Key Mindsets for Success in Software Engineering

• Fail, Fail, Fail: Most people don’t fail enough. Small failures lead to big wins. You learn the most through failure. The small pain that failure causes helps you find the fastest way to succeed. In software engineering, you have the luxury of failure—DEV → UAT (User Acceptance Testing) → Prod. There are multiple steps and layers before your code lands in production
• Don’t Overcomplicate: You might not need that fancy framework—stick to simplicity. "You only truly learn when you suffer with an issue long enough to never forget the solution.
• "Compounding Success Through Small, Consistent Actions: Do it daily, do it often, and you will succeed.
• Preventing Issues by Over-Communicating: Clarify everything. Communicate as if talking to a 5th grader.

The Biggest Productivity Hack is Just to Enjoy the Process.

If I Time Traveled, Here's What I'd Do When I Started:

Choose one programming language and maybe a framework.

Build a project.

Do it every single day. It’s okay if it’s only for 5 minutes. Just do it, every single day. If you expect too much from yourself, it’s going to cause anxiety, and anxiety will make you less productive, leading to procrastination.

IMPORTANT: Focus on that one project ONLY.

My Example: I never wanted to learn Linux or security protocols. Now, I’m pretty good with these technologies because focusing on that one project pushed me to learn those skills, even though I didn’t initially plan to.

Some Additional Tips:

• Be okay with the sensation of feeling stupid. It’s important to accept this feeling because once you do, you won’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
• Passion comes from feeling competent. It’s okay if you don’t feel passionate about software development yet. Get better at it, and the passion will come.
• DO NOT BELIEVE THE HYPE. Example: Web3, NFTs, AI freakout, and the current job market—these are just some of the hypes and negative hypes we’ve seen in just three years.
• Try to be as visible as possible or switch jobs often.
• Error messages are your best friends.