If you've been programming for a while, a question that has most likely crossed your mind is this:
With all that being said, I want to discuss topic of defining the tipping point for developers, which is essentially the point at which a developer goes from a beginner to a pro. Since this topic is a bit abstract, it's not possible to point to a specific point in time and say:
There's not a sentinel moment when programming mastery occurs. It's different for every individual.
I remember when I was originally learning programming. Understanding the syntax and context did not come easy for me. It seemed like I spent 99% of my time looking things up and copying and pasting code from others just to get my programs running.
Needless to say, my confidence as a programmer was very low in the beginning. I kept being plagued by nagging doubts, such as:
If you're a new developer maybe some of this sounds familiar to you, or maybe it doesn't and I simply lacked confidence. Either way, I trudged along, trying everything I could think of to improve as a developer:
So, what did the trick and pushed me over the edge to become a professional developer? None of those things… and all those things. I persevered through project after project and I consumed every training resource I could find. And slowly something amazing started to happen:
"Everything started to make sense."
Even though it was a while ago, I still remember the moment my first development tipping point happened. I was sitting in front of my computer in a coffee shop and working on a web application.
As great as that was, I still had very far to go. I remember the next moment when I felt like I reached another key milestone. Even though my confidence had increased as a developer, the thought of anyone seeing my code was a very scary thought. However, I had started to build my freelance business and a client (who was also a developer) asked me to perform a pair programming session with him.
So, what was my secret to getting over the hump and going from a beginner to a professional developer? Unfortunately, there is no easy-to-follow recipe. However, there is a process that is guaranteed to work. And the process isn't specific to becoming a programmer, it's the same whether you want to be a developer or a professional athlete… it's hard and smart work.
In the book The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell, Gladwell gives countless case studies of what it takes for individuals to achieve mastery in a specific field. The key comes down to how dedicated an individual is to a specific skill. The book postulates that it takes around 10,000 hours for an individual to become a true master of whatever they're pursuing.
