Choosing to Focus
The struggles of a junior developer trying to learn everything.
The struggle is certainly real! In the grand scheme of things I am very early in the stages of developing my skills as a software engineer. Sure I know the fundamentals of a couple languages and a few frameworks and I can translate this knowledge into faster learning as I continue to broaden my scope. But here is where the struggle begins. I spend time everyday networking on LinkedIn and Twitter being inundated by what technologies others are using and the ‘hot trends’ making the rounds. I read articles on Dev and Medium to learn techniques, I peruse my iPhone news app for the latest tech advancements and releases, and I walk away with this overwhelming feeling that I need to learn EVERYTHING and I need to learn it RIGHT NOW.
I frequently find myself treading water, grasping on to little bits of knowledge from seven different technologies, and walking away feeling nothing but discouraged and a sinking feeling that I have completely wasted my time.
About a month ago I set out to change this. How can I set myself up for success to effectively continue to learn and advance myself? I did what many people have done before me. Create a schedule or roadmap that can keep me on track.
How to Create a Roadmap…
It is important when going about this that you do what works best for you. I for example get overwhelmed and feel trapped if I have a detailed schedule planned out a month ahead of me. To accommodate my needs I schedule my calendar two weeks ahead. The first week is pretty set in stone with tasks categorized by important and stretch goals. The second week is pretty flexible, It’s more of a list of suggestions and bullet points for things I need or want to accomplish. On Friday each week I officially set up the following weeks schedule based on what stretch goals I didn’t accomplish, what challenges I ran into during the week, and what things I wanted to learn that will fit into my schedule.
How Do I Choose What to Learn…
There are three essential things I need to work on every week.
- Make connections and send out applications for jobs
- Continue to learn Algorithms and Data Structures
- Build Projects
I set a block of time each day to look at job postings, research companies, and network with other professionals. I allow myself to use any avenue I find to be successful, maybe one week I find all of my opportunities via Twitter, maybe one networking call led me to someone else, it doesn’t matter how it happens as long as I have made two new networking connections each day.
Another portion of each day is set aside to practice algorithms. Again the platform or method can be anything. There are endless possibilities out there for ways to learn. It is important to find what works for you. I work best with a little competition so I start by learning strategies and then practicing those strategies on sites like codewars to challenge myself.
The last portion of my day is the fun part … building things! I try to build a project with a goal in mind. For example I need to learn React Hooks, I am going to make a scheduling WebApp and learn Hooks as I build. Throughout the course of building it I will inevitably run into an unforeseen challenge. If I am really struggling with design and aligning a page, I will identify mastering CSS FlexBox as something I need to add to next weeks calendar. Maybe I want to add an animation that I have never done before, or I want to use google Firebase for my sign in. These are all identified as the new skills I need to learn.
Is This Bringing Me Success…
Lastly, but most importantly, I had to realize that my approach may need to change as I go. What works for me this week, may not be working for me next week. I have to allow myself the flexibility to tweak my approach without loosing focus of my learning goals in order to consistently be effective.
We all learn differently, at different paces, by different means. Acknowledge this and use it to your advantage. Use your strengths to ultimately overcome your weaknesses and you will find success and maintain purpose in the vast ocean of obtainable knowledge.
Happy Learning Everyone!
