Growing up, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I was raised by a single parent. I did so many things to make ends meet.

Before I got into the university to study computer science, I was already using my N70 phone back then in 2007 to code and built a website with it using Xplore for Symbian and Opera Browser. And after gaining admission into the university, I was still using a phone to do some of the assignments because I didn't have the privilege of owning a computer.

I remember how I was sleeping in one of the companies I worked for because I didn't have a place of my own. The little money I was making then, so many responsibilities were dependent on it. There were days I stayed without eating but I stayed focus on excelling in my career

But today that is not the story anymore. I have climbed so high as a programmer that my own company "Doyinsoft Technologies" now works with both local and international companies. And having won several awards.

I didn't get to this point just like that. There are secrets that I have been applying that took me this far. Some I will be sharing with you in this article. As you know every successful person you see today, didn't become what they are today without applying some secret ingredients in advancing their career.

7 SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMMER

1) DETERMINATION Determination is a key factor to becoming a successful programmer because you will encounter diverse challenges that will push you to quit. But quitting is not an option! It's your determination to succeed that boosts your dreams into a reality.

2) PASSION I have seen and heard young aspiring programmers say that they are only into programming because they want to make money out of it. And I'm always amazed when I hear them say this. People who have this motive, hardly become successful. I always tell the people I coach that if their passion for programming isn't to solve problems, then they should quit and look for something they have a passion for. Your passion is your drive!!

3) CONSISTENCY Being a successful programmer requires consistency. It is not something you seldomly do. You have to keep practicing to perfection. You have to keep at it irrespective you have a gig or not. Task yourself and make sure you complete it. If you leave it, it leaves you.

4) UPGRADING YOUR SOFT SKILLS You have to keep learning as many languages as you can. There are plenty of languages to learn. You can't say learning only one programming language is okay for you. I'm my experience with different companies with their different language preference. So being successful in programming you must learn many other soft skills.

5) COMPETENCE Some people hype themselves so much to the extent of claiming to be able to do what they are not capable of doing. It's very okay not to know everything but be grounded in the ones you know how to do. And be ready to defend your work anywhere and anything. You can't cheat to be successful. Your knowledge and capability should always speak for you.

6) BELIEVE IN YOURSELF It's very easy not to believe in yourself but what is not easy, is to keep believing in yourself even when the progress is slow. You have to always stay motivated and believe in your abilities. When you fail, get up, learn from your failure and get going.

7) PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILL Coding is all about writing beautiful codes to solve problems. But in solving those problems, you must learn how to document your codes in simpler ways by self-describing and commenting on your codes where necessary.