Taking the leap- What the roadmaps don't tell you.
There is a reason why 90% of folks who start learning web development never make it to the hirable professional pool.
Well if you have been learning web development for a while or let's say any web technology for that sake, there has to be a time when you have hit the wall, a kind of rock bottom in your learning curve. almost unrecoverable? and if you have not, I'm most certain that you'll soon do. it's inevitable.
A Small Introduction
Hi reader! I'm Siddhant, a tech enthusiast from India, currently dabbling in front-end web development, solidity, and design.
Well since this will be my first time publishing a "technical blog" I wanted the post to be somewhat personal to me and my journey in tech so far. Moving forward you can of course expect blog posts more on the technical side of things from me. but for today, here goes;
Speed;
Since the last couple of years, the internet has been flooding with these appealingly crisp roadmaps, threads, and hacks: ranging from "how to master javascript in a week" to "how to become a full stack developer in less than 3 months" and for obvious reasons, such content gains a lot of clicks and traction from the programming community. but I've always felt it to be a little deceiving. well, I'm in no way anti-speed, but the truth is that overconsumption of such content leads a beginner to a very unreal utopia. the one which deeply shatters him once he hits the wall, something which I'll elaborate further in the latter half of the post.
Starting to learn web development can be relatively easy as the initial learning curve is often not very steep, and it is possible to start seeing results quickly. But as you proceed in your quest you begin to understand how arduous it really is. Down below is what I would like to call, a somewhat accurate representation of the journey of a web developer.
Also having talked with countless developers, ranging from freshers learning to code to professionals at work, regarding this; there evidently seemed a pattern taking shape- It came to my notice that actually this wasn't something novel but people just didn't talk about it more often. come on who likes to publicly admit their lows, especially the ones capturing their crippling insecurities?
Most developers are never able to make it past the trough of sorrow, and those who momentarily do, are again somehow dragged back into it.
Just a side note: this is in no way a "motivational blog post" I do not even remotely intend to enter that domain but having personally gone through this stage for a sufficient period, I found it my moral duty to put a piece out there, a piece of alarm and caution while at the same time a piece of hope and comfort.
The Vicious Spiral
So what do I even mean by hitting the wall? I would define it as your slump as a programmer, the phase of massive imposter syndrome where you just seem to be faking your way through. On the outside, it sure may seem like you have learned quite a lot but your extremely self-aware conscience will know very well that you have just completed the bare minimum tutorials.
Moreover, the reason for me to emphasize the inevitability of you as a developer hitting the wall at some point in your journey is simply because it's just the nature of this vocation. We are in a vocation wherein we are bound to not know everything, wherein all we generally see on everyone's portfolio are the usual 4-5 set projects, wherein even the bests have to google and StackOverflow the simplest of things.
Elaborating further, it is a phase of extreme confusion and INACTION.
You take a break from programming which obviously extends more than what it should ever have.
You hesitate to register for that hackathon, that position, that fellowship, that everything that you had always wanted. Now you have merely become a spectator from the sidelines and maybe you actually are not good enough, you think.
You are always in search of 'that perfect moment'.
You try to peek and see what others around you are up to, and guess what? everyone seems to be doing just fine, actually great, people your age doing exceptionally well, GitHub streaks, tweets announcing internships, full-time offers, fellowships, and a hundred different things; all floating around your feed. and you just go numb.
This is when all the roadmaps consumption strikes you, it is when you notice you are not even remotely close to what you had been promised, forget the time lost. of course, you end up in a viciously spiraling loop of guilt, self-doubt, regret, and foremost: inaction.
- This by no means is to say that Roadmaps are the root cause, the only thing I'm trying to imply is that one should be mindful of setting realistic goals instead of chasing an impractical objective only to later regret it.
One of the integral aspects of this phase is also what we all know as Tutorial Hell (which is continuously hopping from tutorial to tutorial, without significantly achieving or learning anything)
The Way Out
The reason why I'm able to write all of this with such great detail is that I had myself been stuck in this trough of sorrow, this seemingly everlasting loop for a significant amount of time. Although I'm still learning and not a working professional, I think I have curated a very exhaustive set of 10 actionable mental models that genuinely helped me traverse through and come out of it alive.
Tutorial Hell-
Learn the Basics.
Follow through an intermediate/advanced tutorial.
Build, Build and Build.
Revisit and cover what's left in detail.
Bonus: Join a community of like-minded folks who help you get unstuck.
Imposter Syndrome-
There is no timeline.
Take accountability for every single hindrance that stops you from doing what you want to (programming).
The world around you is designed by people no smarter than you.
Courage is in shorter supply than Genius.
Bonus: Know that the imposter syndrome is here to stay, don't fight but rather embrace and outwork it.
I have purposely avoided elaborating on the pointers (come on you are smart enough) The reason being to keep it as concise as possible; to let you know that NO, you haven't missed out on anything, there is nothing that you don't know. All you will ever need to traverse through is right here in these 10-pointers. Just declutter whatever you were up to all this while and restart, the time gone doesn't matter.
There is no timeline, remember? :)
Hope you found this post helpful and encouraging enough to take the leap that you always knew you had to but so far have been hesitant about.