Normally people recommend doing a project a day to help build your skills and quell the feelings of being an imposter in the tech field. I think that is a great path to follow, especially when you want to try out different techniques and technologies all in one project. However, sometimes we choose projects that are already created and we just copy as we follow along, which can lead us right into tutorial hell. While this is beneficial for beginners, when we are trying to get a better understanding of a coding language and how we can build on its foundations, we can become stuck in one aspect of coding for too long, and lose out on building our skills in others.  

I think it is better to focus on one area of code that is a weak point for you, and spend time each day improving on that. For me, that area of programming is algorithms. I thought that I would just always struggle with them, and was prepared to let that be my story. Now, I am working on combating that and changing the trajectory of my story.

I once had a coding instructor that suggested that I use CodeWars to help me practice working with algorithms. Every time I would go on that site, I ended up quickly hitting the “X” at the top right corner of my browser.  I falsely led myself to believe that algorithms just weren’t for me because I started learning them later in my life. I acted as if they were these arcane teachings of a secret society that I couldn’t access. 

So I decided that I would spend at least 30 minutes to 1 hour coding algorithms everyday for at least 5 days to start. I reunited with CodeWars and tried to solve algorithms without searching for or unlocking the solution. I would just think of what I wanted to do and the methods I wanted to use, and I searched for documentation that would help me understand how to properly use the methods. I definitely felt as though this was better for me than just plowing through tutorials, or building a project from scratch. 

I like to understand the components that go into project building, and how to improve on those so that I have a better idea of how to connect those components to build a project. I have built projects before, from scratch, but my knowledge of newer methods and coding best practices wasn’t very extensive at that point in my web development career. So the code often involved me squeezing together what I thought should work, not necessarily what was the most efficient or easy to read.

Now I am gaining a better understanding of the different ways that I can solve a problem, instead of sticking to what I am comfortable with. This helps deepen my understanding of JavaScript and gives me a better appreciation for the language. I’m learning to not be afraid of learning new things. There were times when I didn’t know any of what I know now, and I have to remember what I did during those times to acquire that knowledge.

As we get older, we sometimes forget about the learning process. Even though we do become settled in our viewpoints and our knowledge as we age, we definitely are not incapable of learning. Practicing a skill helps to develop proficiency and efficiency over time. Our knowledge is dynamic, not static or fixed. Any information that I do not know, that is necessary for me to know, I have to employ myself with the responsibility to find that information. Then, once I keep working on building that knowledge with the information I gather, I can and will gain confidence in my chosen field. This is something that we all have to recognize and work on as we continue on our paths to become better at our chosen career paths and develop our confidence in our abilities.