Hello, buddies! This is the first article that I write by taking myself as an example. So this article may have a lot of problems😂! When you start your journey of becoming a Developer, it’s normal that you will hit a few bricks on your way. So today I will share, 5 Things I wish I'd know Before get Into coding, in other words, before becoming a Game Developer. I hope this will help beginner developers as well. 😊
1. Task switching destroys focus
Although you learn to deal with interruptions, it still hurts your productivity. One of the things to decrease the number of interruptions is to schedule meetings at the beginning or the end of your workday.
If you’re working on a particular algorithm head-down, you should not stop until you solved that problem. It’s best to use headphones when working in an open-space office. Wearing headphones is a signal for people surrounding you that you’re working on a difficult task and that they should only interrupt you in case of fire.
Always remember – git commit, git push, run!
2. You need to know more than one programming language
When starting I believed that I need to be the best C# or C++ developer(C# is the language used in Unity). It’s just not true.
Programming languages are a tool in the toolbelt and depending on the scenario you need to choose either the hammer or the screwdriver.
Throughout your career, you’ll come across many tools. Some of them will always stay in your toolbelt, and some of them might be replaced.
3. Don’t be afraid to write bad code
You don’t have to write the perfect code at the first try. Instead, focus on solving the problem first. If you have a working solution, level up the game and improve your code.
Make it more readable, more maintainable, and more expressive. It not only helps your co-workers; it also helps your future self.
4. Know when to take breaks
This might seem counterintuitive, but it’s actually necessary to let your brain rest to solve problems as a programmer. The progress you make on your code isn’t always proportional to the time you put into your program or debugging, especially if you’ve been staring at the same issue on the screen for hours at a time.
When you’re stuck on the same two lines of code, remind yourself to take a break and let your mind have a rest for a few minutes. After returning to the computer, the answer might be a lot more obvious. According to my experience, the bug you couldn't fix today can be easily fixed tomorrow in 5mins.
5. Googling or searching for answers on StackOverflow are not embarrassing things to do
As a developer you not only want the best possible solution to a given problem, but you also want to create unique solutions. You want to do it yourself.
It’s an honorable behavior, but we also need to be efficient. We want to keep the development cost low, and therefore it’s not only okay but encouraged to look for solved problems on the internet.
Splitting an array, concatenating files, opening streams, sorting data, etc. are all tasks that should not be reinvented. Although the university wants to make every student believe that you have to develop your algorithms yourself – they’re wrong. What’s important is to select the best algorithm to solve your problem.