Development
06 May 2022Always Learning
We are always learning. As life goes by, we learn more and see more and our experiences accumulate. We pick up new skills, behaviors, mannerisms, and cautions after each new experience. Our personality and subconscious way of thinking is a direct result of our compounded life encounters. I learned many technical skills in my sophomore year of university. Namely in my software engineering class, where I studied and practiced a variety of topics pertaining to software. I learned a new programming language and was introduced to web development for the first time. Of the wide variety of topics covered in this course, there are two that I found very impactful and potentially rewarding in other areas outside of software. These two topics are: Open Source Development and Coding Standards. You may be dumbfounded at the thought of those two (very technical-sounding) terms being applied outside of the software space.
Piggyback
While courses in college are often focused on the literal skills and knowledge to complete the course and earn you your degree, there are often underlying skills that go unappreciated. In learning about Open Source Development, which is software that is readily available for anyone online to inspect, modify, and/or enhance. This is a very powerful tool in the software industry because it allows you to piggyback off the open source code that is available online. Having a project or code to reference is an amazing skill that many people use. This topic was introduced to me in the last six months as something to be used exclusively in software development. However, there is a valuable skill embedded within this. That is, the skill to analyze and mimic the work of others to gain success in your own avenues. Whether that be through watching videos on YouTube, reading books, or reading articles online. Analyzing the work of others to then apply it to your own life is an invaluable skill to have.
Higher Standard
The other practice that I picked up on in this class was Coding Standards. Coding standards are a set of guidelines for a specific programming language that recommend a variety of practices to ensure a quality and uniformity. The best practices for coding could range from adding spaces at certain places, or using appropriate naming conventions for your variables. This module of class was a bit of a nuisance because there are many nitpicky errors to correct when following these standards. Luckily we used a tool called ESLint that would identify where our errors were and indicate how to fix them. The takeaway from this module is that uniformity and standardization are key in development. When I say development, I don’t mean software development. I mean personal development. Holding oneself to a higher standard and constantly striving to meet that standard is a virtue. Adding a single line of space at the end of your code can be a tedious task at times. Making your bed and brushing your teeth can also be tedious tasks. The consequence of missing these tedious tasks from time to time is massive in the grand scheme of things. They compound and can steer your life down mediocrity when you could be destined for excellence.