The despair of not being good

Dear new developer, I recently learned a new skill. And I wasn't good at it. (The skill, if you must know, was writing with a certain tone for a corporate blog. But the lessons below apply for any skill.) I don't like being "not good", aka bad, at something. Especially since it was adjacent to … Continue reading The despair of not being good →

Contextual advice for new developers

Dear new developer, A few months ago I asked Marie Chatfield, a front end developer and advice columnist, what her one best piece of advice for new developers was. She wrote a great response. From the post: For the self-taught programmer: I am amazed at your dedication and perseverance and ability to learn from different … Continue reading Contextual advice for new developers →

Don’t be afraid to “fail”

This is a guest post from Cierra Nease. Enjoy. Dear new developer, “Failures” as a new developer are plenty -- but you might be asking, why is “failures” in quotes? To fail something is dependent upon one’s perspective. The only true failure is to quit working towards success. Every failure brings a small success in … Continue reading Don’t be afraid to “fail” →

Get used to failure

Dear new developer, I was chatting with someone I met at a meetup who was about to graduate from a bootcamp. I asked him what his advice to a new developer would be. He said that it would be "get used to failure, and get used to working through it." I thought that advice was … Continue reading Get used to failure →