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Hey Pythonista,
I had a call with a Data Scientist from New York yesterday and he asked me something I don't think anyone's actually asked me before.
"What's the difference between someone who succeeds in PDM and someone that doesn't".
As I considered my response, I realised that the "PDM" part of the equation was irrelevant. I mean, PDM is incredible, don't get me wrong, but just like anything, success comes down to you.
Given this, I want to share some traits and behaviours that I contribute to success when you're learning anything, not just Python, and not just PDM:
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Be open-minded.
If you go into the learning experience without the willingness to adopt new ideas and methodologies, you're going to miss out on so much. This is pretty self-explanatory. You're going to learn new ways of doing things so be prepared to try, test and apply them.
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Leave the cynicism at the door.
We've all had past experiences. We've all been burned. Leave the cynicism at the door and take on the new learning experience with fresh eyes and energy. If you don't you close yourself off to opportunities and lessons that may actually make a significant difference in your life.
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(git) Commit.
Pun intended! Seriously though, commit to the learning experience. Don't go in half-assed. If you're going to dive in and learn something, make the changes in your routine and commit to getting through it.
If you don't, you're just wasting your time. Give the experience time every day, make it a habit and be ruthless in protecting the time slot.
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Be curious.
Having a legitimate curiosity in the thing you're learning helps immensely. Taking a step back, don't go deep on learning something that you couldn't care less about. If you actually care about the subject, then the curiosity will come naturally. Embrace it, and dive into it with everything you have.
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Network your butt off.
Connecting with your learning peers is one of the best ways to amplify the learning experience. Learning solo can really... suck. I'm just not a fan of doing that solo. I love to bounce ideas and challenges off my peers. (Read my email/article on coding solo here).
When you and your peers discuss and learn together, things move to a whole new level.
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Continue to learn relentlessly when the formal experience ends.
Just because the program, class, course or certification may have concluded doesn't mean you have to slow down. Success comes from being relentless in your learning.
Keep the habits up. Form your own learning groups if you want to keep learning alongside others. Make your own learning environment that inspires you and keeps you going.
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Do not accept anything short of success.
Be like a dog with a chew toy it doesn't want to give up (or my shoe if you're the pup next door!). Fight for your success!
Keep building, keep experimenting, keep connecting, keep the energy high. The success comes when you're persistent, determined and refuse to accept any outcome other than the success you're looking for.
Note that none of these are technical. None of these are saying, "Learn this specific tech stack and you're guaranteed success".
These are all about you. These are all about your mental fortitude, what you're willing to give and what you're willing to give up.
And now I'll make the link to PDM (Pybites Developer Mindset Coaching Program).
These are the things we see the most successful people in PDM do.
They don't make excuses; they get in there and just do it. They try, fail, and get back up and try again.
We teach it, we coach it, but you have to be the one who has to listen, make the time, build the habit, and put fingers to keyboard every day.
When you're ready to really commit to your success, check out PDM here using the link below.
Julian
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