How to Motivate Yourself to Be a Good Programmer

 

Coding can be a tough nut to crack and we all struggle to find a boost of motivation when we feel overwhelmed by a challenge. Writing code is almost like a work of art and staying motivated is the key to achieving the highest possible quality of code. To find that boost of motivation, you have to know what makes you tick and keeps you going despite the challenges and hardships. After some serious introspection, I have gathered a few tips to help inspiring programmers to find the motivation that they need to excel in their fields.

Make Sure You Have a Flair for It

If you want to be a good programmer, make sure this is something you really want to do. Especially if you are just getting your feet wet in coding, remembering your purpose for learning and your passion for the field will help you stay motivated on occasions when your code is in knots and you are not getting the hang of things. Don’t worry if you don’t feel an obsession with all things code or if you can’t relate to coding memes all the time; these things happen when you have spent considerable time on coding.

Choose Consistency over Speed

For developers, “slow and steady wins the race” holds true! When you are just starting out and learning new things by the hour, you want to rush into things and burn the midnight oils studying and practicing. You can’t drink in the vast ocean of coding and go from complete newbie to professional web developer in a few weeks or months, and may even end up getting exhausted and giving up altogether. It will be much easier to keep yourself motivated if you set realistic goals for yourself and stick to them. Even if you can only put aside 1 hour for practicing every day, you will have accomplished 7 hours in a week, about 28 hours in a month! Even small efforts, when consistently done, can lead to big accomplishments. Consistency is the key to avoid burnout and realize your goals.

Buddy Up With Other Developers

Meeting other developers who may be in the same boat, sharing common struggles, finding solutions, and picking the brains of professionals in the industry is great for developers. Stay on the lookout for meet-ups or other networking events in your local area or join professional societies and attend their specific topic conferences for garnering hands-on knowledge. Hanging out with other developers who have common interests with you, be it in person or in virtual settings, helps you stay motivated. Join coding forum and communities to stay abreast of new languages and platforms, pick up coding hacks, and contribute to open-source projects. Attending conferences will not only help you increase your knowledge base but also build your network. 

Get a Mentor

You can’t imagine how much you can gain by getting a mentor, be it a coding guru or a senior colleague. A mentor can help you avoid the roadblocks and mistakes that you are bound to fall prey to as a newbie. A mentor who has “been there, done that”, knows what it is like to start out as a developer and offers invaluable advice based on real-world experience. Finding a suitable mentor opens up numerous doors of opportunities for you. Make the most of your mentorship by seeking help in preparing for interviews and landing jobs, through pair-programming, or by asking for help wherever you are stuck. Mentors are proven motivators that will guide you to the finish line.

Celebrate Small Wins

Coding is not everybody’s cup of tea and you should be glad of how well you are getting the grasp of it. If you are still in the learning process, be mindful of the fantastic progress you make learning a new language. Not only should you be proud of your accomplishments along your learning journey, but also share your wins with others. There’s no reason not to celebrate the hard working efforts you have put in with your co-workers, friends, family, and fellow members of the tech community. Even as a professional developer, never cease to celebrate your happiness at completing a project, receiving positive feedback from superiors, adding a new skill set to your repertoire, solving a complex challenge, or even the progress you have made in your career. If you ever feel frustrated or can’t find the motivation to put one foot forward in front of the other, remembering these milestones will inspire you to continue excelling forward.

Bid Adieu to the Imposter Syndrome

Not only beginners, but even experienced professionals can’t always shake off the feeling of not being good enough. Perhaps coders are most vulnerable to this feeling since programming and web development are such broad fields, with new frameworks being introduced every day, different technology stacks to master, and several programming languages to get the hang of. Many aspiring developers get overwhelmed with trying to “learn it all”. If you truly want to conquer the imposter syndrome, you need to remember that no one can learn all there is to know about coding. The most you can do is to ace one or even two programming languages and perhaps acquire some level of familiarity with a few others, but that’s about it.

Instead of spreading yourself too thin trying to learn everything at once, you would do well to learn one main language and one stack and become a pro at it! The more proficient you become in your language and platform of choice, the more confident you will feel. The key is to be patient with yourself and realize that learning to code is not a sprint; it is a marathon. Don’t rush into things, it will take years for you to truly master something. If you can focus on one skill at a time, exercising patience and continuity, you will be better equipped to tackle the imposter syndrome.