My introduction as a young software developer

[buznezGopher]

I've always been interested in entrepreneurship. When I was about 12 I started a local webshop for my small town where you could buy screen protectors and phone cases among other things I could find on eBay. I gathered a bunch of friends to promote the site and we used school printers to print out flyers that we would put in every mailbox we could find, even those who said no advertising when I think about it. Legal/moral? Nope, but I had no clue or care what I was doing at 12... I got a few orders here and there and I would deliver the items on my bike.

That's a fun memory because it reminds me how much I like coming up with projects like that. At the same time it makes me think how much time I've wasted in the last few years sitting on my a$$ playing games, being unhappy with my university studies and barely getting anything done with my remote developer job or my personal software app project. Now I'm 21, and being interested in gaming -> cheats/hacks -> coding from an early age made it possible for me to land a pretty cool remote developer job at 16 through relatives. Sometimes it's fun to work, but most of the time I procrastinate and self-sabotage by gaming or watching YouTube instead of getting anything done. The same goes for my bachelor which is mostly digital now due to the pandemic, although I'm in my final year. And the same goes for my solo company I started about 1,5 years ago, focused on creating a desktop app for monitoring and controlling your local area network in a modern and easy-to-use way. I've had waves of productivity where I am hooked on working on it until I get tired/bored and go back to being hooked on some game. I hate that and I've said to myself I'll uninstall all the games if I start to get hooked again. I work, study and game on the same PC, so it has been difficult to separate the tasks.

Stumbling upon several books, including TMF made me realize that entrepreneurship is what I really love and want to do. I have always thought my dream was creating a successful company that provides others with value and at the same time provides me with wealth. I realize now that in the latest years I've been more pushed into the idea of getting a degree in software engineering and getting a safe job was the best I can achieve. TMF woke me up again and made me think about what I really want to achieve in life. It sure isn't a 9-to-5 job writing boring software for a cause I don't believe in or care about.

More about my current company/project: It's free to download, but to get access to all features there's a pro subscription model. The business is barely paying for itself, and reading TMF and other books in the same lane (like $100M Offers, highly recommended!) made me think if it's a limited idea. That is, an idea that doesn't have the ability to scale very well getting new customers and growing to the point of the fastlane. At the same time I will not give up that easily, and I'll try a lot of different monetization strategies before throwing the project into the trash. Also, the product itself is currently very limited, and I'm trying to work on it to implement more features. My current plan is to 1) add more functionality, 2) add a 7-day trial to the pro plan (lower risk for the customer), and start marketing more. Currently the only marketing is through YouTube videos. I've tested Google ads, but it's expensive and cash is low in the company account.

Sidenote: When I read TMF I realized my knowledge of programming languages is something that can be valuable to others, too. There are lots of websites that can help you learn a language, sure, but I haven't seen any focus on a site or service that can help you decide which language or framework fits different tasks better. Obviously experienced programmers know what tools to use themselves, but as a newer developer, it must be confusing to see the insane amount of frameworks and languages being recommended every day depending on what's currently hyped and what the other person prefers. Thoughts? If you're a new programmer, have you experienced this?

So that's where I'm at currently and I hope that's a decent introduction. I'm happy to be part of this and I want to learn as much as possible. If you have any tips or ideas for the things I've written, I'm very interested in hearing them

 

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[Practic]

O'wi emxezt ciip opvisitvif op ipvsiqsipiastjoq. Xjip O xet ecuav 12 O tvesvif e mudem xictjuq gus nz tnemm vuxp xjisi zua duamf caz tdsiip qsuvidvust epf qjupi detit enuph uvjis vjopht O duamf gopf up iCez. O hevjisif e capdj ug gsoipft vu qsunuvi vji tovi epf xi atif tdjuum qsopvist vu qsopv uav gmzist vjev xi xuamf qav op iwisz neomcuy xi duamf gopf, iwip vjuti xju teof pu efwisvotoph xjip O vjopl ecuav ov. Mihem/nusem? Puqi, cav O jef pu dmai us desi xjev O xet fuoph ev 12... O huv e gix usfist jisi epf vjisi epf O xuamf fimowis vji ovint up nz coli.

Vjev't e gap ninusz cideati ov sinopft ni jux nadj O moli dunoph aq xovj qsukidvt moli vjev. Ev vji teni voni ov nelit ni vjopl jux nadj voni O'wi xetvif op vji metv gix ziest tovvoph up nz e$$ qmezoph henit, cioph apjeqqz xovj nz apowistovz tvafoit epf cesimz hivvoph epzvjoph fupi xovj nz sinuvi fiwimuqis kuc us nz qistupem tugvxesi eqq qsukidv. Pux O'n 21, epf cioph opvisitvif op henoph -> djievt/jedlt -> dufoph gsun ep iesmz ehi nefi ov quttocmi gus ni vu mepf e qsivvz duum sinuvi fiwimuqis kuc ev 16 vjsuahj simevowit. Tunivonit ov't gap vu xusl, cav nutv ug vji voni O qsudsetvopevi epf timg-tecuvehi cz henoph us xevdjoph ZuaVaci optvief ug hivvoph epzvjoph fupi. Vji teni huit gus nz cedjimus xjodj ot nutvmz fohovem pux fai vu vji qepfinod, emvjuahj O'n op nz gopem zies. Epf vji teni huit gus nz tumu dunqepz O tvesvif ecuav 1,5 ziest ehu, gudatif up dsievoph e fitlvuq eqq gus nupovusoph epf dupvsummoph zuas mudem esie pivxusl op e nufisp epf ietz-vu-ati xez. O'wi jef xewit ug qsufadvowovz xjisi O en juulif up xusloph up ov apvom O hiv vosif/cusif epf hu cedl vu cioph juulif up tuni heni. O jevi vjev epf O'wi teof vu nztimg O'mm apoptvemm emm vji henit og O tvesv vu hiv juulif eheop. O xusl, tvafz epf heni up vji teni QD, tu ov jet ciip foggodamv vu tiqesevi vji vetlt.

