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Finding inspiration for mid-level developers online

· 3 min read
D Balaji
D Balaji
Lead Design Technologist

experienced developer

To do the imperceptible, we need inspiration. For a novice, the internet is flooded with boot camps, how-to videos, etc. But as we become mid-level developers, we need a different level of education which is hard to find and even harder to derive value out of it.

What is the current state of educational material online?​

Information is mostly in

  1. Video formats
  2. Print and books
  3. Github or source code

The video formats are mostly entry-level. They are almost deciphering the documentation for the entry-level developers who love to see for themselves before exploring stuff.

Print is mostly what we see on the websites of programming languages, libraries, and frameworks. They are mostly up-to-date. Sometimes, the concepts may be explained shallowly but it's not just understanding but the mental model is important to retain the concepts for a long time.

Don't ask me why React still has class-based examples even after hooks are out for a while.

Books are still the best way to get the content out in a well-defined, edited format for experts. The books market is muffled with free ebooks, early releases, promotional material, etc you will get by signing up for a newsletter or books which are written over a weekend on some particular topic. Finding a good book is a challenge for most of us. Some books have an associated web version which is mostly kept up to date.

Not all the code is equal nor provides good inspiration unless you spend time skimming.

Where is the material for mid-level developers?​

As a mid-level developer, here are the places I look for inspiration

  1. Reflection and thinking about stuff/concepts - For instance, learning Vue was easy because I knew how to React works. Just some reflection and alignment of conceptual understanding were required. The same with any concept in the programming world. Compare Dockerfile with package.json etc.
  2. Curiosity, after a while the workplace does not put pressure to learn new stuff. That's where the curious mind kicks in. Do not let curiosity die.
  3. Books that are intended for mid-level expertise on a subject / have professionals in their title are good enough. Bye podcasts, youtube, and any ad-filled or ad-backed content. I may not need you in long run. In the short run, as a reference for a quick how-to, this content is great.

In the long run we need to train how to learn by ourselves. That's how you are going to get accustomed to a new codebase or esoteric library that a real team uses.

  1. Github is like the museum and expo in software programming. From the latest to archived projects, we have everything in one place. Be there on Github often and observe others' work.
  2. Conference talks are cool, why miss them. After all, someone prepares and is willing to share their experience. This is the kind of youtube video I want mid-level developers to watch.