4 keys to learn faster and become a better programmer

No matter how little time you have been programming or even if you are thinking of learning to program to be able to make a living from it, you will already know that it is a profession that requires you to be constantly learning new things.

You will also have realized that to be a good programmer, it is not important to attend classroom courses to obtain a diploma. The important thing is to learn, no matter if you do it at university, in a vocational training course, at home as an autodidact, or with an online course (but a good one).

In the beginning, it is good to opt for good training, but many good programmers end up being self-taught people who "learn how to learn" faster than the rest. This is a fascinating quality of good software developers.

Everyone is smart enough to learn to program, but not everyone can be a programmer for many reasons other than intelligence. There are many other factors: frustration management, effort or rather the way you approach it, personal motivations, etc., and whether you are passionate about it or not, among others.

In a rapidly changing world, the ability to learn a new skill as quickly as possible has become a must. You don't need a natural gift to be better at learning new information, even while having a full-time job. Some of the most famous polymaths claimed to be no smarter than anyone else.

We all have enough brainpower to master a new subject if we use the right tools and approaches or apply what we learn correctly. Almost anyone can learn anything if they use the proper techniques.

With better teaching approaches, processes can be more effective. The key to rapid skill acquisition is not complicated, but it does take time.

The process of learning to learn faster is a long one because you have to have accumulated experience and suffered many failures to achieve it. However, you can start acquiring a series of good habits that can help you learn better and faster in less time.

1. Conceive learning as a process.

More than ever, constant training is vital if you want to remain relevant, indispensable, and thrive in the changing world of work, especially in the field of software programming.

For some of us, the journey itself is even more exciting than its final destination. For people who acquire knowledge in an agile and seemingly effortless way, learning is actually like a journey: discovering new knowledge, not a final destination.

In other words, people who are learning things all the time value the process. They do not have an end goal; they seek constant improvement throughout their personal and professional lives.

It is an enjoyable lifelong process for these people, a process that everyone goes at their own pace but never stops. Understanding any new subject demands and requires not only keen observation but, almost more importantly, sustained curiosity over time.

Investing time and money in learning is an investment that usually pays off in increased income and better conditions in the workplace.

2. Adopt a personal growth and development mentality.

This advice is closely related to the previous point and has been developed by psychologist Carol Dweck. It is about acquiring a growth mindset in which individuals value effort and pushing mental and intellectual boundaries more than natural intelligence.

According to Dweck's wowessay, if we value only the latter, we reach a situation of stagnation, which she calls a "fixed" mentality. By valuing work capacity and effort, a "growth" mentality is adopted. In the long run, people who are more capable of growth end up surpassing intelligence and knowledge who are naturally intelligent but who do not make as much effort to grow and develop.

Dweck argues that this tendency to view abilities as fixed or non-modifiable has a profound impact on many areas of a person's life, especially on the motivation of children and teachers.

Beyond the well-intentioned "roll," cultivating a growth mindset, also called adaptive, can help you focus more on the goals you want most in life. In addition, it can significantly influence your motivation and make you more able to spot opportunities to learn and increase your skills.

The ability to keep an open mind, acquire better knowledge and apply it when necessary can exponentially improve your professional life as a programmer.

3. Read a lot

Reading, especially in long-form, is to the mind what exercise is to the body. It gives us the freedom to wander through space, time, history and offers a deeper insight into ideas, concepts, emotions, and the body of knowledge.

The brain connected to a book stays active, grows, changes, and establishes new connections and different patterns, depending on the type of material you are reading. The best students read a lot. And not necessarily technical books (only).

Many of the most successful people in business and software share this love of reading - they see reading not as an obligation but as an opportunity to improve their lives, careers, and businesses.

Elon Musk grew up reading two books a day, and Mark Zuckerberg has a routine to read one book per two weeks (at least). Bill Gates reads 50 books a year. Warren Buffett spends five to six hours a day reading five newspapers and 500 pages of corporate reports. Houdini, Keith Richards, Oprah Winfrey, or Diane Keaton are other successful personalities who have or had in common being bookworms.

4. Share your knowledge with others

According to some studies, learners retain about 90% of what they learn when they explain/teach the concept to someone else or use it immediately.

Teaching others what you know is one of the most effective ways to learn, memorize and retain new information. Psychologists call it "retrieval practice." It is one of the most reliable ways to develop a stronger memory.

Learning by teaching someone else a topic in simple terms helps you quickly identify your knowledge gaps.

The ultimate test of your level of knowledge is your ability to transfer it to another person. A better way to learn, process, retain, and remember information is to learn and share that knowledge before moving on.

For example, instead of completing a programming course without stopping, aim to do half the course and then share what you have learned with others before moving on. This is an excellent way to permanently shore up the acquired knowledge in your head and identify gaps.

Conclusion
In addition to these 4 tips that you should incorporate into your life in the form of habits if you want to learn things faster, other things are essential when learning to program and become a better programmer. Such as time off, having a good diet, and hobbies outside of software development.

All these tips apply to all other professions that require continuous training, so crucial to the success of any professional in software development.