When you first learn to code,
everything is new and fascinating at first.
Drawing stars is fascinating,
and displaying the first page with Rails is almost thrilling.
But once this feeling passes,
another natural question arises.
"Okay, I get it up to here.
But what should I study next?"
"Coding seems like a long road,
where should I go?"
This moment is a critical turning point that comes to everyone.
And this moment is also
the moment you start to "think like a developer."
From now on,
it's not just about learning basic syntax,
but it's about gaining your own perspective and direction.
So today,
I will try to provide you with
the most stable and powerful path you need right now.
1. First Axis: Understand the "Structure of the Web" Clearly
— Carving the skeleton of the web with Rails
You have already displayed the first web page with Rails,
and experienced CRUD functionality with scaffold.
This excitement is not just about "seeing the page."
It means that the structure of the entire web service has unfolded before your eyes.
Now, what you need to do is simple.
Clearly understand the Rails MVC flow
URL → routes
routes → controller
controller → model
model → database
controller → view
view → screen output
Once you understand this entire flow,
the web becomes not a mysterious world but an interpretable structure.
Create controllers and actions directly
Even for simple functions,
it is important to create them in code,
receive data, and display it on the screen.
Try manipulating simple HTML in views
Rails allows you to start without knowing complex HTML,
but once you familiarize yourself with the basic tag structure,
the web becomes much more familiar.
Understanding the web
is not just about acquiring technical skills,
but about understanding the 'digital structure that makes up the world.'
2. Second Axis: Enhance Your Sense of Data and Modeling
— "What to store and how to connect" is the essence of a service
80% of practical services
depend on how you handle data.
Save users
Save posts
Save comments
Connect relationships
Manage permissions
All of this is data modeling.
Now, let's move on to the next step.
Learn has_many, belongs_to relationships
The structure where comments are attached to posts.
The relationship between products and orders.
The relationship between users and posts.
Understanding relationships is the heart of service design.
Create migrations yourself
Adding new columns, adding tables, setting default values, etc.
Handle actual data in Rails console
You must enter rails c,
create objects, save, and delete them.
"Data is the life of a service."
Once you have this sense, understanding any service becomes easier.
3. Third Axis: Expand Your Coding Thinking
— Transition from learning grammar to learning 'design'
The important thing at this stage is
not "what to learn"
but "how to learn."
Programming is ultimately 'the skill of thinking.'
Consider how to divide methods
Practice dividing into meaningful units
rather than one long code.
Class responsibility separation
The ability to think of User's responsibilities
and what Post should be responsible for
as "roles."
Modularization and reusability
The sense of bundling common functions
has the power to change the quality of the entire service.
All of these
are concepts you have already experienced in Ruby.
4. Fourth Axis: Create Small Projects Yourself
— The difference between learning and creating is 'overwhelming growth'
Now, you need to create the following small projects yourself.
Your own memo app
Simple diary service
TODO app
Bookmark storage service
Simple blog
Bulletin board type SNS
These projects share a common structure.
"Receiving input → saving → displaying → editing/deleting flow"
The moment you can create this flow on your own,
you are already thinking like a web developer.
Completing one small project
provides much stronger growth than taking courses on ten large projects.
5. Fifth Axis: Use AI as a 'Transcendent Tool'
— AI is an engine that amplifies your knowledge
In the AI era, what developers need to do
is not to type code directly.
Define problems
Describe desired functions
Design structures
Understand the code written by AI
Ability to modify when needed
This is where real skills come in.
AI is always there to explain,
provide examples, and refine grammar
until you understand.
What used to take years in the past
can now be achieved in a few months.
You were not born in an age without tools.
You were born in an age where the best tools are given.
Conclusion: The road ahead may seem like three branches, but it is actually one road
Understand the structure of the web
Handle data
Design code
Create projects
Extend with AI
All of these are not separate technical skills
but one ability,
the ability to "design the digital world."
Programming is just the starting point,
and as you take one step at a time now,
your thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity
will expand and continue to expand.
And one day, you will
recall the moment when you first drew a star and say this.
"I really made a good decision to start back then.
Choosing this path
was one of the most important decisions in my life."
The road is now open.
You can walk slowly,
or you can run.
At your own pace,
in your own way,
just keep growing.