This is a list of things I’m doing to become a developer. I hope it can be of use to someone, if not just a constant reminder to myself.
1. Start a blog
I wish I had done this sooner. If you’re in my position, set up a blog before you even know what to write about. Pick a name and buy it or use one of the many free options available. You’ll be surprised how ready you are to write. You can document the process of becoming a developer, or just write about tech stuff that interests you. I never thought I had anything to write about until I started actively looking for ideas. The important thing is to start the process.
2. Start building things
It doesn’t matter what it is. Pick a language, any language, and just start. You don’t need to spend a lot of time trying to pick which language you will use. If you’re just starting out it’s more important to understand the basics than it is to choose the ever-elusive “best language”. There’s plenty of good options. Ruby and Python are thrown out a lot. I chose PHP. I knew it was widely used, there were plenty of examples around the web, and I already had a passing familiarity from a WordPress site I had made previously. I don’t regret it. It has helped me learned the basics. Do I want to learn another language? Sure. I’ve been picking up a lot of Javascript lately and I want to give Ruby or Python a shot on my next project. Languages are constantly changing, don’t sweat it.
3. Create a GitHub profile
I already have a Bitbucket repository. I signed up with Bitbucket initially because they offer 5 free private repositories. I’ve been meaning to set up a GitHub repo for a while though. In fact, what am I waiting for? Consider itdone.
4. Contribute to open source projects
I should be doing this already. I think I underestimated the importance of this initially and to be honest I probably still do. Contributing to open source projects is supposed to be a great way to learn by looking at others code and putting your code out in the open. My goal for the night is to make a short list of open source projects that I want to contribute to.
5. Get involved
This is also an area that I need to improve in. I need to answer more questions on stackoverflow, participate in more conversations on blogs/hacker news etc. Just get out there and be seen. Not getting involved online is the equivalent of never leaving your house and expecting to get a job as a tour guide in Paris.
Repeat steps 2,4, and 5 as necessary.
Other things
It’s a given that every aspiring developer should be reading Hacker News and web development/tech/programming blogs everyday.
I’ve heard great things about meetups. I’m going to my first one this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I left books off the list. I enjoy reading, but I’ve never purchased a book on web development. That’s just my personal preference. I’m sure there’s lots of people that would advocate buying a book as one of the first steps.
Find a friend or group of friends you can bounce web development/tech/programming ideas off of. If I did more of #5 then I would probably have more.
So, that’s my list. That’s what I’m doing to become a developer over the next year. If there’s something you think I should add to the list, drop me a line. I always like hearing new perspectives.
Posted in Developer Road
下面要说的是我在成为一名程序员的道路上做的几件事情。写在这里除了要让自己铭记在心外，我还希望它能对别人有些用处。
1. 建立一个博客
这是我后来才认识到的事，其实应该很早就去做。如果你是跟我类似的情况，你应该尽早开通一个博客——尽管还不知道该写什么。注册一个域名，买一个空间。你会惊奇的发现有很多可写的东西。你可以记录下你成为一名程序员的过程，或写一下你感兴趣的技术方面的东西。我一直以为没什么好写的，可当真正思考这些问题时，却发现有很多值得写的。最重要的事情是开始去做。
2. 开发一些东西
开发什么并不重要。选一种编程语言，任何一种都行，开始干。你不必去花大量的时间来决定应该使用什么语言。直接开始学一种语言，事实上最重要的是学习编程语言的基础知识，而不是劳神费力的去选择一种“最好的编程语言”。我选择的是PHP。因为它是一种被广泛使用的语言，在网上有大量的学习范例，我已经通过搭建一个WordPress网站而熟练的掌握了它。没有丝毫的遗憾。它使我学到了很多基础知识。我还学习了其它语言吗？当然，我后来涉猎了很多脚本语言，我要在下一个项目上试试Ruby。编程语言不断的在变化，不要只盯着一个不放。
3. 注册你的GitHub帐户
我已经在Bitbucket上有了一个代码库。我最初选择注册Bitbucket是因为它能提供5个免费的私有库。后来我决定在GitHub上注册。事实上，我丝毫没有拖延，看看我的成果吧。
4. 向开源项目捐赠代码
我早该如此做了。我起初低估了做这种事情的重要性，说老实话，我现在仍需要进一步重视。向开源项目捐赠代码，这是一种很好的学习别人如何编程的方法，并且能把自己的代码公开。我今晚的就要去列一个准备去参与的开源项目的清单。
5. 热心参与
这也是我需要改进的方面。我应该到stackoverflow网站上去回答更多的问题，在一些博客，科技网站上分享自己的东西。去那些网站，让大家看到你。不在网上露面，就相当于待在屋里不出门却想找一份做巴黎导游的工作。
重复做第2，4和5点
其它一些事情
很明显，每一个有志向的程序员都应该每天阅读Hacker News和其它开发/科技/编程类的博客文章。
我打听到了不少的技术讨论会。这周末我准备去参加一个。我会把那里的情况写出来。
我在这里并没有提读书。我喜欢阅读，但我们没有买任何的关于web开发的书籍。这是我个人的做法。我相信很多人都会建议首先买一本书看看。
找一些能和你讨论你的web开发/技术/编程想法的人和群体。如果我做了更多的第5项，我可能找到了更多的这样的人。
好了，这就是我要说的。这些就是在过去的一年里我成为一个程序员的成长之路上做到事情。如果有人觉得在这个清单里我还应该加入什么，请给我留言。我永远都希望听到新的观点。