Introduction

Have you ever wondered, "How can I solve this coding problem?" or "How to get this algorithm in my mind?". If you have, don't worry. I do too. I still do for some questions. Now there will be two types of outcomes and that makes you think either you are a 'successful' coder, if you have solved it, or the infamous 'imposter syndrome' kicks in, if you have failed. Speaking from my personal experience, not all coders compete. And this article is the outcome of all the pondering that I did, while I was confused myself. So let's start the journey without any further ado.

What makes someone a successful coder?

Now, I am going to be frank with you. There is nothing like a successful coder. But there are successful programs and desired outcomes. Some criteria determine whether a code is successful, but not you. So, based on my experience so far, I would like to pinpoint some criteria I have learned.

if you.feeling == 'confident' :

The above heading is almost self-explanatory. But, I would still like to elaborate on it. Many among us, even myself at one point, have lost our confidence in coding or questioned even the right thing again and again, just because some doofus out there, claiming themselves to be a 'genius', would find a better code than ours. It is unworthy to debate whether they 'got' the code or got the logic behind it. But seeing them succeed, our pride in our code drops. And if it is some lab evaluation, our hope is done. We would start moving towards this dark zone in our mind, just because he got an extra mark or two because of their optimized code. All we would then think of is to 'get an optimized code, from the very beginning'. But, let me tell you something. Optimized code is as equal as building a base code. And most companies out there, just want people to work with an already existing code and that you understand it inside out during your training period. Remember, not all coding languages started with Objects, and not all coders can give the most optimized code in a single try.

The university determines instantaneous results

Those who have read the above headline would read it in two ways, "The university 'determines' instantaneous results", or, "The university determines 'instantaneous' results". What is the difference anyways? Well, there is one vast difference. Our Universities and colleges make us believe in one thing, "results matter!". But, they do not tell us the full story. Results matter, but only to determine your growth slope. If you disagree with me, try the following for a week.

Now, what do we see here? Oops! Did I make you do 'supervised learning' without even knowing it? Well, kind of. But the growth will speak for itself when we do it. Remember, it is the 'growth' that matters and not just the peak point alone.

Practice makes a code hotter ;)

Now that we know how to code, why not do it? The more we chop, the more goes to the pot anyways. And this is also the part that gives you that sleek, seggzy and compact-looking optimised code, that some genius just cloned from GitHub for the practicals. And do not make it a competition for the starting stages. A stable coding habit makes it just enough for growth. And if you want to make your thinking faster and more efficient, then I would suggest trying competitive coding. I am saying these from the outcomes I got and seriously, just the coding habit worked wonders for my coding knowledge. I just started competitive coding (yes, I follow my advice), and though I didn't win or get mentioned in any of them, CP is fun and it is the teamwork and the adrenaline rush while coming up with the solution that matters. It is exactly as John Johnson once said,

First, solve the problem. Then, write the code.

Push it till you can, but push it

Now, the last but not least, never give up, but also don't overdo it. I know. It will be a bit hard to adapt to the coding practices or the new ways of thinking into our daily schedules of tests, assignments, lectures, fun and things. Try to take it slow. Do not rush it. Try taking tips from some of your friends and someday, your code shall be cloned by some genius in the future. Develop some diversions once in a while, like anime in my case. I do 3 codes every day and watch a week's worth of episodes. Reward yourself for the hard work, because no one else will, to be frank. And if you find a code difficult, fall back to the learning tip I mentioned above, and life will at least be of less thorns.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my article with your at most patience and focus. Hope this helped anyone in their life. Do not forget to follow my page for more articles like this. See ya!