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We all start from zero. (not funny)
And we all need some guidance.
Nicey.
Hit YouTube, and there are tech folks influencers trying pretending to help.
Of course, they can't help bring out everyone's unique interests and guide. (after all, they're just uploading a pre recorded video). So its understood that they will give "general advice" and the viewers are supposed to cherry pick and adapt what they like.
Not so easy.
Tech folks Influencers came up with the idea of roadmaps!
Production Line
The very glory of these tech folks influencers lies in the fact that their "solutions" are claimed to give guaranteed result and elevate you to the prime of your career. Unfortunately, there are 100k other viewers on the same video, being elevated up the same upside down staircase.
Roadmaps feel like a production line.
Do ABC, make X projects, follow this order of studying topics. Voila! You're now an industry ready Java programmer!
The level of confidence exibhited by these tech folks influencers in their roadmaps tend to induce dormancy in the individuality of their viewers. Really, its not their fault. Viewers too are the blankest persons that they virtually worship a person whose goals are to milk out money instead of guiding.
Worshipping doesn't help. People change. Their life goals change. Their income streams change. Their strategies change. A person giving legitimate advice last year could be just peddling stupidity this year. If they can change their boats, then why not you? Move on from stupid.
The Secret To Being Successful
Unfortunately, there's no secret. If I told you the secret, it won't be a secret anymore. A tech folk influencer sharing the secret publicly, with his/her 100k viewers is obviously not sharing a "secret".
The only plain and clear open secret, since the oldest times has been to have a vision and follow it. Everything else falls under two categories
- Public knowledge that viewers never got because they didn't use right sources of information. And now a
tech folkinfluencer is glorifying and sharing the same advice, with his/her excited speaking tone, uplifting music, cinematic presentation (and a sponsor). - Things that a significant population never really tried, or those who tried know that there there are dark linings to the advice. Meaning that the success rate with that advice is very low, or worse, the sample size of people who tried that is too small. Or in other senses, there are darker sides to the strategy which the presenter doesn't tell you. (eg. this happens very often with trading advice where certain people tend to overglorify the possible gains from the market, without making you aware of the possible pitfalls)
Following a "secret" that a hundred thousand others already know will only land you in the massive pile of industrially manufactured programmers.
What About The Roadmaps? (evergreen edition)
For obvious reasons, there are some set ways to learn stuff and get started with anything new. There are some tools that have to be learnt together. (eg. if you are wanting to get into devops, you gotta learn certain tools no matter what)
There has to be a "learning path". Thankfully, these "paths" can be reliably gotten from sources better than those influencers. Thats not to say that totally abandon those influencers.
Track back to the original law - anyone who's not in a one to one communication with you can only give you "general advice". Now its your task to cherry pick and adapt what you think is useful. Its your task to ensure you don't become an industrially manufactured personality. You can use any source to get your pieces of information, but its your task to take up out of the line projects and ventures that set you apart.
Vet each piece of information and verify if it is real or sponsored!