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To conduct a successful study, it is important to establish a correct ratio between available time, objectives, and discipline. In other words, the success of a study depends on the way it is planned and carried out. In order to get relevant results, there are certain basic steps that need to be followed. The following steps, or stages as I like to call them, will help you stay disciplined, track your progress, and plan your work.

So, I can define 4 basic stages for carrying out a study:

Planning
Realization based on a schedule
Discipline
Self-evaluation

I believe discipline is most important, even though it is not a stage. In fact, there are only three stages: planning, realization, and self-evaluation. Discipline is an essential quality and component for the achievement of any good work, that is why I have included it in this list of stages, in order to reveal it as an important and indispensable component of any study. It's actually the key to your success because you can't succeed if you are not disciplined. Now let's take a closer look at each of these stages:

Planning

Planning is the first step in conducting a study. It involves defining objectives and research questions, as well as developing an action plan. Before starting the study, you should have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish and what actions you need to take.

There is no need to plan anything if you rely on certain training centers, universities, or colleges. They will provide you with the timetable and study program, all you have to do is show interest, seriousness, and discipline. Another thing is when you try to be self-taught, and being a programmer means mostly being self-taught, because you will always have to study the latest technologies that are constantly changing.

So my suggestion is to learn how to learn. If you follow this principle you will not spend a lot of money on schools and tutors but with only $100 maximum you can become a good professional relying more on certain recommended books, online courses and many other free resources like documentations, tutorials, forums, which today are more than enough.

A study plan begins with the program presented in the book you bought on Amazon Kindle, or the course you purchased on Udemy. As soon as you have analyzed the resources, grouped the chapters, and marked the topics according to their importance, you can set a study schedule that you must follow with discipline, without any deviations like not today because I have a headache, I'll leave it for tomorrow, but tomorrow I am invited to a birthday party and so on. This way you will not succeed in learning anything at all. And from my experience, I know that the biggest problem for students was missing classes and skipping assignments. The gaps formed during the study process are like air bubbles in apartment block housing. There is a risk of it collapsing because it was not built well.

Below I will present an example of a study plan based on a recommended book. Let's say you want to study C#, which is a very popular and highly applied programming language. A book for this purpose would be "C# 10 and .NET 6" by Mark J. Price, being quite voluminous at over 800 pages, will require you to plan your study time rationally. This book contains 17 chapters and the first 12 are directly related to the C# programming language, while the last 5 introduce technologies for building applications. So you can use the following sample for a study plan:

Themes	Hours
Module 1. Introduction to Programming
Chapter 1: Hello, C#! Welcome, .NET! Choosing the appropriate tool and application type for learning Downloading and installing Visual Studio 2022 for Windows Downloading and installing Visual Studio Code Understanding .NET Framework Understanding .NET Core Building console apps using Visual Studio 2022 Building console apps using Visual Studio Code Practical Exercises	10
Module 2. The Basics
Chapter 2: Speaking C# Understanding language versions and features. Understanding C# standards. Discovering your C# compiler versions Understanding C# grammar and vocabulary Working with variables Exploring more about console applications Practical Exercises Chapter 3: Controlling Flow, Converting Types, and Handling Exceptions Operating on variables Understanding selection statements Understanding iteration statements Casting and converting between types Handling exceptions Checking for overflow Practical Exercises Chapter 4: Writing, Debugging and Testing Functions Writing functions Debugging during development Logging during development and runtime Unit testing Throwing and catching exceptions in functions Practical exercises	30
Module 3. Compulsory themes. Intermediate level
Chapter 5: Building Your Own Types with Object-Oriented Programming Talking about OOP. Building class libraries Storing data within fields Storing multiple values using collections Writing and calling methods Controlling access with properties and indexers Pattern matching with objects Working with records Practical Exercises Chapter 6: Implementing Interfaces and Inheriting Classes Setting up a class library and console application. More about methods Raising and handling events Making types safely reusable with generics Implementing interfaces Managing memory with reference and value types Working with null values Inheriting from classes Casting within inheritance hierarchies Inheriting and extending .NET Types Using an analyzer to write better code Practical exercises	40
Module 4. Good to know themes
Chapter 8: Working with Common .NET Types Working with numbers Working with text Working with dates and times Pattern matching with regular expressions Storing multiple objects in collections Working with spans, indexes, and ranges Working with network resources Working with reflection and attributes Working with images Internalizing your code Practical exercises Chapter 9: Working with Files, Streams, and Serialization Reading and writing with streams Encoding and decoding text Serializing object graphsControlling JSON processing Practical Exercises	30
Module 5. Advanced themes. Managing Data
Chapter 10: Working with Data Using Entity Framework Core Understanding modern databases Setting up EF Core Defining EF Core models Querying EF Core models Loading patterns with EF Core Manipulating data with EF Core Working with transactions Code first EF Core models Practical Exercises Chapter 11: Querying and Manipulating Data Using LINQ Writing LINQ expressions Using LINQ with EF Core Sweetening LINQ syntax with syntactic sugar Using multiple threads with parallel LINQ Creating your own LINQ extension methods Working with LINQ to XML Practical exercises	30
Module 6. Advanced themes. Performance and scalability
Chapter 12: Improving Performance and Scalability Using Multitasking Understanding processes, threads, and tasks Monitoring performance and resource usage Running tasks asynchronously Synchronizing access to shared resources Understanding async and await Practical exercises	10
Total	150

