Why programmers need to grow slowly

I still remember vividly the first time I tried to learn how to code. At first, I was attracted by the cool hackers and young billionaires in Hollywood movies. Then, somehow, I started learning PHP. It was a hard journey: I had to change the way I perceived the real world.

When you first start out, your goals are pretty ambitious: build a social network, hack the traffic system, create your own programming language, ... But the more I experience, the smaller my ideas and projects become.

I realized that small projects are more effective than big, flashy ones. Updating README.md may seem boring or pointless, but it is crucial to any impactful project. Cloning Facebook for the nth time is useless.

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More than just programming

Coming up with clever and pragmatic solutions has a profound impact on a programmer's life. If you think of human behavior as "git commits", it's much easier to be more productive, manage ideas/projects, and follow the example of successful people. It doesn't matter how small or stupid your actions may seem: as long as you're trying.

Many programmers I meet have very colorful lives. Work, side projects, sports, blogging, writing books, having/raising kids. People who don't know them think they are crazy productivity geniuses. But that's not the case. They are just better at completing one step at a time.

For programmers who start companies, a small move could lead to the creation of something interesting, so you never know for sure what amazing things will happen in the next few years.

The ill-fated programmer

Behind the success, there are still many impractical ideas. "Go big or go home" sounds good, but it hurts many young programmers and entrepreneurs.

Many people who are ambitious but incompetent are trying to persuade others to set their goal of becoming a "great man" - in their profession, "small achievements" are considered shameful and dishonorable. You must always follow the path of a "great man".

According to their way of thinking, then even if this person is an intern, he shouldn't be doing some boring clerical or PowerPoint presentation work, instead, he should be managing projects, improving the process by 150%, talking to investors, etc. Haha, you get the idea.

***'s words

I'm grateful that I learned PHP as a teenager: it's a vital tool. Even if I don't write software, the small but practical act has benefited me greatly.

However, I don’t see this as a “competitive advantage.” Instead, I want people to realize that you don’t have to change the world in your 20s, or punish yourself for not being “phenomenal.”