How Do I Become a C# Expert?

How do I become a C# expert? What aspects of C# should I concentrate on? What things do I need to memorize or remember? These are the questions we will answer in today's episode of Dev Questions.
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[@maxsigmon8804]

It's a grind. I've been a C# dev for almost 3 years now. I started in my 30's and started my first job a month before my first child was born. Ideally, I would have found this career much earlier while I was single and could have spent a lot more time outside of work on tutorials and side-projects to skill-up. Now, between family and my job, it's difficult to find the energy/time to work on those new skills. Work itself obviously helps, but learning new technologies is the challenge. It just takes discipline and fortitude to put the time in at night after everyone is asleep. It takes sacrifice, no matter your state in life.

[@phillismable6303]

Mid 50s here, programmed on every platform that you can think of since the 80s. Personally I find that learning new things is bloody good fun. I'm also a BJJ Purple belt my moto is "Accept the Grind, Embrace the Suck, Be a Better Woman" It's all about Mind Set at the end of the day.

[@Incognito-kp9lk]

@@phillismable6303 You are a beautiful woman. Hope to find someone like you in their 20s and I won't ever stop coding for the rest of my life.

[@phillismable6303]

@@Incognito-kp9lkgood luck with that we only start getting good at anything in our 40s 🤣

[@Incognito-kp9lk]

@@phillismable6303 Cheers!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing!

[@henry-js]

Thank you for these videos & courses Tim. Thanks to you, Nick Chapsas, Code Wrinkles and all the other C# youtubers on here I've finally managed to get a software engineering job! It was so satisfying to realise that all those hours spent practicing were worth it, I was beaming when I told my wife

[@IAmTimCorey]

Congratulations!

[@emcattaneo]

Thank you very much for your videos. Your experience always motivates me to continue!

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@toadman5184]

Excellent advice as ever. An iteration of education, practice and real-world challenge will get you to "expert" level. As for syntax, learn the basics, don't get distracted with advanced concepts that rarely come up in the real world.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing!

[@waliqadri]

Man i love you you are the best thanks The motivational level your video have is straight from Mars

[@IAmTimCorey]

I appreciate the kind words.

[@smallbytes57]

"You're a C# developer when you start writing 'Hello World' applications" Great quote. "i've never really built an entire application". Second greatest quote. Thanks, Tim.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@Raminlich]

Thank you for sharing your valuable experience.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@mumk]

extremely valuable advice, thank you Tim, you were literally describing myself - keep on changing languages, frameworks and following tutorials. Now I have am aware of my mistake, I can hopefully concentrate on one technology until I can build something I am proud of before moving to the other alluring technologies, thank you.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome. I am glad it was helpful.

[@PabloSanDev]

Thank you Tim!

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@caseyspaulding]

Got it. Thanks. Learning this the hard way.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@Veretax]

SO, the dirty Secret is in technology there are very few true 'experts'. Technology advances too fast for anyone to achieve mastery for long enough to be recognized, before suddenly, the technology has changed again. So instead, what Tim suggests here, is a view of expertise that is really not about being a 'know it all' in that context of expertise, but becoming people who regularly practice their tools, try new ways of doing things, explore new ideas and techniques (not just coding, but soft skills too), and figure out from that how to keep the edge sharp. So I'd say don't seek to be an expert, seek to be a student who continually learns, grows, and collaborates (that means, you have to see how others do things sometimes, the emulation example Tim mentions.) But you will not grow as a developer in any language if you do not, practice, try things out, explore the frameworks, look for new ways of seeing and combining code. That's why Tim's Video here, really, i don't think i could have said it any better. cause the real question, isn't how can I get to the point where I know enough, knowing how to learn, research, and grow is far more important for longevity as a developer. ( I wrote my first lines of C# in 2005, I have had to use other languages a few times, but I keep coming back to C# for a reason, because there is so much you can do with it.)

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing!

[@abdelkiki]

Thank you, Tim, you are the best in c#

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@yashobantadash6670]

great explanation Tim. Thanks a liot!

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@simplepycodes]

Brilliant!. Thanks a lot.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@torrvic1156]

That was a great speech Tim! It was like when Mickey instructed Rocky Balboa as to how to become a champion. Thank you!

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@bounceofffast]

is there any example "road-map" list of sample problems of increasing complexity to train our C# skill ?

[@VideoWarfare]

At what stage in C# should you consider learning a new language? Awesome content btw! Definitely checking out the master class.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Not until after you have built a few actual applications (or comprehensive test applications). That's when you start to really build your logic skills.

[@VideoWarfare]

@@IAmTimCorey thank you for the response!

[@OgorkiPrzyszloscia]

4:46 haha I'm watching this video just after I finished watching your video about generics :D

[@IAmTimCorey]

Hopefully you learned a bit from both.