I recommend you reserve 2-3 hours a day for studying, and 3 days a week, but how you organize your schedule is up to you. We will talk further in more detail about the effective fulfillment of the study plan based on the established schedule.

Study plan implementation based on a timetable

Once you have completed the planning, the next step is to put the plan into action. It is crucial to adhere to the assigned timetable to ensure that your studies are completed on time and that you do not lose sight of your objectives.

Planning your time effectively is important, a well-balanced daily routine is key to success. You should set aside 1.5-2 hours per day for studying, or even 3 hours per day, at least three times a week. There are no guarantees of success except for your own discipline, so do not deviate often from this program.

Evening hours would be ideal for a more appropriate time. The material that was well understood and memorized on the first attempt, from the first day, is much more difficult to forget than what you left behind, or what you lost over several days.

You must organize your time effectively in order to stay on track. Prioritize and allocate more time to tasks that require more attention and are more difficult. You should also try to eliminate distractions and focus on what needs to be done. You can use time management techniques, such as the Pomodoro technique, which can help you stay focused and productive.

Important

Pomodoro is a time management technique created by Francesco Cirillo in the 80s, from the Italian pomodoro meaning tomato. In this technique, you learn how to divide your time into perfect intervals so that you can perform at your best. This rule goes like this: you work for 25 minutes, then you relax for 5 minutes. After 4 pomodoros, i.e. 2 hours of work, you will take a longer break, between 15 and 30 minutes. You'll soon discover that this technique helps you organize yourself more efficiently and stay focused on tasks without exhausting yourself.

Be flexible and open to change as you move forward. You may need to adjust the plan due to unplanned circumstances. You should be prepared to deal with these changes and adapt to them accordingly, but make sure you don't lose sight of your main goals.

Discipline

Making a successful study requires discipline. It is important to adhere to the schedule and complete assigned tasks on time. Maintaining discipline isn't always easy, but there are some strategies you can use:

First, find a suitable and distraction-free work environment. Make sure you have a quiet and organized space where you can focus and work undisturbed.

Second, try to break up your study hours into smaller tasks. Instead of focusing on the whole chapter, break it up into smaller parts and learn in chunks.

Finally, reward your hard work. Scholarships are offered to students as a reward for their success, you can reward yourself with small prizes, such as an ice cream, or a weekend cinema ticket. As a result, you will be encouraged and motivated to pursue your studies further.

Self-assessment

Self-assessment plays an important role in the study process. By evaluating your own progress, you can identify your strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments.

Make sure you take the time to analyze the progress and appreciate the results achieved during the course of your study. It is recommended that you do this for each previous assignment, and for each chapter, and that is where tests and practical exercises can be useful. These final self-assessments are often included in books or videos, and if they aren't, you can use tutorials like www.w3schools.com and www.tutorialspoint.com, which offer free tests for various IT technologies.

Analyze the methods and techniques used and consider how you can improve and adapt them. Also appreciate your commitment to the schedule and discipline. Identify potential obstacles or problems and establish a plan to overcome them in the future.

In addition, you can ask for feedback from well-known IT specialists to evaluate your acquired knowledge. You can exchange views and opinions with colleagues and friends who are going through a study like you. And if you don't have anyone from this industry, self-assessment is the basic bridge you have to cross.

In conclusion, a successful study requires planning, sticking to a schedule, discipline, and self-assessment. Using these basic steps and the practical advice provided here, you can achieve relevant results, and improve your study skills. Be flexible and open to change, and with perseverance and determination, you will achieve your goals.

CHAPTER 7 | The main stages for carrying out a study. Planning a study

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