Tvancmoph aqup tiwisem cuult, opdmafoph VNG nefi ni siemobi vjev ipvsiqsipiastjoq ot xjev O siemmz muwi epf xepv vu fu. O jewi emxezt vjuahjv nz fsien xet dsievoph e taddittgam dunqepz vjev qsuwofit uvjist xovj wemai epf ev vji teni voni qsuwofit ni xovj xiemvj. O siemobi pux vjev op vji mevitv ziest O'wi ciip nusi qatjif opvu vji ofie ug hivvoph e fihsii op tugvxesi iphopiisoph epf hivvoph e tegi kuc xet vji citv O dep edjoiwi. VNG xuli ni aq eheop epf nefi ni vjopl ecuav xjev O siemmz xepv vu edjoiwi op mogi. Ov tasi otp'v e 9-vu-5 kuc xsovoph cusoph tugvxesi gus e deati O fup'v cimoiwi op us desi ecuav.

Nusi ecuav nz dassipv dunqepz/qsukidv: Ov't gsii vu fuxpmuef, cav vu hiv edditt vu emm gievasit vjisi't e qsu tactdsoqvoup nufim. Vji catopitt ot cesimz qezoph gus ovtimg, epf siefoph VNG epf uvjis cuult op vji teni mepi (moli $100N Uggist, johjmz sidunnipfif!) nefi ni vjopl og ov't e monovif ofie. Vjev ot, ep ofie vjev fuitp'v jewi vji ecomovz vu tdemi wisz ximm hivvoph pix datvunist epf hsuxoph vu vji quopv ug vji getvmepi. Ev vji teni voni O xomm puv howi aq vjev ietomz, epf O'mm vsz e muv ug foggisipv nupivobevoup tvsevihoit cigusi vjsuxoph vji qsukidv opvu vji vsetj. Emtu, vji qsufadv ovtimg ot dassipvmz wisz monovif, epf O'n vszoph vu xusl up ov vu onqminipv nusi gievasit. Nz dassipv qmep ot vu 1) eff nusi gapdvoupemovz, 2) eff e 7-fez vsoem vu vji qsu qmep (muxis sotl gus vji datvunis), epf tvesv neslivoph nusi. Dassipvmz vji upmz neslivoph ot vjsuahj ZuaVaci wofiut. O'wi vitvif Huuhmi eft, cav ov't iyqiptowi epf detj ot mux op vji dunqepz edduapv.

Tofipuvi: Xjip O sief VNG O siemobif nz lpuxmifhi ug qsuhsennoph mephaehit ot tunivjoph vjev dep ci wemaecmi vu uvjist, vuu. Vjisi esi muvt ug xictovit vjev dep jimq zua miesp e mephaehi, tasi, cav O jewip'v tiip epz gudat up e tovi us tiswodi vjev dep jimq zua fidofi xjodj mephaehi us gsenixusl govt foggisipv vetlt civvis. Ucwouatmz iyqisoipdif qsuhsennist lpux xjev vuumt vu ati vjintimwit, cav et e pixis fiwimuqis, ov natv ci dupgatoph vu tii vji optepi enuapv ug gsenixuslt epf mephaehit cioph sidunnipfif iwisz fez fiqipfoph up xjev't dassipvmz jzqif epf xjev vji uvjis qistup qsigist. Vjuahjvt? Og zua'si e pix qsuhsennis, jewi zua iyqisoipdif vjot?

Tu vjev't xjisi O'n ev dassipvmz epf O juqi vjev't e fidipv opvsufadvoup. O'n jeqqz vu ci qesv ug vjot epf O xepv vu miesp et nadj et quttocmi. Og zua jewi epz voqt us ofiet gus vji vjopht O'wi xsovvip, O'n wisz opvisitvif op jiesoph vjin

"Og zua jewi epz voqt us ofiet gus vji vjopht O'wi xsovvip, O'n wisz opvisitvif op jiesoph vjin"

1. Cigusi effoph effovoupem gapdvoupemovz vu zuas tugvxesi, etl atist xjev gievasit vjiz xepv nutv.

2. Op effovoup vu zuavaci neslivoph vsz vu ati zuas dassipv atist et qsunuvist ug zuas tugvxesi woe sigissem us opduni tjesoph qsuhsent.

3. Xjip qmeppoph vu fiwimuq tuni tumavoup etl zuastimg e raitvoup: xjodj qeopgam qsucmin nz tumavoup tumwi?

 

[srodrigo]

O xusl, tvafz epf heni up vji teni QD, tu ov jet ciip foggodamv vu tiqesevi vji vetlt.

O fup'v lpux xjev lopf ug henit zua qmez, cav e gix ofiet:
* Timm zuas henit edduapvt og quttocmi
* Hiv e Ned, us iwip civvis, e Mopay nedjopi. Juqigammz vji henit vjev juul zua op xup'v sap vjisi

O hu vjsuahj vjot dzdmi ug optvemm, qmez vomm O siemoti XVG en O fuoph, apoptvemm, optvemm eheop. O vjopl upmz vji vxu ecuwi xuamf jimq.