[@guillermomazzari4983]

This is very true, on April 15 2022 I wrote my first console app with a hello world in C#, today, I just finished a cottong trading app for a client, when I started with C# I only had 4 anf a half months studying as self taught dev, I try to learn more everyday, I just wish I have started this career path much earlier in life

[@IAmTimCorey]

Awesome! Congratulations.

[@eesemeachile9511]

Thanks

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@krisztianlun3463]

Hi Tim and IAmTimCorey Community! So I am not a C# expert but I'd like to thank Tim for all the hard work he puts into the videos and for helping me get from zero to a c# developer. Yes, after two years, I managed to get a position as a junior software tester. With lots of practice, even after work and on days off. So I want to encourage everyone to practice and you will get results. Thanks a lot!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Awesome! Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

[@himavanthreddy]

Hello Tim, could you please let me know when the monthly subscription will become available? The cost of the course, which is over 600 USD, is quite expensive for me as an average fresher software developer living in India. It amounts to three months' worth of salary. Can you provide any other concession or any other way to make it more affordable? Please consider our purchasing power parity into consideration

[@IAmTimCorey]

It is currently available.

[@himavanthreddy]

Thank you Tim

[@rik0904]

this is more a motivation video then a answer for question.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Do you think it doesn't answer the question? I thought I was rather clear on the answer.

[@rik0904]

@@IAmTimCorey I feel like it was way to long, with to much fluf.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Here is something to consider: if you aren't a C# expert yet, maybe you aren't in the position to determine if it is fluff or valuable. I see lots of developers who ignore this advice and then wonder why they struggle or never become an expert.

[@rik0904]

@@IAmTimCorey did I struck a nerve :D

[@IAmTimCorey]

No, just falling into a common pattern I see.

[@1944GPW]

The sync between audio and video in these videos is out by a tiny bit.

[@VideoWarfare]

When programming in C#, how do you know if you should make your logic in a Method or create a new Class? Sometimes I wonder while I’m programming if what I’m doing should be in its own separate class.

[@IAmTimCorey]

The Single Responsibility Principle has some thoughts on that (I have a video on that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4PamayQo7uFiZo ). In general, though, you should do what is simplest for your application. That means if it is simplest to understand and maintain to keep it in one class, do that. If you find that the class is becoming too complex to understand, break out parts of it and refactor.

[@VideoWarfare]

@@IAmTimCorey Thank you for the explanation. That helps me out so much! I’ll be sure to look into that video right away.

[@thomasfgooch]

Do you have a 10 side projects to hone in key skills within c#? Third

[@IAmTimCorey]

I have lots of side projects. I also have lots of practice projects that I build simply to test things out before building the "real" applications.

[@thomasfgooch]

@@IAmTimCoreythanks for the reply, which was your most frustrating side project over a particular topic? Recently For me I had to prove to business a cancellation token does not stop an async process at the time… it sends a cancellation signal downstream :)

[@tenebrae1191]

👏

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks.

[@TISINLI2]

What about if you have IT band syndrome Tim? Then you can't run a marathon! 😂

[@IAmTimCorey]

I'm sure you can still understand the illustration. 😉

[@phillismable6303]

By the way 7th

[@IAmTimCorey]

👋

[@nithinb9671]

Five 😊

[@IAmTimCorey]

👋

[@adam-xt8te]

Third

[@IAmTimCorey]

👋

[@BPCx]

hahaha dont switch languages too fast. and in my universiy i get thrown into 3 languages in one semester

[@IAmTimCorey]

And that’s one of many reasons why I’m not a fan of university training. That’s why you end up needing to learn everything after you graduate.

[@BPCx]

@@IAmTimCorey yeah i can totally understand. Not a big fan of my university either. A big problem in my regards are the different goals. The students want to be professional programmers or project managers etc. But the university and professors are looking for the few percentage interesseted and talented for research.

[@vijithsreevalsam7979]

six

[@IAmTimCorey]

👋

[@jbright-dev]

Second

[@IAmTimCorey]

👋

[@adamabbott2014]

my question is, i dont know what i dont know?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@IAmTimCorey]

Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/np_Nnaxvnqd7qdE

[@zweiundvierzig4870]

First

[@IAmTimCorey]

👋

[@typedef_]

You can *never* become a C# expert. lmao

[@IAmTimCorey]

That's not true. I think you are confusing being an expert with being perfect. An expert is a person who has a deep knowledge of the topic and the ability to use the subject really well.

[@typedef_]

@@IAmTimCorey ok

[@oligreenfield1537]

Once again a great video made by Tim. I remember at the start on my C# journey I was lost in tutorial hell. I knew to do a lot of things but it was a struggle to deliver a finish program. The thing which unstuck from the tutorial hell was Tim 24H video on how to do a WPF application from A to Ẑ.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thank you!