It’s more important to master the cards you’re holding than to complain about the ones your opponent was dealt.
Tags: career, tips, codenewbie, motivation
Published: 2020-08-01 14:03:19

---
title: "It’s more important to master the cards you’re holding than to complain about the ones your opponent was dealt."
published: true
description: Curated answers to the question from the Code Connector community Slack channel.
tags: #career #tips #codenewbie #motivation
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/gk3kmysgcxif67ehk2tg.png
---
I love motivational quotes. I asked my local tech community this question: What does this motivational quote mean in regard to the tech industry: 
> “It’s more important to master the cards you’re holding than to complain about the ones your opponent was dealt.” 

The following is a curated list of answers!!!

[Corey McCarty](https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreydmccarty/)
You have a tool set, and whether you like it or not is irrelevant. It was given to you. The bit that IS relevant is whether you can use it or not. Another bit that isn't relevant is whether the competitors have a better tool set.

As a junior/mid level developer you will have little to no impact on the decisions of what tools are chosen. You will ONLY have the option of how well you use them.

If I have a hammer and chisel while Lawrence has a power tool, then it is quite valid that he can work faster than I can. If I stop working so that I complain about that then the tool that I have is pointless. If I shut up and build something then I stand a chance of making something that is every bit as awesome as Lawrence's even though it took longer to make.

[Azhya Knox](https://www.linkedin.com/in/azhyaknox/)
The deck that is the tech industry may hold some trick cards, but that doesn’t mean you can’t master the tricks yourself. As a developer, there’s several programming languages, libraries, and frameworks out there that are available to learn. The true obstacle comes from your own willingness to follow the steps needed to learn that skill.

[Walker Laury](https://www.linkedin.com/in/walkerlaury/)
Just because someone else may have a "better set of cards" doesn't mean you can't play the same game.

Some people can afford 6 months off work to study, or top tier university, or whatever the circumstances may be.  But people with "worse" cards than you have made it, and people with "better" cards won't always make it.  So you have to work with what you have, because all complaining does is postpone your success.

[JC Smiley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcsmileyjr/)
My thinking is while learning to code or trying to break into tech you don't have to be the best at everything or build the best app. Find one area that you are passionate about and dominate that space. Have the best UI, the best animation, best back-end, or whatever. Whatever you do, do it well.


[Code Connector](https://codeconnector.io/) is a non-profit that's organized tech meetups to help people start their journey into tech. You can join our daily conversations by clicking this link: [Code Connector slack channel](https://bit.ly/2Ywnzqc).

You can follow my journey on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JCSmiley4) or connect with me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcsmileyjr/). I am a Front End Developer with a focus on React (web) and React Native (mobile). I volunteer with Code Connector as the national team Online Content Manager and a leader for the Memphis chapter. As always, let’s have fun and code.