How do you know you're good enough?
Posted by Strajker6996@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 26 comments
Hey folks!
If I were to start learning programming by myself, using various resources, at what point would I be fit to look for a job in certain area? Like, how do you know you've come to a level where you can properly work for a company? Not asking about the timeframe or anything, more like, at what skill level are you ready? And how do you even know you're ready?
trelayner@reddit
when you have added useful code to an open source project, and got your code reviewed and committed
OneNiceGuy124@reddit
You know you're ready once you look at the job applications and find that you meet the requirements
matthewkind2@reddit
60 percent of the requirements!
OneNiceGuy124@reddit
Of course this is true but I thought that was generally understood my bad
matthewkind2@reddit
I am autistic as hell. Someone had to explain to me that I’m not meant to meet all the requirements before I started actually applying.
Greedy_Novel_1096@reddit
I think this is a good gauge. If there are some things missing & are common on the applications you’re looking at — add them to a list of things to learn.
OneNiceGuy124@reddit
Yeah I look at the jobs in my area and try and see what they're looking for to help guide me to what I intend on learning next
CamposDjoel@reddit
Thats the neat part, you dont.
Professional_Door657@reddit
oh damn :(
CamposDjoel@reddit
I know that sounds discouraging more the anything, but the positive side of things is that we could stop asking ourselves "am I good enough?" and just be. Keep coding, keep practicing, keep working on projects. One day you are going to realize you are doing wayyyy more than u did before, and while this is not a sign of "you are good enough" you are going to feel better about yourself and thus more confident to apply to jobs.
You are never be "good enough" because the industry changes everyday, new companies start asking for new things, recruiters dont know shit about what we do and they be asking for insane requirements. Just become good at the things you do. Set a major personal project, work on it, make it neat, think of ways to add more interesting features, dont how how to add something, google it. BECOME an expert of the things YOU DO. Add those projects to your resume. During an interview, the interviewer might catch an eye on that project and ask you about it. If you are the expert, you are going to be CONFIDENT, you are going to be able to talk about it for hours, and interviewers like that shit.
I'm not saying this is going to immediately get you a job. The job market is crazy and it will be difficult. Bad interview after bad interview...
The real neat part of not knowing you are "good enough" is that you could always keep going up...
PsychologicalDraw909@reddit
lol this
ContractWes@reddit
I normally just ask my dad. He reminds me I'm not.
Underwood914@reddit
Im sure it's like every industry, you wing it until you get a check
johns10davenport@reddit
When you can convince someone to employ you, you know enough. Don't forget to get better at convincing, and have good side projects.
No-Needleworker2090@reddit
If you are pertaining to skill in something in general, example web dev, etc. You don't and you'll never be, because technology keeps evolving.
But if you're talking about a more specific thing like doing frontend using React.JS, my basis here is if "I CAN PLAY MUSIC WHILE IS WORK/CODE" is good enough for me.
When it's like a second nature to you. But sometimes i have to pause the music, because hey there's a new library that I need to study again or hey a new bug i haven't encountered before 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
PrudentAd198@reddit
You get your first job. Then 3 years later you find out you totally weren't qualified
AdVast5722@reddit
I thought I was ready, applied for several jobs ("junior developer wanted, no experience required"), couldn't pass the test assignment and that's how I knew I wasn't ready and which skills I was missing
Spoiler: it was debugging and code efficiency
ToThePillory@reddit
If you can write software that looks like it could be a commercial product, you're probably there.
That's obviously harder to tell when it's server stuff with no UI, but generally if you're going to be paid to build software, the software needs to at least be in the same ballpark as existing products.
That doesn't mean it needs professional graphics and so on, it really just means that it needs to be a functioning program that *does* something rather than a bundle of tutorials.
GargleMyGrundle@reddit
Honestly I think this is the wrong way to think about it in general. It's not about reaching a finish line and being "good enough". Just get started and start learning as much as you can. You'll never feel ready for a job and when you do get hired you'll spend half of the time dealing with near crippling imposter syndrome because you still don't feel like you're "good enough"
There isn't a line in the sand that you can point to that is the line between someone who can work as a developer and someone who can't, the real difference between those two people is one of them is willing and able to learn how to do what is needed and the other isn't
Expensive_Cod1485@reddit
You can only know by testing, which means applying and going through a few technical interviews
rambalam2024@reddit
You don't. But you get in there give it your best and strive to be better.
Who's evaluating what good is anyway. Be good be gentle and GSD.
raxel42@reddit
Solve 50 hackerrank/codility/codewars tasks and start applying, collect feedback, record analyze interviews, solve 50 more and look for a job. At that moment you probably know what you can do.
4runninglife@reddit
If you know what you know and you know what you don't know and know where to look it up.
Voxmanns@reddit
I guess everyone kinda has their own measure of that.
For me, it was "can I generate enough interest with my knowledge and skillset?" Once I saw that one employer would take me, I knew it was possible and I dove in.
I was able to build simple applications and had enough technical knowledge to hold my own in a conversation with another technical resource. Truly, I was really just able to generally say what was possible and if someone was making up words.
The thing is that different companies have different standards and different needs. A jr dev working on some specialized aggregation program at a data research company is a whole different level of jr dev than someone building simple web apps at an agency. It all just depends.
So, if you're not sure, start applying to jobs you'd like to start in. See if you can't get the hiring manager to respond to an email or Linkedin message and just let them know that you're serious about the offer, but would really appreciate feedback so you can ensure you are working in the right direction. You may have to churn through some applications, but soon enough you'll have enough responses to know where your application is weak. Otherwise, if you're getting interviews then it becomes all the easier to figure out why you're not getting hired.
This is also one of the best times to really focus on your network. You're going to be talking to people constantly trying to figure out where you fit in the space, so make it count. 6 months is a long time to practice, and it's a blink of an eye in company time. You can easily make a connection that turns into an opportunity just a few months down the line - especially if they end up making a bad hire or have someone leave the team (which is fairly common in jr positions).
LavishnessTop3088@reddit
I’d say in general when you are able to approach a project and get a good amount done by yourself. If you start working in development for a company, they will give you tasks and what you then need to do is fulfill that task. It might mean that you’ll have to look up a thing or two, because the work might be outside what you’re used to and possibly you might have to ask a colleague if you’re stuck or just need to learn about internal processes. But when you are at a point where you have the confidence to look at a new project and think that with enough time and support you can do it and you know where you should start, that’s when you are able to work in a team of developers at a company that is open to taking people who taught themselves.
yeezy0722@reddit
I personally never truly knew and still don't, I felt under qualified at every new task but after some time I started to think that that's just how it is, try to tacke problems /apply to jobs that you sort of understand and have a grasp of/can theoretically explain what +- has to be done and I will think you're ready to go, we'll at least that's what I do and I'm still going. I never feel ready for a new unknown task but somehow I always finish it.