How do I know if I am good enough?

#1

Post by dmak » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 6:50 PM UTC

I, always, am comparing myself with programmers and I want to be "that" good before I take jobs. However, sometimes job opportunities come and I am just not sure if I should dive. How do I know if I can fulfill the request? How do I know if I am good enough?

Right now, I am taking working on some freebie projects for my friends so I can further develop my skills.

Also, it is an eCommerce website: Could anyone give me some ideas of how difficult it may be or an idea of the problems I may encounter?

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#2

Post by user24 » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 6:59 PM UTC

Just dive in, take the opportunity. What's the worst that can happen?

When I started as a junior html developer I'd written exactly one website, a really poor 1997-era personal homepage. I didn't even know what a html table was, I'd never done forms, etc etc. It was a really junior role, but I figured I could learn what I didn't know on the spot. I stayed at that company for 4 years, and left with the job title "Senior Database Programmer". I'm now a highly experienced developer with some good academic qualifications too; I joined my first university on the strength of my experience alone, which was that first job.

Stop worrying and go for it. There's a crapload of documentation online, so even if you really are a bad developer you should be able to squeeze by until you become good enough.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#3

Post by tjsimmons » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:09 PM UTC

user24 wrote: post #2

Just dive in, take the opportunity. What's the worst that can happen? When I started as a junior html developer I'd written exactly one website, a really poor 1997-era personal homepage. I didn't even know what a html table was, I'd never done forms, etc etc. It was a really junior role, but I figured I could learn what I didn't know on the spot. I stayed at that company for 4 years, and left with the job title "Seni…

I'd agree. When I started at my current job (my first real programming job, other than what I did when trying to learn), I knew very little of HTML, JavaScript, or any other language, really. In the year and a half since I've been here, I've learned quite a bit, becoming (in my humble opinion ;) ) one of our best coders, and if you're dedicated to learning and succeeding, you really can't go wrong. Like the poster above me, just go for it and try.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#4

Post by decavolt » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:20 PM UTC

You should always be going after gigs that are just above your current skill level. This is how you get better and how you can constantly progress. The most important skill you can have is the ability to quickly learn on-the-fly, to solve new problems.

If you only attempt projects that are well below your skill level you'll just stagnate and get bored. Eventually your skills will deteriorate as a result.

Go for bigger fish, even if you're not sure you can reel them in.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#5

Post by Raphomet » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:22 PM UTC

I felt this way before taking my current job, but I took it anyway. It turns out that you can learn way more way faster when you're working in a team on a real project.

There's _a lot_ of stuff that your teammates can teach you in five minutes that would take a day of Googling and experimentation to learn yourself, especially when you're a beginner.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#6

Post by user24 » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:22 PM UTC

Another thing: that thing with comparing yourself to others never stops. I still compare myself to other programmers and think "wow, I'll never reach their level", and I just graduated from Oxford with a masters in computer science. I'm not bragging, just saying that whatever level you're at, there'll always be other developers to look up to and aspire to. You should never let that discourage you.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#7

Post by joshu » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:26 PM UTC

You don't really want a job you're fully qualified for. You won't be stretched.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#8

Post by mmelin » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:32 PM UTC

joshu wrote: post #7

You don't really want a job you're fully qualified for. You won't be stretched.

Definitely. If you want to grow, make sure you're thinking "I don't know what the hell I'm doing" on a regular basis. When you're comfortable with everything you do, get new stuff to do or get a new job.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#9

Post by pvg » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:32 PM UTC

Oh, easy, there's a standard screencast on this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DIETlxquzY

And it works, the man went on to become a United States Senator.

Re: How do I know if I am good enough?

#10

Post by dmak » Thu, Oct 14, 2010, 7:42 PM UTC

Raphomet wrote: post #5

I felt this way before taking my current job, but I took it anyway. It turns out that you can learn way more way faster when you're working in a team on a real project. There's _a lot_ of stuff that your teammates can teach you in five minutes that would take a day of Googling and experimentation to learn yourself, especially when you're a beginner.

What if there was not a team? Just one person.