How to develop a growth mindset that will change your life?

At Le Wagon, we always say “learn to code and change your life.” Why is it? Today we are here to give you an explanation of how the process of learning to code will help you evolve your thoughts and develop a growth mindset, which is the key element that will shape your future in a totally different way.

In the book ‘mindset’ by Carol S. Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, saying that a “growth mindset” thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities. 

Out of these two mindsets, which we manifest from a very early age, springs a great deal of our behaviour, our relationship with success and failure in both professional and personal contexts, and ultimately our capacity for happiness.

Talk of Carol Dweck on the growth mindset

Practice, practice, practice! If there is one thing that programming and growth mindsets have in common, it’s that you are not born with great skill, Le Wagon is here to encourage you keeping developing with continual practice. 

When the priority is to complete a programming project, you can’t stop and wallow in your perceived failure to complete something, you must continue to seek solutions and utilize all resources available to you until you’ve accomplished your task. Having the humility to ask for help makes for a stronger programmer, and perceiving the need for help as a strength rather than a weakness is a characteristic of a growth mindset.

One of the best elements of modern-day programmers is the development of a community that encourages sharing their work with others and helping out each other. Not only does this help reinforce their learning but it also teaches them the importance of cooperating with others. At Le Wagon, the powerful global community will always be there to help you. It’s not just about coding, it’s about people.

Programmers are no stranger to constructive feedback. 

Websites like Github and Gitlab allow other programmers to review, comment, provide feedback, and make changes to your code. This process provides the opportunity to ask questions and apply feedback to your code, and contributes to your own personal development of programming skills. Reflecting on areas of improvement and seeing mistakes as learning opportunities is one of the most difficult growth mindset practices, but programming helps to normalize these behaviours in a productive way.

One thing is clear for programmers: there is always more to master. Another language to learn, another library to familiarize yourself with, a more efficient way of doing something. Even those programmers who have mastered a language seek ways to further refine their expertise. Accepting that you may not be at the skill level you desire yet, but one day, with continued effort and practise you will get there, is a prime example of a growth mindset. Learning to program can foster growth-oriented behaviours such as goal setting, effective effort, and motivation to keep striving for improvement.