Important things to know before you begin Software development
Tags: beginners, webdev, productivity
Published: 2023-01-19 20:37:02

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title: Important things to know before you begin Software development
published: true
date: 2022-07-05 11:19:43 UTC
tags: #beginners #webdev #productivity
canonical_url: https://idisepraise.hashnode.dev/starting-your-journey-as-a-software-developer
---

Software development is an integral part of our daily activities. The platform you use in viewing this article, your favorite social media app and that game you enjoy playing are all products of hours upon hours of software development.

Software developers design, create, test and deliver the software we use. As such, software development is no easy task and it takes time, commitment and dedication.

## Misconceptions of software development

- Dear reader, many online tutorials are claiming to make you master "X language" in a few days or some hours but don't be deceived, they are false. Such tutorials won't help you much. Rather they will only brush on topics and cause you to miss out on important aspects of the language. One thing I have learned since I began my journey in tech is that there is no quick way to master any language. To achieve any form of mastery, you have to watch those long hours of tutorial videos or read books extensively and practice so many times. The learning phase of your journey is the most crucial. So you should start from the basics and not rush them in any way.

- Another misconception is that software development is a get-rich-quick system, this is also false. I know the attractive salary tech has to offer is enough reason for us to choose It as our career but you should approach it with an open mind and not set huge financial expectations initially. Learning and developing yourself should be your priority at the beginning of your journey.

- Finally, you don't need an expensive setup to learn to code. A 4GB ram computer is enough for you to start coding. That $5000 setup is not necessary. In the beginning, your focus should be on the knowledge you are trying to have and not how fancy your gadget is.

## Steps in becoming a software developer

There are no absolute steps that must be followed but I believe doing the various steps below will help your software development journey

1. **Self-question**

2. **Research**

3. **Join a community**

4. **Choose a learning platform**

- [freeCodeCamp](https://www.freecodecamp.org/)

- [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/)

- [Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/)

- [W3schools](https://www.w3schools.com/)

- [MDN](https://developer.mozilla.org/)

1. **Start from the basics**

2. **Practice**

3. **Read codes**

4. **Build**

## Summary

- Software development is an important part of our daily activities.

- Software development is no easy task and it requires time and dedication to become a successful developer.

- Don't rush to learn any language.

- Software development is not a get-rich-quick scheme.

- Know why you want to become a developer.

- Make thorough research on the career path you pick.

- Join a community

- Pick one learning platform, stick to it and check others for additional knowledge.

- Start from the basics, avoid frameworks at the beginning and learn at your own pace.

- To achieve mastery, practice over and over again.

- Read and understand codes as they will help you grow.

- Challenge yourself and build projects on your own.

## Conclusion

I hope you found this article interesting and useful. Remember, good things don't come easy so if you patiently do all the required work, you will achieve success. I know you can do it 😉