Did you study manual testing courses, but then become a programmer? Do you want to improve your skills? This handy guide is to help you for sure. Whether you’re just starting or already working on becoming a better programmer, check out these easy steps.
1. Set SMART goals
Goal is a part of every aspect of the entire life and provide a direction, motivation, focus, and clarify the importance of action. By setting goals, you are providing yourself with a target to aim for. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Therefore, a SMART goal incorporates all of these criteria to help to focus your efforts and to increase the chances of achieving your goal.
The SMART Goal structure increases the chances of success everywhere. Take some time to develop SMART goals that match your experience level and time commitment. If you find that you need a little more information at this stage, that’s great! Do a little research and you’ll be better equipped.
2. Assemble resources
This can be combined with the first step, and that’s a good thing. You’ll want to get an idea of how you’ll develop these coding skills, and that will no doubt include some educational resources and platforms.
Here are a few basic products to add to your toolbox at this stage:
- books;
- podcasts;
- tutorial videos;
- websites and blog posts.
Plan how each resource will meet your SMART goal and include them into your activities list.
3. Find a community
With resources in your hands, it’s time to find a supportive community to help to track progress. This could be your friend, family member, your social network, or an online coding community like Stack Overflow or other popular like-minded forums.
4. Practice makes a programmer
Perfection is not a realistic goal and does not fit the “R” in the SMART goal, but practice and progress are absolutely fine, especially if they are strategized.
The specific result will determine the right outlet for practice – here are some tips based on experience level to help you to get started:
- Beginner and Intermediate: HackerEarth and Treehouse offer great content for beginners and challenges for those with some programming experience.
- Advanced: Topcoder and CodeWars offer complex coding tasks.
- All levels: HackerRank and Coderbyte have something for everyone.
Practice, repeat and learn – you will be on your way to thinking and coding like a professional.
5. Share results
Celebrate your successes by putting together a digital portfolio, a social media post, or in another way. Praise yourself for completed tasks. Just say: “I’m the best”. You also may call your relatives and friends and share your results with them.
6. Repeat steps 1-5.
The programming journey is as endless as the lines of code that power the internet. Think to yourself: what is the best next step to keep growing as a coder? If you’ve created an app, maybe try coding a game or learning another programming language. There are no limits to the possible!
Keep the momentum going
Never stop. Technology is evolving, you need to grow and learn constantly. Always upgrade your hard skills and don’t forget about soft skills. Good luck!
Article Submitted By Community Writer
