03-010: Getting Past Skill Plateaus

🏔️ The Skill Plateau Pattern

A common pattern I see with students learning how to code is:

• Quickly learning a massive amount of information.
• Followed by running into a seemingly insurmountable wall. In this phase the student typically feels like they’ve reached the zenith of what they’re going to be able to accomplish in regard to development.

This second phase is called a plateau. In this guide, we’re going to walk through strategies for getting past skill plateaus.

I’ve spoken before about learning curves. It’s important to understand that everyone follows a similar pattern when it comes to learning a new skill. This means that there will be times when you feel like you’re absorbing a wealth of new information every day. But it also means that there will be times when it feels like your mind is limiting you from learning anything new.

📖 What is a Learning Plateau?

When it comes to hitting a learning plateau, it’s important to look at the potential root causes. It has been my experience that no two plateaus are the same. Until you’ve diagnosed why you’re not learning, you won’t be able to move forward to your next skill level.

🚫 False Ceiling

Before I continue, I want to reiterate something:

You will never reach a point where your level of skill is maxed out.

Maybe if you’re a professional athlete and getting older, your body is naturally going to decrease in performance. But when it comes to concepts like development, as long as you continue to dedicate yourself and listen to experts, your skill will never reach a peak.

🚀 Getting Past Skill Plateaus

Through the years, I have witnessed a few key reasons why individuals (including myself) run into skill plateaus.

📚 1️⃣ Proper Information & Resources

When a student lacks access to the right information, learning becomes more difficult.
Imagine a talented high school developer who relies on a teacher with limited skills.
Solution: The student should seek additional resources, such as online courses, books, and mentors to gain new concepts.

✅ 2️⃣ Mastering Best Practices

Learning best practices can sometimes feel like hitting a plateau.
Example: When I first learned Test-Driven Development (TDD), it felt counterintuitive.
Writing tests took 2-3 times longer than coding directly.
Frustration: It felt like I wasn’t learning anything new, since my new knowledge didn’t immediately impact visible results.
Solution: Be patient and embrace this phase. Once you master best practices, your ability to develop efficiently will increase dramatically.

🔄 3️⃣ Challenging Yourself with New Tasks

The main reason students hit a skill plateau is that they stop challenging themselves.
Early learning growth happens because everything is new.
Over time, developers tend to repeat the same tasks, avoiding new challenges.
Solution:
Look at popular websites (e.g., Twitter, Airbnb, Pinterest).
Compile a list of advanced features you’ve never built.
Plan out what concepts you need to learn to implement them.

😡 4️⃣ Frustration = Skill Growth

One of my favorite illustrations of getting past skill plateaus was made by calligrapher Jamin Brown.

Notice in this illustration how the learning process is filled with plateaus?

This is a natural component when it comes to improving at any skill.

But also notice that the key to overcoming a plateau is called the Frustration Zone.

I think that’s a great name for it. Learning complex topics is not easy. You’ve probably heard this phrase countless times:

“If it were easy, everyone would do it.”

Becoming a developer can be one of the most rewarding experiences. Part of what makes learning to code so fulfilling is the number of challenges you’ll need to overcome to succeed.

🎯 Summary

I hope this guide has provided practical strategies for getting past skill plateaus.

Learning plateaus are normal and happen to all developers.
Identify the cause of your plateau before making adjustments.
Embrace frustration as a key to overcoming your current limitations.
Push forward and continue challenging yourself with new, difficult tasks.