Beyond the Code: Every Developer Needs These Essential Skills

Learning to code is one of the most useful skills someone can learn. But let's say you were searching for a pirate's hidden treasure and you had a map that didn't show the exact location, but you knew it was somewhere around the Caribbean.

Searching there could be your first thought, but not knowing exactly where it is, searching the entire Caribbean can take years. That's why you should start looking at where the pirate lived to collect clues. For example, Barbarossa was Turkish, so maybe you should visit Turkey to gather clues.

The same is true with programming. Only practicing your coding skills will get you nowhere; you will just become a good employee, and that's all. You should start looking to other places where people haven't searched which will implicitly improve your coding skills.

Mental Toughness

As much as "mental toughness" might seem obscure, keep reading to better understand my point. Developers often talk about impostor syndrome or burnout, and if you are a developer yourself, you might have experienced it.

Even if you have not experienced it yet, your brain will stop working after a few hours of coding. Imagine now that you never had any problems and you could code nonstop and have infinite inspiration. This is what happened to me when I started training my mental toughness.

Training can come from other things. Stop playing video games and read books instead; this will give you discipline. Not wasting time-consuming content on social media, and instead, creating content will strengthen your mind. Stop masturbating every time you see an OF girl on Reddit or Instagram; this will toughen your mind to a point where things like impostor syndrome and burnout will cease to exist.

Inspiration

I know sun exposure can be difficult in some countries. But even in the UK where the sun is barely seen getting out each morning for 30-40, reading a book in the daylight can give you inspiration and motivation.

Inspiration is really important when it comes to coding; we get it by doing things that have no connection with the thing we are working on. The most inspiration you will get is from trips to other places or countries.

Half my time coding, I spent outside in the summer. Even now, I am writing this article outside.

Body Strength

"Mens sana in corpore sano" - A healthy mind is in a healthy body. But this works vice versa as well. Of course, as developers, we work on our minds all the time, but most developers have weak bodies.

Exercising and going to the gym can give you the mental energy you need to solve complex problems and think outside the box. Exercising doesn't mean going to the gym for 3 hours every day. But 30-40 minutes of working out daily and 2-3 hours of cardio each week can do the job.

Now that I am in a place where the nearest gym is 10 miles away, I do pushups all day. Daily 200-300 and running once every few days. That said, you don't even need a gym to work out; just do pushups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while coding is an essential skill for developers, it's not the only one that matters.

Mental toughness, inspiration, and physical fitness all play crucial roles in enhancing a developer's overall productivity and creativity.

By focusing on these areas, developers can not only improve their coding skills but also lead a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this article helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected], and I will respond.

You can also keep up with my latest updates by checking out my X here: x.com/sotergreco