You should be the worst developer on the team

Some thoughts on your skill level compared to the people you work for

A friend introduced me to programming. He came to my house and when we were playing Linux computers (about 1997), he said: "You don't know how to program computers"?

I said "no", and then I gave a good tutorial on compiling C code on Linux.

That was my first introduction to real programming, not including MIRC mods and themes that are still being programmed, but there are actually more scripts.

I am a rookie and seeing this knowledgeable person makes me realize that I don't know much. It's like I don't know anything. All I know is on another planet, like using a computer, not programming it.

Then in college, I was the worst student in the class. Remember, this is an engineering school, and I’m not a grade A student, so I learned a lot from the people around me, and I also learned how to make myself the best. This is much better than going to a low-demand school, which is the best among middle-level or middle-level students. I think.

But when I finish college and start working, because I am a freelancer, sometimes I find myself in the position of the best developer in the conference room. I actively try to avoid this situation.

My favorite performances are those where I have to work with the team, especially those that are better than me in terms of the specific skills of each team member. Like technical skills. Or become a good team member.

Now, I have been more than 2 years, no longer a member of the team, working alone, I must find a team to learn.

how is it?

This is a group of people I learned from:

  • podcast. I subscribed to nearly 200 podcasts and regularly check the topics I can learn from them. From technical topics like JavaScript programming to digital marketing, to listening to other people’s adventures on the Internet as an entrepreneur or small business owner.
  • Blog. I read a lot of blogs on multiple topics
  • Twitter. I follow wise and incredible people on Twitter by directly following or using lists.
  • books. I read a lot of books on many topics.
  • YouTube. I spend hours a week watching great YouTube videos, from coding screencasts to JavaScript conference talks. But not limited to this, I like to consume many different content, for example, including people walking in the woods and talking about camping.

so many. I did not list meetings or events because I rarely attend these meetings or events. But of course I also forgot that face-to-face contact is one of the most effective ways to learn.

I tend to have a ratio

  • 1⁄3 LearnNew things
  • 1⁄3 ExerciseWhat i learned
  • 1⁄3 teachingWhat i learned

Sometimes, based on what I have learned, I just store them in long-term storage, or just keep them in my head for future use (because I may not need them now).

This is a soloist for me because I have no team members. This also applies to freelancers, or people who only try to improve among some people they don’t know yet.

I think the main point I want to say is, don’t just be satisfied with being the best person in a particular field, or just be better than others around you, it’s dangerous.

Thanks to the Internet, countless people can do better than you.


More experimental tutorials:


Online technical encyclopedia!