studying as a developer
we spend nearly two decades in school, following a system that promises success if we tick all the right boxes.
"if you do this and that, then you 'should' reap the benefits"
however, reality often doesn't align with this promise. unless you've experienced the world of entrepreneurship during college, many people discover — often too late — that the knowledge they gained or the degrees they earned have limited value when they step outside the academic environment.
as someone who left the finance world and returned to school as a master's student in computer science, i quickly realized that university courses lack practical depth beyond the classroom. the fundamentals are necessary, but much of the material is outdated, often lagging behind what’s needed in today’s tech industry.
we can debate and shift the blame towards the universities, but that's a futile debate with no real benefit or outcome.
so why even code?
there are countless paid and free courses online, promising to teach you the latest react framework, the hottest algorithms, and how to crack coding interviews.
one might assume that being a successful developer is all about amassing knowledge and mastering various tools.
and to some extent, that’s true.
but at its core, coding is about translating business needs into solutions.
the real value of coding only makes sense when it solves real problems for others. not just yourself.
you don't need a business problem handed to you, but you do need to approach coding with the mindset that it's all about solving and thinking critically.
personally i got stuck into a loop of building small projects that never go anywhere.
you learn bits and pieces but never fully grasp how to move beyond that.
so i had to make a shift in the way i learn
learning goes beyond memorizing. finding a reason to care about what you’re studying helps keep you motivated.
link it to personal goals or challenges, so it feels more relevant.
- start by understanding the bigger picture:
- why does this concept matter?
- how does it fit into the larger context?
- and then break it down into smaller parts:
- ensure each piece connects back to the whole.
when things get tough, see it as a problem to solve. don’t rush to the answer:
- take time to figure it out.
- when you do look up the solution, focus on why it works, not just what it is.
i think colin does a better job explaining it.
to be valuable in the age of AI
ai will take over the menial repetitive tasks of software engineers and researchers.
to separate yourself from the crowd, it's more important than ever to stay on top of research papers.
arxiv is like the google the latest research papers.
an ai engineer friend of mine once told me earlier this year that if people were to just read the latest 15 research papers and fully understand them, they would be more valuable in the market than most people realize.
makes you wonder why more don't do it
-- david