Don't worry about developer tools
In software development, there are never-ending lists of developer tools. When you first start out, it may feel like you’re expected to know about them. I’m here to tell you that you don’t and you’re not alone in feeling that way.
The starting point
We all want to be successful at what we do. Software development is no different. It was hard not to get caught up in all the developer tool polls and trends but realistically there is just too much to research. Even when I narrowed it down to tool sets companies used, there wasn’t anything I could identify as a best practice or pattern. All of them consistently used different tools.
Building momentum
It then dawned on me that the reason the tools are so different is because everyone is trying to solve different problems. I took a step back to reevaluate my problem and found that I just wanted to focus on building software and keeping it simple. I was just making it harder for myself by worrying about developer tools. If you’re new to software development and this resonates with you, then I strongly encourage to:
- Find an IDE that lets you be productive in the Programming Language of your choice and has support to help you get past road blocks.
- Use a Text Editor with syntax support that lets you quickly edit code without having to load up your entire environment.
Staying in stride
Working and making progress on your solution is only possible when we take time to understand the problem. We often make the mistake of believing the solution is somewhere else rather than within us. Remember developer tools are not a substitute for work and should never get in the way of your productivity and if they do, get rid of them.