The classic Disney movie Hercules, usually brings to the surface (for most people I know) the yearning to go the distance no matter how insurmountable the obstacles may seem. For that is all you need to go from a zero to a hero.  And with Zend, it takes you from a Zero to Zendcredible.

Everyone wants to be quickly proficient in a technology. Yes, it is possible. Everyone was once a beginner. It does not have to take years. It only takes the amount of time for which you are willing to dedicate yourself to the purpose of improving yourself. Just like I did with the Zend framework.

Before the start of 2017, I had not before used the Zend framework. Sure I knew about it, but I was not interested in using it. Why I was not interested?

I already knew Yii and Laravel quite well. Both were able to cater to my needs. So what changed my mind? For the benefits of Zend, you can read it from this blog post. Those points basically summarize my interest at the time. And they still do. The Zend framework has not disappointed.

So much so that if I had to do a project, I would recommend Zend over the other PHP frameworks. For other languages like Python, C sharp (C #) and Java I might suggest other options. However when sticking within the PHP world, Zend is my go to framework.

How can you too rapidly rise as a pro with this technology? Here are a few steps I suggest can aid you rise to the top on your journey. Even though these points speak to the Zend framework journey, they can also be applied in other areas of life. Without much ado here they are.

1. Do not repeat the same error twice. Keep a cheat sheet that would help you navigate programming gotchas. Understand as much as you possible can on why the bugs happened in the first place.
2. Do not by afraid to google. Keep going to sites like Stack overflow, online forums and anywhere else you have to go online to find the answer to the bug.
3. Have a mentor, or if you cannot find one learn the language with someone else. Trying to understand something alone can be daunting. Sometimes you might feel like quitting. Having someone walk that journey with you can make it all the more easier.
4. Work on a real project, don’t just play or pretend to build one. Nothing can move someone to higher levels like the feeling he has something to achieve which is greater than himself. Hopefully this feeling of wanting to do something great can push you onwards.
5. Do not spend too much time learning the framework. As yourself these questions;
   1. Can you create a model
   2. Can you create a view
   3. Can you create the controller action

Nice you are good to go. Just know the basics. Spending too much time preparing would cause you to procrastinate. I have myself been guilty of that sometimes. Do not use the excuse you are still learning to prevent yourself from moving forward.

6. Being discouraged is common. Just do not stop yourself when it those moments come. There would be bugs that you have no idea to solve. Still remember this. You will find a way.
7. Remember your tricks from other frameworks, languages, and use do not feel shy about using them. When you find yourself in a pickle use the tricks from other languages to get the solution. Perhaps you might have the feeling you want to create your application in the most Zend-like manner as possible. And you might feel like bending the rules is cheating. By all means cheat. Be creative. That is the way to make technologies better. You might just be the one to create a new class, or package we all want to use. No framework was ever created in isolation. They pick the best bits from other frameworks and apply it to their own. Consequently other applications are his manifestation of the years you have spent coding, and not just your encounter with this single framework.

I hope these few points help you out along your Zend journey to a Zendcredible experience.

Cheers.