Coffee break #41. How to find a coding mentor. 6 things that make you a good programmer

How to Find a Coding Mentor

Source: Hackernoon Have you tried writing code, looked at coding documentation, but then realized that it is not that useful? Not sure if you're going in the right direction with your training? If you feel like you need someone to ask for study advice, then you need a mentor. The only problem may be that you do not know an experienced programmer. A few years ago, I was looking for a coding mentor myself. I knew a few people who would help me, but I hadn't talked to them in years and I didn't feel comfortable asking them for help. After six months, I already had five mentors ready to help me with programming. They helped me pass interviews, improve my programming skills, and gave me useful resources for learning to code. I’ll tell you about methods for finding a mentor.

First stop: LinkedIn

One of the first places I thought of finding a coding mentor was LinkedIn. When I landed on this site, I immediately went to the search box. I searched for people using terms like "software", "software engineer" and "developer". It turned out that I knew ten people involved in software development. But I didn’t stop there. I looked at each of the profiles and tried to understand what they were doing. I identified their roles, responsibilities and the type of companies where they worked. Then I deepened my search to include those I didn't know. I was able to connect with a few people through mutual friends on LinkedIn. If you have a good relationship with these mutual friends, you can ask them to introduce you to their programmer friend. But if you don’t feel comfortable asking for this, contact the programmers yourself. Feel free to use templates for messages. I wrote something like this letter to mutual friends: “Hi [name], I hope you are doing well! I really enjoyed reading your posts on content marketing. You and your company look great in your field. I wanted to ask if you could help me with something. I'm learning programming and I need help from a more experienced developer to learn. I noticed that you know [potential coding mentor]. Could you introduce us? I would like to ask [him/her] some questions and it would really help me with my programming skills. Anyway, [name], let me know! I will be very grateful! [your name]” At this point, I identified a few mutual acquaintances that I could contact and ask to be introduced to the right professional. I also reached out directly to several potential mentors. I also prepared a message template for the software developers I wanted to contact. Feel free to use it, but be sure to add a personal touch: “Hello [name], I noticed that you work as a developer at [company] on internal customer services. I recently learned that your team completed a round A (one of the stages of attracting venture capital investments - approx.). Congratulations! I'm learning programming and it gives me great pleasure. I know you are very busy, but your specialty is exactly the kind of work I would like to do in the future. I would like to learn more about programming thanks to you. Could you spare 20 minutes to talk to me on the phone in the next few weeks? Thank you and I'm really looking forward to your answer! [your name]" I sent out ten such messages and received a response to three of them. After that, we agreed on a time for a telephone conversation. My goal was to ask questions and build rapport. I tried not to mention anything about mentoring or what I needed. In fact, all I did was ask them questions and tell them why I thought their work was cool. People love to give advice and talk about themselves. Don't overdo it, but make sure they feel respected. As soon as the call ended, I texted them again, telling them how much I appreciated their time. I also asked for the opportunity to stay in touch. All three of the three contacts said a resounding yes. On the second call I was more confident. I still asked questions, but I made my curiosity and need for mentorship clear. It turned out that all my interlocutors were ready to help. They suggested topics for coding, pointed me to useful resources, and offered their ongoing assistance.

Keep coding and see where it takes you

When I first thought about potential mentors, not a single name came to mind. So I abandoned that idea and instead redoubled my efforts to learn programming. I started looking for any excuse to turn on the computer and write code. I didn't want to write code alone, so I went to a cafe where programmers hung out. I decided to work on a project that I was having trouble with. My task was to create a fully functional web application with registration and login functionality. I ordered coffee and looked around for an empty table at which to work. And then I thought that someone called me by name. It turns out it was a friend of our family! We chatted, talked for a bit, and then he asked me what I was working on. I told him I was working on a project and had a problem with it. He mentioned that he worked as a software engineer and would be happy to help. I was a little surprised by his offer, but I was touched and excited that someone wanted to help me. A few days later, I emailed him and asked if he wanted to grab coffee and talk about code. We met, and my friend made incredible efforts to understand my level of programming. He encouraged me and answered questions, told me about books about startups and programming basics. When I moved back to Texas, he took the time to contact me by phone and check on my progress. Over the course of a year, this coding mentor helped me improve my coding skills. He was the one who told me about Angel.co (an American website for startups, investors and people looking for jobs in startups - ed.), where I conducted several interviews and received a job offer. He gave me confidence that I was going in the right direction. I recommend writing code and doing it more often. Then see where it takes you. Talk about code everywhere you go. Try to become a real “geek”. You will be surprised by the kind of people you will begin to encounter in this area. Eventually, you will get to the point where you meet experienced programmers who are willing to help you. Then you can find a mentor.

Be patient, your programming mentor is here

Coding mentors are very valuable people for newbies. They help you understand the code, can recommend useful resources, and make sure you're moving in the right direction. But be prepared that finding a mentor will take some time. It may take six months or even a year. And if your passion for code continues during this time, you will definitely find the right mentor. This will help you get one step closer to working as a programmer. Happy searching!

6 things that make you a good programmer

Source: Medium iOS application developer Sarah shares what factors, in her opinion, contribute to the professional development of a programmer. To do this, she identified six main qualities that a developer should pay special attention to.

1. Consistency

Consistency will help improve your skills. You are not expected to write perfect code, but if you keep writing code, you will certainly gain the necessary experience and knowledge.

2. Laziness

The author of the book "The Perl Programming Language" Larry Wall mentioned three qualities of good programmers: laziness, impatience and arrogance. If you want to find the simple, fast and best way to achieve something, ask a lazy person. Find the most effective means to complete the task. Automate part of your work processes and save your time.

3. Desire to learn

Be prepared to continue your learning: the skills and knowledge a programmer has today will likely be outdated in a few years. It is important to become a developer who follows the latest coding trends in his work.

4. Debugging skills

Develop your debugging skills. When software doesn't produce the results you expect, you need to quickly and efficiently find the source of the problem. Review your code carefully and look for possible problems until you find the answer.

5. Make an impact

Share the results of your work, receive criticism and approval. The influence you have on others makes you a good programmer. You can create websites, mobile applications, platforms or libraries for publishing on the Internet. By receiving recognition from other people, you will open new doors for yourself.

6. Entrepreneurial Mindset

Promote your work to consumers. If you get people to use your product, you will be considered a good developer. When you have an app that is popular among users, you will have more options. If one of your projects has become popular, it means you already have your own business.