Pre-Microverse: what has made me a better developer?
As an Applications/Systems Administrator, I gained skills that have helped me grow as a developer. Patience is one key element then research skills owing to the fact that it is an ever-changing field with new things coming up on a daily basis. Moreso, the excitement is that I will be able to know how the applications I supported were developed giving me a better understanding of technology.
Never did I dream as a system administrator that I would venture into software development. Though they are both technical and require much technical knowledge, thinking logically gives them common ground.
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It is clear to see that logical thinking is a plus to being a developer. With the ever-changing world especially in technology, a lot of research is needed to keep up with the trend. The internet is wide and has a lot of garbage. The ability to sieve what is relevant takes a lot of expertise. It is not always that things go right. Patience is a virtue that has taught me this and with patience and my current research skills, I am ensured that my walk with Microverse is going to be a wonderful experience.
In systems administration, you communicate with machines. Things are sequential and depend on how they are applied. More so, attention to detail is essential. To achieve this, a lot of patience is required. The profession has really assisted me on that and at the end of it all, I have come to see it assist me in Microverse. Not everybody comes with a technology or development background. Some of my coding partners have had issues with which I take time to ensure they grab the concepts and move on. A good example is the first API project we had. I went through the whole project pair programming to assist my partner who had no knowledge of how APIs work. Even after program time, I am always happy to help
Documentation is very important. Nonetheless not to be negative but we are all dispensable. On the positive side, one would get greener pastures. I learned from my previous role to always document the process. With these skills, I realized that communicating what you have documented makes me eloquent. It has also made me good at research. Currently, it is assisting me in that whatever is a challenge to my partners or myself I am able to go out and find solutions.
Dealing with clients directly has been a form of development for me to attain patience as a virtue. In my profession, I am only required when something is broken. Sometimes it is a user issue and it takes courage and patience to explain this. Patience is all required. It is often that you know what the solutions are. It requires research and once you get them some documentation is good for future reference. My role as applications systems administrator has really built me for the work ahead of me.
