|
after couple of years working as a coder, you start to bump into problems that no one discussed on the internet, or no one can directly answer. Well by no one I mean few people but probability of bumping them on the net, or they caring enough to answer you is pretty low. That's the time you start to get some real skills.
I think I'm coming to that period where you have to figure out stuff from raw documents (protocol drafts and like) or theoretical books, instead of nicely written documentations or APIs nicely abstracted from hardcore stuff.
interestingly I have 2 months left until my mandatory military service starts, so there will be a 12-15 months of being away from code. I hope I don't forget too much to cause pain when I return. Since I feel most of the skills you gain as a coder are very temporary, because:
%99 of the things I use are just libraries and documentation someone else had written. I only know about them, enough to use them and integrate them to other libraries. Many things get thrown away when you switch to a new library-framework, and many things get forgotten if you don't use them for a while. Only ability you really retain is your approach to problems.
I don't really like that. I wish I had some real knowledge, like science, or workmanship like carpentry, where your ability doesn't get lost when you switch tools.
|
I had a smiliar situation when I took a year off coding, and you will inevitably forget things during this period. But it's not a big problem imo. The most important thing, which you will not forget, is that you know how to learn by yourself, and find solutions to problems by yourself. You will certainly face problems that you faced in the past, and not remember the solution. But you will know how to find the solution once again. And you will know how to search for solutions to new problems. This is your real value. Then all the good practices that you learned over the years, you will remember them easily. Technical knowledge is obviously important but it can be aquired more easily than the aforementioned skills, so you should not worry too much about it.
|
Exactly, what ultraritmo said. Programming is more about solving problems and learning, than it is about programming languages and libraries/frameworks. Once you have worked with some technology, you can learn an alternative one much quicker. And re-learning something you already knew is even easier.
A break of 12-15 months will set you back a bit, but it will not destroy your career. If you're a good programmer, you will get back on track quickly 
Stay safe during your service!
|
On February 26 2017 05:31 mantequilla wrote:
interestingly I have 2 months left until my mandatory military service starts, so there will be a 12-15 months of being away from code. I hope I don't forget too much to cause pain when I return. Since I feel most of the skills you gain as a coder are very temporary, because:
%99 of the things I use are just libraries and documentation someone else had written. I only know about them, enough to use them and integrate them to other libraries. Many things get thrown away when you switch to a new library-framework, and many things get forgotten if you don't use them for a while. Only ability you really retain is your approach to problems.
I don't really like that. I wish I had some real knowledge, like science, or workmanship like carpentry, where your ability doesn't get lost when you switch tools.
Wouldn't computer science help fill that? I don't know what field you are exactly in but their should always be a ton of underlying theory that you can learn which shouldn't be so easily forgotten.
|
On February 26 2017 21:35 sabas123 wrote:Show nested quote +On February 26 2017 05:31 mantequilla wrote:
interestingly I have 2 months left until my mandatory military service starts, so there will be a 12-15 months of being away from code. I hope I don't forget too much to cause pain when I return. Since I feel most of the skills you gain as a coder are very temporary, because:
%99 of the things I use are just libraries and documentation someone else had written. I only know about them, enough to use them and integrate them to other libraries. Many things get thrown away when you switch to a new library-framework, and many things get forgotten if you don't use them for a while. Only ability you really retain is your approach to problems.
I don't really like that. I wish I had some real knowledge, like science, or workmanship like carpentry, where your ability doesn't get lost when you switch tools. Wouldn't computer science help fill that? I don't know what field you are exactly in but their should always be a ton of underlying theory that you can learn which shouldn't be so easily forgotten.
I feel most of the cs courses don't help much when working as a coder, at least from what I saw so far. Apart from some familiarity with code that came from school projects, I never found my degree useful in my work. It is not like say, electronics, which people without a degree are at a heavy disadvantage. When I was a student, our top 3 graders weren't able to code to save their lives, and the bottom 3 was already working at software companies
That's a whole another subject for a blog post maybe
|
That's the difference between computer science and coding. CS teaches algorithms, methods, proofs laws, math that is true no matter the environment, Coding is highly dependent on the environment. You could be doing websites, OS, security, machine learning, app development and never overlap in the tools/languages/libraries in any of the projects, but the fundamentals of algorithms, data structures, complexity theory will be helpful in all of them.
|
On February 26 2017 05:31 mantequilla wrote: Since I feel most of the skills you gain as a coder are very temporary, because:
i try to learn things that are not temporary. SQL has not changed in decades. Learn programming languages that already have an installed base of applications out there. i sometimes get paid $150/hour USD to modify West Wind Web Connection applications made as far back as 2000. it is a niche market product that has been around since before 2000 and it ain't goin' anywhere.
I know a guy whose whole business has been Foxpro For DOS, Visual Foxpro, and then West Wind Web Connection; he's been going at it since 1988. His business is slowly growing; he has 15 employees.
When he gets too much West Wind Web Connection work he usually just gives it to me.
I pay attention to what tools that Project Managers consider reliable for building long term solutions; i ignore the latest fad/fashion that coders/computer-scientists/theorists are jacking themselves off about.
i don't bother networking/socializing with other coders too much. some.. but i limit it. my most fruitful networking/socializing time is spent with project managers. That's who gets me more work. I went Go-Kart Racing more than 5 years ago with a project manager I have not seen in years. Recently, he called me up looking for help on a new project.. and he remembered the wild time we had.
|
coding is sometimes terrible. there are beautiful things out there, though - you are not limited to .net/python/java/C, you are not limited to making CRUD web apps.
|
Its like a language; And your wring about carpentery; it works in the same way as coding; the more you actevly practice the more you are able to find original solutions that work in that specific situation you are working on; readin and looking what othe people have done, can only get you so far: there comes a moment when you have to come up with your visions and ideas, and apply them thriught trail and error to see the results;
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
