Good developers learn to program. Most courses teach a language
7 hours ago
- #Career Advice
- #Software Development
- #Programming Education
- Good developers learn programming beyond just syntax, focusing on system design, data flow, and architectural decisions.
- Learning a language involves syntax, standard library, and tools, but programming requires cross-language skills like decomposing systems and debugging.
- Junior developers often write correct but inefficient code due to a lack of deeper understanding, which comes with experience.
- Senior developers rely on mental models, reading code, and tolerance for ambiguity, skills not typically taught in bootcamps or courses.
- AI tools like Claude Code can amplify productivity but risk worsening code quality if users lack judgment, emphasizing the need for foundational skills.
- Learners should go deep in one language, read real codebases, build end-to-end projects, and seek mentorship from seniors to develop true programming skills.