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I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

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Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#111

Post by arghbleargh »

It's completely normal to have to start over a few times as a beginner. Learning to code is not trivial, and since you're not going to learn everything before you start writing code, you'll inevitably run into issues that you didn't anticipate.

That said, the OP could probably benefit from planning ahead a little more. It helps to focus on core aspects of the product that are not likely to change and to anticipate things that you might want to change. At first, it may be a little hard to hold your entire project in your head at once, but once you've broken it down into a few core components, it becomes much easier to think about things going forward.

It sounds like the OP is already arriving at these realizations, so good luck to him!

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#112

Post by jakejake »

jakobe wrote: post #17

That's why I still use vanilla PHP & Postgres for web projects. I don't use any hot new technologies, I don't use frameworks, I don't do unit testing. I try to use as little client side JS as possible. Whenever possible, I use static HTML. The advantage is that I can create a working prototype in days. I can show something to the client very early, and I don't spend months to fulfill specifications the client didn't…

Sticking to proven technology like PHP and Postgres I think is solid advice when you actually have to deliver something.

Avoiding frameworks, unit tests and client-side JavaScript is probably not as helpful. True, they can add bloat and complexity if you don't learn how to work with them.

Check out a framework like Laravel. Once you get over the hump you won't want to look back. I have my own framework called Phreeze which of course I'm partial towards but there are more recognized ones out there.

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#113

Post by btilly »

casual_slacker wrote: post #103
btilly wrote: post #81

Here is a td;lr. I keep on making the mistake of throwing away what I've got and starting over because I've learned how to do things better. I've just made this mistake again, but it's better because I've learned how to do it better this time, honest. My response to this. Don't write the retrospective bragging about what you've learned until after you have demonstrated success in a measurable way. I've encountered th…

What I see is the common mistake of confusing inexperience for complexity. He didn't know all the ins-and-outs of rails, probably went against the grain, and had unmaintainable code. Same thing happened when his browser app became complex. I don't know why you included the bit about manic depression. If you can pick up a framework and build a full production app on your first try, then you're probably more impressive…

I threw it in as an admitted long shot because I was sharply reminded of personal experiences with someone who would have been much better off receiving that diagnosis decades earlier than actually happened.

A small chance of a good outcome and no real cost in the common case is worthwhile mentioning IMO. Particularly if it is sufficiently hedged that it comes across as the honest "really random, really far out possibility that I know is probably wrong" thing that it is.

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#114

Post by tomphoolery »

jakobe wrote: post #17

That's why I still use vanilla PHP & Postgres for web projects. I don't use any hot new technologies, I don't use frameworks, I don't do unit testing. I try to use as little client side JS as possible. Whenever possible, I use static HTML. The advantage is that I can create a working prototype in days. I can show something to the client very early, and I don't spend months to fulfill specifications the client didn't…

> When I leave the project, any PHP developer will be able to pick up and implement changes within hours.

Congratulations. But will they be able to make changes without breaking what you did? That's the mark of a good developer. Anyone can make something, but it takes real experience and constant thought about how your code will be observed by others down the line to make a truly great product.

> Problems with PHP itself aside, rolling your own from scratch only ever works out well for projects that start small and stay small.

Small projects were what PHP was initially designed for. By the way the OP is talking, I believe that he's working on mostly brochureware or at least small/simple apps that don't require 24/7 monitoring or maintenance.

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#115

Post by zhemao »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #44
lampe3 wrote: post #23

Jesus when i read this Article I see me... I love to start new Projects but i never finish them(only when i must because i customer is kicking my ass)... I always have a lot of motivation... but when i sit down and must read or do something i lose focus very often and maybe work on it for 30 minutes or 1 hour and then i start to watch some stupid youtube videos... To this day i dont know how to focus... I got depress…

A way I have found to get round this is to set small, achievable milestones, it sounds like you are getting caught up in the "enormity of it all" - when we started our company the aim was "to enter competition X", then "get £5,000 in grant funding", then "3d print a prototype", then "build a test rig to test prototype", then "raise some investment", then "get a professionally designed product", the "set up 1 trial wi…

This. Every time I've started a project and then abandoned it shortly afterwards, it was because the goal was too complex and I didn't break it up into small-enough pieces. Every time I've succeeded at a large project, it was because I was able to set small, testable intermediate targets. That small shot of dopamine you get when some small thing works does wonders for your motivation to keep at it.

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#116

Post by socialherp »

peteacc wrote: post #10
[deleted] wrote: post #7

[deleted]

I understand your viewpoint, but I wholeheartedly disagree. He said that he started the project with almost no experience. Cut the guy some slack! Learning on the job is difficult, especially working within the confines of another job. Putting people down is not really what this site is for. It is for spreading interesting articles and engaging a positive community. Quit being be a dick x

You and people like you is why this site sucks now. Your comment exemplifies my point better then I ever could.

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#117

Post by zhemao »

jmagoon wrote: post #83
jaredmcateer wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know I've met my fair share of lazy "good enough" programmers that happily reuse code they wrote months, even years ago.

What's wrong with reusing code? Isn't that exactly what libraries (and frameworks) are for? Isn't that a fundamental programming principle (code reuse)?

Yeah, I don't see the problem with this. If the code is known to work, why do it over again? Just because it's a month old doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. Remember, laziness is one of the three primary virtues of the programmer.

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?LazinessImpatienceHubris

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#118

Post by socialherp »

lampe3 wrote: post #11
[deleted] wrote: post #7

[deleted]

it was his first project plus he learned rails in his free time... honestly i dont think saying he is a bad developer is fair.

And you know that how? From the code he never posted? Argumentative hipster is argumentative.

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#119

Post by [deleted] »

edw519 wrote: post #21

56 instances of the word "I". That's your problem. All the rest is fluff. OP, try rewriting this, substituting "he", "she", "they", or "you" for "I". Funny how quickly your perceived problems melt away as soon as you stop dwelling on yourself and start focusing on others. Edit: I realize that OP is being slightly sarcastic, but I took this as an opportunity: This is a condensed version of pretty much the same feedbac…

[deleted]

Re: I’m young, inexperienced and a perfectionist

#120

Post by adammil »

edw519 wrote: post #21

56 instances of the word "I". That's your problem. All the rest is fluff. OP, try rewriting this, substituting "he", "she", "they", or "you" for "I". Funny how quickly your perceived problems melt away as soon as you stop dwelling on yourself and start focusing on others. Edit: I realize that OP is being slightly sarcastic, but I took this as an opportunity: This is a condensed version of pretty much the same feedbac…

This isn't a story about successfully delivering a product, it's about the personal mental failures and quirks that prevent success. It's a great cautionary tale that describes his thought process for others to avoid those traps. Without the self-referencing statements, it wouldn't be as useful.
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