1. Try to build something. Anything. Start with a problem you have and try to build a solution. It doesn't have to be fast, it doesn't have to be beautiful, it

1. Try to build something. Anything. Start with a problem you have and try to build a solution. It doesn't have to be fast, it doesn't have to be beautiful, it needs to solve this 1 problem 2. Read other code. Get good at reading other code. Develop curiosity around understanding how the code works. Every time you hear about something you don't know research it superficially and make a note to try to understand it in depth if it seems important 3. Hang out/Work with people that are good at this. Seriously. Sometimes a person that understands the subject, a practice, one specific area can ELI5 to you in under 10 minutes saving you literally weeks of struggling to understand. Once you figure out who these people are, watch what they are doing (watch the PRs) and actively seek out opportunities to work with them 4. Aim to continuously learn and grow. Be proud of your work but continue to push your limit. If you learn OR teach one thing per day you'll be in the the top 5% in no time (an by no time I mean a few years but it's still nothing compared to doing this all your life and not being good at it).