Developer Mindset

Posted by PixieVibeZ@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 12 comments

Very soon I will officially start my learning journey. I already have some technical knowledge and I am very excited. However, I’m struggling with some other things. How do you get into developer mindset? How to think like programmer? How to not feel like imposter and failure? Any other advice for the beginner?

Thanks!

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BigEggBoy600@reddit

Dude that's awesome you're starting your coding journey! It's a wild ride. Honestly, the "developer mindset" thing is kinda hyped up—just dive in, build stuff, and don't sweat the small stuff. The imposter syndrome is REAL but it fades with time and experience. Just keep learning and you'll get there 💪

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PixieVibeZ@reddit (OP)

Hey, not really a dude but thank you for this comment! I really want to be the best possible and I want to prepare mentally before I dive in. But I guess I should worry too much and I didn’t even started yet 😅

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VariousAssistance116@reddit

Break down problems, be literal, be stubborn, get a duck

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PixieVibeZ@reddit (OP)

Thank you, I appreciate 💙

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aqua_regis@reddit

Asked and answered more than enough times already.

How do you get into developer mindset? How to think like programmer?

"Think Like A Programmer" by V. Anton Spraul
"The Pragmatic Programmer" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" (SICP) by Ableton, Sussman, Sussman
"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" by Charles Petzold

How to not feel like imposter and failure?

This feeling will never completely go away. It's part of the deal.

Any other advice for the beginner?

As in countless other posts:

Focus on problem analysis and problem solving, not on the implementation in code.
Plan before program - sit down with pen(cil) and paper and start solving the problem as you, the person, would do. Write down the steps. Then, once you have a working solution, start thinking about implementing it in code
Be careful with AI. I would generally advise to not use it at all. If you have to, use it only for deeper explanations, but never for solving your problems, and never for generating code for you
Practice. Experiment. Be curious. Try things. Play around. Break things. Fix them. Struggle. Learn.
Don't overthink - as you do in this very post. Take one step at a time. Everything else becomes overwhelming.

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PixieVibeZ@reddit (OP)

Thank you for this, I can assume how it can be frustrating seeing the same questions all the time, but trust me, nowadays there is so many informations online and it’s hard to find the right approach to all of this. I appreciate your effort to answer my questions 💙 I don’t want to overthink too much but it happens sometimes, what you can do 😅

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VariousAssistance116@reddit

"What can I do?"

You can search the subreddit for common awnser to you question...

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PixieVibeZ@reddit (OP)

Yeah, I did but I didn’t realized it exists at first. I just started using Reddit.

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Bee892@reddit

I’ve got a method for thinking like a programmer.

Start by changing how you use programs. Think about programs in terms of steps. Every program is a sequence of events that happen in logical order. Here’s a small example:

When you double click on a desktop icon to start a program, what happens? The computer has to register that you’ve clicked. However, you didn’t just click once. You clicked twice. Well, if you click twice with 1 second in between the clicks, nothing happens. So the programs responsible for your mouse clicks had to register not only that you clicked, but also that you clicked a second time in a short timespan. It then needs to asses if you’ve actually clicked on anything. If there’s no icon under the cursor, you don’t open up anything, right? So it gathers all the necessary information to know if there’s something you double clicked. There is! It’s Microsoft Word! The operating system then initiated the process of locating Microsoft Word in your files. That’s its own complicated sequence of events. At the end of that tunnel, Microsoft Word opens.

A lot goes into the applications we use. Start seeing computers and programs in this sort of light, and now you’re thinking like a programmer.

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PixieVibeZ@reddit (OP)

Wow, I never got advice like this. It’s amazing point of view, never thought of it. Thank you so much !

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ValentineBlacker@reddit

I think... don't try to solve problems that haven't happened yet. You definitely can't think like a programmer when you haven't started programming yet. Try some programming first. Then you will have other, more exciting problems.

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PixieVibeZ@reddit (OP)

Huh, yeah, I guess I overthink sometimes, you have a valid point. I’m just afraid of missing some important step in the process.