I recently finished a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck. Coincidentally, it is one of the recommended books on the Online Developer Program syllabus. I can see why.
Esentially Dweck proposes that people operate under one of two mindsets–a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is essentially the belief that traits or abilities are fixed (e.g. you are or are not smart innately). A growth mindset is the belief that you can improve traits or abilities (e.g. you can work to become smart).
“No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.” -Carol Dweck, Mindset
Growing up, I (like many other children) was often told I was smart. The older I got and the harder school became, the less smart I felt. I was operating under a fixed mindset–believing that if I did not understand something instantly and completely, I didn’t get it. I didn’t know how to continue working and learning past initial roadblocks.
Thinking about learning development was very intimidating at first. But, being more aware of my mindset, I’m able to remind myself that not everything will come easy. It will be necessary to review some concepts several times, ask questions, try and fail.
“We like to think of our champions and idols as superheroes who were born different from us. We don’t like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary.” -Carol Dweck, Mindset
I am grateful to Flatiron School and developers in general for their sharing of information. The amount of resources available is amazing. Whenever I hit a roadblock, there are numerous sites that explain, teach, or answer questions.