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Hey Pythonista,
Julian here. I was doing some thinking over the break and it occurred to me that one of the biggest misconceptions in this industry is that one day, you’ll "finish" learning. That you’ll reach a level of seniority where you just know everything.
But it couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, the moment you stop learning, is the moment you start becoming obsolete.
I’ve been in I.T. for just on 20 years, and I’m constantly reminding myself of this.
A perfect example came up over the holidays regarding Git.
We see a lot of developers (even experienced ones) get stuck in "Junior Habits." They learn a command early in their career, it works, and they never question if there is a better way. (Ahem... me).
In this case it was the muscle memory of: git add . and git commit -m "updates"
I've done this for years. I mean, it gets the job done right?
The thing is, as I've built bigger and better things, I realised it was a blunt instrument.
Adopting a Senior Developer mindset means exploring alternatives and being curious.
After a quick search around, I found git add -p.
I'm sure many of you are using this but it was new to me! And if you aren't using this, you're in for a treat! It adds a huge layer of quality control.
Instead of blindly staging every file in your directory (including debug code or temp configs), git add -p forces you to step through your changes, change by change. You approve every single line change that goes into your commit.
It turns the act of committing code into an act of code review.
It makes the whole experience of coding much more aligned with how a top tier software development engineer works.
And this whole experience of familiarising myself with git add -p reminded me of exactly why we started PDI and PDM.
We don't just teach you Python syntax (you can get that for free on YouTube). We teach you the professional workflows, the mindset shifts, and the "unknown unknowns" that separate the hobbyists from the pros.
As we always say, you don't know what you don't know. It takes experts who have lived the experience to show you the blind spots you didn't even realise were there.
I'm proud that we can do this for you, our community.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start operating at a higher level, check out our coaching programs.
PDM Application (Intermediate/Advanced):
https://form.jotform.com/233121821652043
PDI Application (Beginner):
https://form.jotform.com/233191691868064
– Julian
P.S. If you haven't used git add -p before, give it a shot today. It feels slower at first, but the control it gives you is worth it. Just remember that it only covers changes, not new, untracked files. Add those first with git add -N <filename> then git add -p.
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