In this article, I just want to lay down tips for becoming a better programmer.
So let's get started:
Try to understand Git concepts - Knowing the basic commands is good, but try to also understand the underlying concepts.
Learn the concepts of clean code - Understanding the clean code philosophy helps you produce better, more readable code with fewer failures
Build a portfolio site - You should be proud of your work, share it with others, and give future employers and clients the chance to hire you.
Write a technical blog post - Writing a blog post has several advantages. Learning new things is often easier if you try to explain what you're learning to others.
Get your first freelance gig - Make 2023 the year for a career change and land your first contracting job. Have a look at web platforms that offer project opportunities.
Learn the JavaScript fundamentals - JavaScript runs the web. And JavaScript will probably still be around while frameworks like React and Vue come and go.
Learn one big JavaScript framework - Modern web applications are often times powered by frameworks like Vue, React, or Angular.
Try to move to a senior position - Learn what it takes to become a senior developer. Besides experience, it's very important to have soft skills like empathy and excellent communication skills.
Mentor junior developers - The most important deliverable of a senior developer is more senior developers. So try to help educate others without being bossy.
Create a tutorial for others - If you've learned a new programming language, feature, or technology, share your knowledge with others.
Try out VSCode and its extensions - If you haven't used VSCode as your primary IDE, you should definitely try it out. It will make you a much more productive developer.
Leave a toxic workplace - If you're working in a toxic place or have a toxic boss, look out for other job opportunities.
Contribute to open-source projects - Contributing to open-source is probably something every developer has thought about. You can engage and help the community, practice programming in real environments, and add it to your portfolio.
Learn a fundamentally different programming language - To broaden your horizons and get out of your comfort zone, it might be a good idea to learn a completely different programming language.
Learn GraphQL concepts - RESTful APIs have been the de facto standard for web development in past years. But with Facebook's GraphQL on the rise, you should try to learn the concepts behind it.
Do more pair programming - Pair programming is one of the best ways to share knowledge between programmers. You can learn from more experienced developers, or you could help out more junior developers.
Focus on problem-solving - One thing that makes a good (senior) developer is the ability to focus on solutions instead of problems.
Learn how to debug - Programming code will never be perfect. There will be bugs and errors, that's for sure. But to find and fix them, you need to learn how to debug your code.
Learn from your failures - Everyone makes mistakes. Even the most successful developers make a lot of mistakes. But what's important is that you learn from these mistakes in order to grow — both in your skills as a developer and in your personal life.
Always test your code - Almost all corporations and open-source projects expect you to test your code. And you should even do it in your personal projects to get a hang of it.
Learn design patterns - Design patterns are building blocks for architecting software applications. You won't necessarily need them in every project, but it's good to know some of the major ones.
Don't hesitate to ask for help - There's nothing bad about asking for help. However, it's always a good practice to try something on your own before asking someone to help you.
Be open-minded - Nothing is for granted. No technology, no framework, no library. You have to constantly adapt to succeed in this industry. And being open-minded.
Join a community - You don't have to be a one-person show. Joining a community of like-minded people, other developers, writers, or whatever you have interests in can help you to improve professionally, discover new opportunities, and even make new friends!
Practice regularly - You don't have to be some sort of natural talent to work as a programmer. Almost everything can be learned and the best way is to program. So write code regularly, daily, and you will become better - automatically.
Learn to analyze problems - When you work as a developer it's often necessary to analyze problems extensively before tackling them.
Meet new people - A lot of developers I would describe themselves as being introverts. So they often tell me it is hard for them to meet new people.
Don't listen to others too much - There are so many people with even more opinions out there telling you what to do. But in the end, it is your life, and your choices, so don't follow blindly but are skeptical and do your own research!
Create a social media account - While I stated that social media can be dangerous at times it also is a good opportunity to get to know brilliant people, learn new things, join communities, or do some self-marketing.
Create a LinkedIn Account - LinkedIn has become the de-facto standard for professional relationships. If you are serious about your career and want to receive new opportunities regularly a well-made and up-to-date profile there is a must!
I hope this piece was useful for you. If you think that I have missed something then do mention it in the comment section below!