My First Year as a Professional Software Developer
2017-01-05 17:02:28
It's been an interesting year full of learning and self-progression. When I say learning I mean A LOT of learning.
I majored in Computer Science at LSU. For the most part I stuck with mostly C++ and a little Java. I was required to learn a few more languages for some classes, but they were only for that class in particular. My education was a good start, but the profressional programming world is much different from what I learned.
I admittedly wasn't too ambitious in terms of independently learning other languages in college. My course load was already enough, and I didn't want to make it harder on myself by learning something else that I didn't need to. I should've though because it really would've helped me this year.
We were taught to avoid a lot of practices such as coding in IDEs and were restricted to only using certain languages. In the real world that stuff doesn't matter. You can pick whichever solution you think is best. Admittedly, I didn't know what to do with this newly discovered freedom. I was so used to being told how to approach a problem, I didn't know what to do at first. Sometimes you just need to brainstorm and try some things out. Often times there is more than one solution to a problem. My job is to figure out which is the best and most appropriate for that problem.
I've had my struggles. I haven't been able to figure out a lot of stuff. I've needed help. That's okay though. Sometimes you just need that push from someone else to help it click for you. I have taught myself so much this past year, but I've also learned from others.
I know I've learned a lot and have come a long way, but I know I'm nowhere near finished. I'll never be finished learning or progressing. I know there'll be challenges my whole career, but I'm looking forward to overcoming them.
I've been so blessed with this first opportunity to break into this industry. It's been perfect for me. I believe this is helping form a great foundation for my career.
