Mindset to Becoming a Better Coder

Posted by Kari O'Neal on August 17, 2020

I have put together a list of mindsets that I have found to help me become a better coder, and I would like to share them with you.

1.) In everyday life pick apart and place in order, each step you need to take in order to complete a task. You have to break it all the way down, as if you were to write a program for it. For example, waking up and making toast for breakfast. Just thinking, I will put a slice of bread in the toaster, press the button, and it will pop up, will not include all of the steps it takes in order to make toast. There are many things that you do before putting the slice of bread in the toaster, such as simply walking to the kitchen.

2.) Google is your VERY BEST FRIEND!! If you do not know how to do something or have forgotten the syntax, google it!

3.) Patience, and more patience!!! Be patient and calm with yourself and others. This will allow you to think your way through the problem rather than becoming frustrated.

4.) Think your way through problems and use debugging tools such as pry, byebug, debugger and React/Redux chrome tools. There is nothing wrong with experimenting. In fact, it is one of the ways we learn things. But, by using debugging tools, it allows you to solve the problems much faster.

5.) Be open-minded and know that there is usually more than one way to code the exact same line you just wrote.

6.) Look for building patterns and create a flow that works for you. I use this especially in Javascript. The Javascript mantra I use is “When some event happens, I want to make what kind of fetch, and manipulate the DOM in what way.”

7.) Eat, sleep, and think CODE!!!!!!

Have a Happy Coding Day!!!