{"id":14629,"date":"2015-10-09T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2015-10-09T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simpleprogrammer.com\/?p=14629"},"modified":"2023-02-13T21:50:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T02:50:09","slug":"deliberate-practice-for-programmers-a-framework-for-learning-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simpleprogrammer.com\/deliberate-practice-for-programmers-a-framework-for-learning-on-the-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Deliberate Practice for Programmers: A Framework for Learning on the Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

Practice, practice, practice<\/b><\/h2>\n

\\\\n\\\\nLike most programmers, I am passionate about software development; it\u2019s natural for me to want to get better at it<\/a>. So, often I look up how to do that online.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nBut it seemed that everywhere I looked, people were saying: \u201cPractice, practice, practice.\u201d I thought: \u201cOk, so what?\u201d Then, I looked some more and stumbled on things like: \u201cwrite more code!\u201d, “Code Katas are the way!<\/a>” or “a programmer should practice programming by programming.”<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nEver asked somebody about career advice and all you got was \u201cFollow your passion!\u201d It felt the same to me.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\n\u201cPractice is the key to success\u201d<\/b>\\\\n\\\\nWe\u2019ve heard such trite expressions so many times.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nSuch kinds of advice lead us to exactly one place: nowhere land.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nI don\u2019t know about you, but when I\u2019m going out on a trip, I don\u2019t want to start the journey without knowing what direction to take.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\n<\/p>\n

\"young<\/span>Have you actually read before\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0 developers should practice?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\\\\n\\\\nIn my quest for answers on how we developers can perform\u00a0deliberate practice, I\u2019ve had to read many books, watch many videos, and take copious notes from blogs.<\/span>\\\\n<\/span>\\\\n<\/span>Now, I want to save others the same frustration through which I went. I\u2019ve gone through all these notes and books and compiled some of the best ideas into a list that hopefully you\u2019ll love and apply to your work.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nBelow you\u2019ll find a 7-step framework that we all can try. You\u2019ll then be able to incorporate your own tactics in addition to those I suggest.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nHere\u2019s an outline of the framework:<\/span>\\\\n\\\\n<\/p>\n

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  1. Set up your measurable goals: know where you\u2019re going.<\/span><\/li>\n

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  2. Break the goals down into discrete skills.<\/span><\/li>\n

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  3. Set up your practice plan: the operating procedure for you and your peers.<\/span><\/li>\n

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  4. Integrate the skill: understanding others\u2019 code.<\/span><\/li>\n

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  5. Incorporate feedback: staying on target.<\/span><\/li>\n

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  6. Reflect on your results: avoiding stagnation.<\/span><\/li>\n

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  7. Apply the law of the vital few: what\u2019s your 80\/20 like?<\/span><\/li>\n

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    1. Set up your measurable goals<\/b><\/h3>\n

    \\\\n\\\\nNever start an endeavor before having clear goals, especially on large scale projects.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nGoals should be made clear in your head so that they help you avoid getting distracted by less important work along the way.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nTo then achieve it, you need to have a sense for what the destination will look like.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nExample of a bad goal: <\/span>Understand system X thoroughly by the end of the year.<\/span><\/i>\\\\n\\\\nA better goal could be: <\/span>Understand the 3 most used features, A, B, and C of system X by the end of the coming fortnight.<\/span><\/i>\\\\n\\\\nNote a couple of things about this rephrased goal:<\/span>\\\\n<\/span>\\\\n\\\\n<\/p>\n

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    1. Sub-goals are clearly defined: \u2018thoroughly\u2019 or \u2018the 3 most important features\u2019 are too vague unless these 3 are listed.<\/span><\/li>\n

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    2. They have a deadline that is not too distant. It should be a time frame that you can reasonably estimate.<\/span><\/li>\n

      \\\\n<\/ol>\n

      \\\\n\\\\nYour next steps can include consulting the architecture diagrams, looking at the user interface or asking a colleague for a walkthrough of the application. The idea here is to get a high-level sense of what you can expect to do on the project.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\n\"Depositphotos_28996605_m-2015\"<\/span>Colleagues will be particularly useful for you here: treat them as your software development mentors<\/a>. Mentors can help you find where it\u2019s more important to focus your energy and how to organise your practice sessions.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nWhen you have identified your high-level goals, make sure you understand how they all relate to each other. When goals follow each other, they will give you a sense of progress as you complete each one, and an overall direction on the project as well.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nTip<\/b>: When you commit to goals, use <\/span>the principle of consistency<\/span><\/a> by making your colleagues aware of them, thereby making you more likely to keep up with them.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nFor a few other ideas on how to make this idea work for you, I invite you to read <\/span>this article<\/span><\/a> that\u2019s based on the Influence<\/a><\/em> book by one of my favorite authors, Robert Cialdini. \u00a0It shows you how you can apply one of the most powerful psychological forces in your own life.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nRemember the saying: You can’t hit a target that you can’t see. Therefore, make sure you know what you want to achieve beforehand.<\/span>\\\\n\\\\nFor each goal, ask yourself these questions:<\/b>\\\\n<\/b>\\\\n\\\\n<\/p>\n