let's get started as i mentioned in the beginning we talk a lot about the positives of coding and programming as well as really any kind of job in the tech industry quite often on this channel because there are so many but i wanted to talk to you today about some of the harsh truths that come along with programming the reason i want to do this is so when you are learning programming or if you are a programmer you can kind of be prepared as to what might come down when you are learning it isn't to discourage you or make you not want to continue on your programming path it's actually the opposite it's to prepare you with the skills or insight necessary that if you face some of these challenges you know that it's totally normal and you will get through it the first harsh truth that i want to talk to you today is no you cannot learn programming in one month i'm sure you've seen tons and tons of people or courses on the internet promising to make you a full stack developer in under 30 days or you know get paid six figures in under 30 days if you learn how to code it's very unlikely i'm not going to say impossible that that will be the case learning how to program just like once again really any skill takes time it takes consistency repetition and it's not just going to happen overnight especially if you are someone who is coming from a non-technical background learning to even think in a programmer way takes time to use that logical side of your brain especially if you're someone who's more creative it takes time and i can speak firsthand to that programming isn't just a few commands or frameworks or different languages you need to learn it's once again changing your entire mindset to think in a specific way to solve problems in a specific way and honestly i'm not just saying this to learn how to google in a proper way and what i mean by that is that comes with experience learning how to google questions that will actually get you the answer you need for the programming you are doing so if you see a course that says make you an expert programmer in one month or uh you know promises you the world there's probably more to it than they're letting on and that kind of brings me to another point i want to touch on a lot of coding bootcamps are only three months so can you become a proficient or amazing programmer after that the answer is it really depends on what kind of background you had before getting into the boot camp for myself i came from next to no experience before i went to a coding bootcamp so when i finished it i definitely even after three months didn't feel completely ready to get a job but i think that's okay you're never going to feel completely ready or at least when you're starting out and you just need to be aware of the mindset of continuous learning and growing even once you graduate something like a coding bootcamp so yes first harsh truth number one is you cannot become this incredible amazing programmer in one month time if there's a chorus trying to sell you on this be a little hesitant be a little weary because that's really not the case it takes time and it's almost like a muscle the more you practice it the more you continue to learn the stronger and quicker it will grow the next harsh truth i want to talk about is tutorials and courses will not land you a job you can take all the tutorials and all the courses under the sun they are not going to be the main reason that you land a job yes of course taking tutorials and courses are a huge part in your learning and your growth alongside with building projects on your own but there's more to it than that yes even if you are an introvert and you want to stay you know just looking at your computer screen coding all day when you are landing your first job you need to network you need to step out of your comfort zone start meeting people if you're doing everything virtually right now start reaching out on linkedin landing your first job especially if you don't have any prior experience with a technical job or with programming you're going to need to network because of course they aren't going to hire you on your experience you don't have any you just have what you've been practicing and learning they're going to also need to know that okay does this person seem eager are they hungry do they want to keep on learning you know get to know you as a person and see that you would be a good fit for their team another reason why tutorials and courses will not help you land or not land you i should say your first job is because yes they are essential in your learning path but when you are applying to jobs they want to see a portfolio of projects that you have built you can either do two things you can build to tutorials and courses uh different pieces that are not part of that tutorial and make it your own or just completely build projects from scratch but when you're looking for a job you need to show that you have done some projects by scratch by yourself and no for a junior position this doesn't need to be a grandiose project it can be something honestly as simple as kind of a really interesting to-do list or modified to-do list obviously your portfolio needs to be more than that but don't think of these projects that you need to build the next instagram or facebook they do not need to be like that by any means they just want to see that you have the basics and foundation uh done and that you can do it without using a tutorial harsh truth number three oh this is a good one harsh truth number three comes and hits hard to me which is you will give up more than once what i mean by that is there are going to be days where you hate programming where you think why am i even spending my time doing this this is ridiculous i should just give up totally normal i'm saying it right now totally normal and it's okay to feel that way rather than trying to push those feelings away start by embracing them and realizing that okay these feelings are normal it's normal to feel this way it's normal to get