Hey there! Missed me? 😏, You better say yes 😂. Yes, I didn't post yesterday, it was a very hectic day for me, for many, Friday is the day we kick back end and enjoy the weekend, my Friday involved a lot of commuting, as well as attending to some commitments that kept me preoccupied even till Saturday after which I was mentally exhausted. Enough about me, let's talk about tech. Today we're going to be looking at an issue that a lot of developers are affected by, understandably so because we humans get attached to things. I'm going to be dwelling on why it's not the best way to go.
WE HAVE FAVOURITES FOR DIFFERENT REASONS
Developers tend to have a favourite programming language or framework. Depending on the stack of the developer (frontend, backend or full-stack), developers are known to have their favourite tools within these stacks. Being attached to a programming language is quite understandable and mostly depends on affinity to the programming language as well as having communities, resources and mentors who make it easy to learn the language/framework.
A RELATABLE EXPLANATION
The possible challenge with having a favourite is when one becomes too attached to a framework to the point that one is unwilling to explore other tools. As much as developers are called programmers, we are problem solvers first, we just happen to use code to do it. I at times liken software developers to footballers, a footballer isn't going to refuse to play because they don't like the colour of their jersey or the colour of the ball. As far as the footballer is concerned, those things are tools, a means to an end, not the end itself.
SOME SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS REQUIRE YOU TO LEARN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Why I say this is because it isn't unusual for an employer to tell a software engineer to learn a particular programming language or framework in order to get a particular job done. Under normal circumstances, only a time constraint or other pressing projects will serve as a reasonable excuse for refusing to learn. Programming is beautiful in the sense that all languages have similar ideologies that they commonly share, everything from web development to gaming, to machine learning, the tools have similar features, the only difference is the syntax.
CORE PROGRAMMING CONCEPTS CREATE FLUIDITY WITHIN DIFFERENT FIELDS
This is why software development is quite exciting, one is able to transition into several sectors within the industry as long as one is willing to learn. A lot of aspiring developers believe the language they learn is what they'll use indefinitely and it's mostly not the case. I have a friend who was told to learn two languages and at least two other frameworks because the business required that more resources be allocated towards building and maintaining solutions that were built using the languages and framework in question.
FINALLY
It can be a rude awakening for aspiring developers who think that when they learn one programming language, they'll sail into the sunset and live happily ever after 😂. It's also important that netizens understand this so they have more understanding of the little decisions that go into software development. Apps aren't just some autonomous entity (though we build them to run without being interrupted), they require resources (human and others) to maintain and scale them.