
2 Steps to Becoming a Great Developer - jmonegro
http://theadmin.org/articles/2010/04/16/two-steps-to-becoming-a-great-developer/
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dinde
I can definitely appreciate the fears listed in step one. I am about four
years into my career and have recently begun realizing that I will not surpass
what I consider mediocrity without taking steps beyond my 9-5 job. Now that I
have begun looking seriously at my path, it is amazing to look back at the
fears that have been holding me back. I have been afraid to start my own side
projects, out of fear that I won't be able to contend with what other people
can do. I had to have the very obvious realization that I will never get
better if I don't try, and that everyone has to start exactly where they are.
Since then it is like a light has gone off, and I have become much more
appreciative of those who try, rather than hold back and criticize. Thanks for
posting this.

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bbuffone
"I have been afraid to start my own side projects, out of fear that I won't be
able to contend with what other people can do"

Why do you care? Taking some one else's code and rewriting is a great way to
learn. First, you don't need your own idea. Second, there is already a
"viable" solution you can learn from and third, you can get to the meat of
being a great coder. "How can I make XYZ better, simpler, more performant..."

Once you learn thoughs skills you can go off and create yor own projects. Look
at all the things people love today, they are simpler. better architected,
more performant versions of existing solutions. Apache -> ngnx, MySQL -> ...,

If you are afraid to fail or worry about what others think you won't be a
great coder.

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AndrejM
These blog posts are kind of like those "Learn this language in 24 hours"
books. They're not bad per se, but it's as if becoming a great developer is
some kind of <insert-number-here>-step process. Becoming great is, in my
opinion, not a final destination. You can be great from day #1 by pushing
yourself to learn more, for every day in your life as a developer.

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blaix
That is essentially what this article is saying. It just gives a couple
concrete examples of how to do this. I think the title of the article does it
a disservice.

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aditya
Wow. What has Giles started?! This "I'll-teach-you-to-be-a-great-developer-
for-$$$" trend is scary...

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10ren
#5 is true: fear makes you tired.

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d0m
Is Eric Davis a great developer?

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ryanhuff
Maybe not (don't know him), but teaching is an entirely different skill set.
Perhaps he's not a great developer, but is a great teacher?

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ohashi
I can't emphasize this enough. It applies across all disciplines too. Great
teachers don't have to be the best in their field, most are not. However, in
my limited experience, those who _think_ they are best in their field are more
often than not awful teachers.

In those rare cases where they are both, it's something magical. I can only
think of 3-4 teachers that I have ever had that fit that bill.