frustrated with coding and that will really help that process of those feelings of so much you know frustration or feeling like you're not even improving it will help them subside quicker because you're rather than just trying to push them down you're recognizing they are there you know why they are there that it's totally normal and that they too will pass the last thing i want to point out with giving up or giving it multiple times when you are starting to learn how to code is that's okay recognize and really keep in mind maybe even write on a post-it or have a piece of paper that really reminds you as to why you learned or wanted to learn how to code in the first place that is a huge reason to stay motivated or not even motivated because a lot of times you're not going to feel motivated but disciplined to keep on going okay harsh truth number four i don't want to scare you with this one but it is you most likely will need to learn more not most likely you will need to learn more than one programming language yes it's the truth but before i even get into that i want to know if you are just learning how to code or learning your first programming language do not veer off this path and start learning another i really am a true believer put all your attention and focus into one language to begin with and then learn a second if you know you so desire or framework etc throughout your career though as a programmer it will be required of you to use different programming languages most likely so if you start out as a javascript developer there might be times where you need to use python where you need to pick up different frameworks you're constantly learning so even though this is a harsh truth that you won't be just stuck in the same programming language forever i think it's a really good harsh truth because it means that you're constantly learning and growing as a person and as technology continues to change and evolve so quickly of course we are going to need to as well to keep up with it the last harsh truth that i want to talk about today is your background matters i talk a lot about on this channel that anyone can get into tech or programming any kind of technical role without any kind of past experience and yes that is true how do i know it's true because i did it i was completely in the modeling and fashion world switched into coding did not go to university for coding and uh have a great job now so yes it is completely possible so why i say harsh truth of your background matters is because if you are coming from a path that you do not have any technical experience or any experience like i did in the tech industry getting your first job as a developer or really any technical role it's going to require work i'm being honest with you it's way harder to do that than if you are of course someone who comes from a computer science degree and had a family of computer programmers etc landing your first job without any prior experience in the industry or internships of course is going to be harder but that's not unique to tech i think it's just in life in general if you are breaking into a new industry however there is hope and a silver lining to this one of my favorite parts about being in tech and my process into getting into a developer role is that they care less about the piece of paper meaning whatever degree you have or don't have and they care more about the skills you can show the skills you can talk about your knowledge and i think that's really awesome because it really breaks down the barrier to entry for anyone who is wanting to get into tech you don't have to go back to school for four years or anything like that but you have to be persistent if you don't come from a background a technical background you have to be persistent and keep on pushing forward you're going to get there you just can't give up on that same note though i get so many messages from people who it sounds like have burnt out because they push and push and you know beat themselves up because they haven't got a job yet or you know they're not as far along in their learning journey with coding as they want to be and i want to highlight that it's so equally if not more important to recognize when you're feeling that way and take time for yourself too i'm saying be persistent i'm saying keep on pushing but don't do it to the point you are burning out or you know affecting your mental health that comes first and when you can kind of balance the two that's when you will get your dream job or at least a first job that will lead to your dream job okay those are my top harsh truths that no one really tells you about programming let me know in the comments some other harsh truths that if you are currently uh someone who already knows coding skills had to face when you were learning how to code or if you're currently learning some faced some issues that you have to face uh currently i love the community we are building one of the things i love the most is when i'm reading through the comments which i do my best to answer every single comment there is a lot um but i'm not complaining because it's all really wonderful comments honestly and i just love looking at my comments and seeing that other people will help out others so if there's a question that needs answering and i didn't get to it soon enough i see maybe more senior developers or senior people in tech even if they're not a developer uh answering their questions and i just think that's so honestly so amazing and i don't see many communities do that so thank you for helping each other out as well so shout out to all of you okay thank you for watching this video i hope you found it very helpful make sure to hit that subscribe button for more tech and coding related videos make sure to give it a thumbs up and i will see you all soon thanks everyone

Channel: Tiff In Tech

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Id: u4DU7iUUChI

Length: 12min 3sec (723 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 31 2021