Ask HN: Something you wish you knew before you started coding?
If you could go back in time to when you first started coding and give yourself any advice that would help you develop better or faster, what would it be?
9 comments
Funnel some of your money into hiring a therapist or coach or both.
Choose a niche tech stack and learn everything there is to know about that. Don't worry when others are interested in new languages etc, only pick up new tech when it's becoming mainstream and related to your tech stack.
Become the best in your own world and aim to become a contractor.
Funnel your funds and create diverse investments in other's startups rather than do your own. Spend your time learning about investing instead of working on ideas on the side.
Learn to separate yourself from work, and don't invest any more energy than what you're contractually obliged to do. Learn to say no, don't install slack on your phone, don't over exert yourself - make it your goal to stay calm and not have issues pump your adrenaline or stress levels. Strive to be Monklike.
Learn to love what you do outside of work. Find joy in weekends and stepping away from the machine.
Oh - one other thing I'd do is hire other developers in areas I'm weak in to help tutor me and improve my skills.
Choose a niche tech stack and learn everything there is to know about that. Don't worry when others are interested in new languages etc, only pick up new tech when it's becoming mainstream and related to your tech stack.
Become the best in your own world and aim to become a contractor.
Funnel your funds and create diverse investments in other's startups rather than do your own. Spend your time learning about investing instead of working on ideas on the side.
Learn to separate yourself from work, and don't invest any more energy than what you're contractually obliged to do. Learn to say no, don't install slack on your phone, don't over exert yourself - make it your goal to stay calm and not have issues pump your adrenaline or stress levels. Strive to be Monklike.
Learn to love what you do outside of work. Find joy in weekends and stepping away from the machine.
Oh - one other thing I'd do is hire other developers in areas I'm weak in to help tutor me and improve my skills.
As beginner try the old frameworks.
They always have amazing documentation with a lot of wisdom.
most corner cases has been explored and discussed.
Even the source code is well documented
most corner cases has been explored and discussed.
Even the source code is well documented
"Stick to game development. You might be bad at art, but don't let that stop you, because man, when you decide to work in financial tech instead, it'll slowly but surely raise your anxiety levels until you implode and break down. There is no creativity in making function-first apps constrained upon client specs; avoid it while you can afford to."
1. take care of your neck
2. write more smaller functions that do one thing instead of shoving all logic into a single massive method
I learned how to program in highschool, and we weren't taught at all how to organize code in a readable and maintainable way. "more smaller functions" would have been a helpful advice.
2. write more smaller functions that do one thing instead of shoving all logic into a single massive method
I learned how to program in highschool, and we weren't taught at all how to organize code in a readable and maintainable way. "more smaller functions" would have been a helpful advice.
Write tests as you write code.
Test as you finish code chunks.
Don’t wait until the “end” to scramble and test what you’ve developed.
Go for a walk when stuck/blocked.
This is one that I just recently started doing it with fantastic results.
Learn to communicate with people and figure out what they really want.
It can save you many hours of headaches.
It can save you many hours of headaches.
Take care of your back.