Improving might be the biggest challenge for Software Developers. So how do we do it?
“There is no challenge more challenging than the challenge to improve yourself”
Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate my profession, in fact, I love to code. Having only the need for a single laptop to build complex applications feels exciting and the bugs are always new and never quite the same which keeps everything fresh.
I wish that that was the extent of my challenges but life is never that simple and having to constantly improve oneself to stay on top of things can be a pain in the ass.
It would be an understatement to say that Software Development is not a small field. In fact, it’s constantly growing with new libraries and frameworks adding to its already large ecosystem. And it’s not like you can master a few skillsets and be set for life. No, the truth is that you have to keep yourself up to date which for me and many of my friends has not been that simple.
Working full time as a Developer, and having to keep myself informed about the latest releases and new features of every release, is one of the hardest things that I have found myself doing but it is possible. This article aims to outline my five tips for improvement in this field.
1. Get a mentor, be a mentor
There might be 100 other points that may or may not help you but none comes close to finding a good mentor. Good mentors are difficult to find and if you manage to find one pat yourself on the back as you might just have just won the lottery.
A good mentor will guide you, provide you resources, and help you build a path in understanding the best ways to write good code. They will teach you about their mistakes and about the ones that you have made.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box — or beyond tech — to find your mentor. Connect with people whose career trajectories you can learn from, or whose roles (think product manager or project lead) it’ll pay to understand.
You can also flip the relationship. Oftentimes, teaching others what you do is the best way to slow down and see your work in a new light. Consider volunteering to teach at a coding boot camp or kids tech program to gain a new perspective and even find someone who you can mentor into a strong career of their own.
2. Read Books and Articles
There are always new languages to learn, platforms to understand, and business problems for technology to solve. This might be the most obvious point and also something that very few of us follow. Reading every day is not at all a walk in the park but in the long run, it will be the key that separates good software engineers from great ones.
Give yourself an hour of time to go through and read blogs and articles related to new releases and new advancements. Reading blogs, articles, and taking courses keep you up to date, boosts the confidence that you have in yourself, and is a great way to learn new tricks
I personally find it much easier to go through technical articles in Medium and on other sites rather than reading books. However, books are a great way to learn if you want to go deep on a subject. If you don’t like books or articles then listening to podcasts is also a great way to learn. It surprised me to find that there are so many quality podcasts on software development.
Some amazing books:
- Effective JavaScript by David Herman
- Parallel and Concurrent Programming in Haskell by Simon Marlow
3. Work on side projects and upgrade your tech knowledge
Side projects are a fantastic way to hone your skills and to explore problems that you don’t encounter at work. These projects don’t have to be large or complicated. Even a small side project can be fun.
Open-sourcing can be a great way to get started and boost your knowledge and coding skills. Not only will you get to look at some amazing code bases and understand the logic behind them, but it can be a great way to expand your portfolio- increasing your value as a software engineer.
4. Watch recorded conference talks
There’s an abundance of recorded conference talks on the internet. That means you can listen to what some of the smartest people in the field have to say about programming. For free. I suggest that you focus on the quality stuff first.
5. Share Your Knowledge
Sharing your knowledge and creating value tests your understanding of a concept. It also forces you to explore the real depth of the library and framework that you are currently sharing about. Sharing may be done by creating YouTube videos, blogs, or writing technical articles. All of these activities improve your understanding while adding value to you as a Software developer and along the process.
In my case, it keeps me motivated to explore new technology and try out new stuff that I would have just skipped passed as I do not normally use them in my day to day development work.
Wrapping It up
The key here is not to get overwhelmed by the advancement in computer engineering but understanding that you are in a field with limitless growth. Remember: If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse
Do you have different advice to share with others? Feel free to post it in the comments and start a discussion!
