1. Learn to Google
Being a programmer means learning to find answers to your questions. By mastering how to Google effectively, you will save a lot of time spent on development.
2. Promise less, but deliver more than promised
It's better to tell your team that a task will take three weeks but complete it in two, than the opposite. By following this principle, you'll build trust.
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3. Be kind to designers; theyâre your friends
Designers provide solutions to user problems. Learn from them and work collaboratively to create effective products.
4. Find a mentor
Find someone from whom you can learn and get authoritative opinions. Coding Coach is a great place to find a technical mentor.
5. Be a mentor
Be someone others can learn from. We would love to see you among the mentors at Coding Coach.
6. Write useful comments
Write comments that explain "why", not just "what."
7. Name variables and functions appropriately
Functions and variables should accurately describe their purpose, so "myCoolFunction" doesnât fit.
8. Take a vacation
We all need to rest. Take that trip youâve been dreaming of. Your brain and colleagues will thank you.
9. Remove unused code
Thereâs no reason to accumulate technical debt.
10. Learn to read code
Reading code is an underrated skill, but very valuable.
11. Set a healthy work-life balance
You need time to relax after a long workday. Turn off work notifications or remove apps from your phone.
12. In-person meetings only when necessary
Can this issue be resolved via Email or Slack? If yes, donât schedule a meeting. If no, donât extend its duration without valid reasons.
13. Pair programming
Pair programming allows you to be both a teacher and a learner.
14. Write great emails
Learn to capture your recipient's attention in emails by being concise yet clear.
15. Become part of the community
Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who motivate you to overcome challenges.
16. Clean up your branches
Clean up your version control branches just like you do at home before guests arrive. If you donât need something, throw it away; donât just stash it away.
17. Donât be a gatekeeper
Donât tell others they arenât good enough to work in the industry. Everyone has value.
18. Keep learning
Youâve chosen a profession that requires continuous learning. Learn to love it.
19. Donât give up
It wonât always be easy. But we all started from the same place. You can do it.
20. Tackle scary tasks
If they donât scare you, they wonât help you grow.
21. Clarify requirements before you start
You need to understand the criteria for completing a task before you start coding. This will save you time.
22. Master your toolkit
Get a set of tools that you know inside and out. Understand what they are for and when to use each tool in a project.
23. Learn to love constructive criticism
Ask trusted colleagues and friends for constructive criticism. This will help you grow as a programmer and as a person.
24. Be well-rounded
Technologies change, and they change quickly. Donât resist new developments; instead, learn about them and form your own opinions.
25. Stay relevant
Keep up with the latest tech news by following publications, blogs, podcasts, and announcements.
26. Focus on solving problems
Developed problem-solving skills will help you overcome any issue. Hone what will aid in solving problems.
27. Stay humble
No matter what your title is or what company you work for, stay humble.
28. Learn to give great presentations
Learn how to engage your audience and create great presentations.
29. Explore all solutions before settling
Don't grab the first solution you find. Explore all options before you start coding.
30. Find your niche
In the technical industry, there are many different fields. Find an area that interests you the most and become an expert in it.
31. Develop good habits
Try to cultivate sustainable and useful habits, such as eliminating distractions, planning your time, attending meetings, and starting with the most important tasks. This might take some effort, but it will be worth it in the long run.
32. Learn code debugging
Explore browser tools for debugging code. Familiarize yourself with these capabilities in your IDE. By learning the most effective debugging methods, you'll be able to solve even the most complex issues.
33. Enhance your existing skills
Just because you have mastered a skill at the moment doesn't mean you shouldn't continue to develop it. Skills can diminish over time without conscious improvement, and the industry evolves so rapidly that it's vital to keep practicing. Ditch the mindset of 'I've always done it this way' and switch to 'Is there a better way to do this?'.
Even if you have a great six-pack now, it's foolish to think you can eat a donut a day and not lose it.
34. Understand why
There will be situations where you need to voice your opinion, so it's essential to understand why in advance. Why is decision 'A' better than decision 'B'? Provide the right arguments, and your opinion will be more justified.
35. Know your worth
You are a commodity, and you should be compensated accordingly. Be aware of the average salaries in your field in the region where you are located. If you are earning less, it's time to have a conversation with your manager. Go after what you deserve.
36. Don't be afraid to ask for help
If you're stuck on an issue and spending too much time searching for a solution, it's time to ask for help. We're all human. We all need assistance at times. There's nothing shameful in reaching out to a colleague for support.
37. Learn to learn
People learn in different ways. Some prefer learning through video tutorials, while others through reading books. Identify the learning style that suits you best and practice it diligently.
38. Be Kind
There will be times when you are asked to give feedback about a colleague. Be kind. You can express your opinion about Deborah's lack of initiative without tearing her apart.
39. Take Breaks
It's nearly impossible to spend 8 hours straight coding. You'll burn out quickly and make a lot of mistakes. So set a timer to remind yourself to stop and take a break. Go for a walk. Have coffee with colleagues. Stepping away from the screen will positively impact your productivity and the quality of your work.
40. Track Your Progress
Learning to program takes time and can be incredibly exhausting if you don't see progress. Therefore, it's important to track your achievements and progress toward your goals. Keep a small list near your computer and every time you achieve something new, mark it down, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Big rewards consist of small accomplishments.
41. Don't Rely on a Framework or Library
Learn the nuances of the programming language more than the intricacies of the framework or library. You don't have to master the language before getting familiar with libraries, but understanding why a framework or library works in a certain way will help you write cleaner and more efficient code.
42. Learn to Love Code Reviews
Having someone read and analyze your code can be intimidating, but it can also provide invaluable feedback that can make you a better programmer than you were before. You should also work on your ability to conduct good code reviews.
43. Explore Related Fields
Learn the basics of related areas such as design, marketing, frontend, or backend development. This will help you become a more well-rounded programmer.
44. Don't Choose Convenient Technology; Choose the Right One
Each project has different needs, so we must choose the right tools for the job. While it may be much easier to opt for technologies you have worked with before, if they don't meet the project's requirements, you should explore alternatives.
45. Take Responsibility for Your Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, and you will continue to make them throughout your career. Thatâs why itâs crucial to acknowledge this and take responsibility when you make a mistake. This will help build trust with your team members and management.
46. Check your own code
Before creating a pull request, review your own code. If it were a colleague's work, what comments would you make? Itâs essential to identify problems or errors first before requesting a code review.
47. Learn from your failures
Failure is simply not achieving the expected result, and itâs not necessarily a bad thing. We all experience many failures throughout our careers. Learn from your mistakes. What can you do differently next time?
48. Identify your weaknesses
Get to know yourself. What are your weaknesses? Perhaps you often forget to update tests before pushing. Or maybe you're not good at responding to emails. Acknowledge your shortcomings to actively work on them.
49. Stay curious
This field is constantly evolving, so curiosity is important. If you donât understand something, whether itâs project requirements or a line of code, speak up. No one will criticize you for asking for clarification, and as a result, you'll write better code.
50. Donât try to learn everything
Thereâs an overwhelming amount of knowledge in the world, and itâs simply impossible to master it all. Choose a few subjects to delve into and let go of the rest. You can certainly gain some peripheral knowledge in other areas, but you wonât be able to master them all.
51. Kill your darlings
Just because you wrote some code doesnât mean you should be emotionally attached to it. No one enjoys having their work discarded, but code has a life cycle, so don't forget that.
52. Support your team
In a good team, everyone supports each other. This creates a positive environment to try new things without the fear of punishment.
53. Seek inspiration from the community
Find a few people in the same field who inspire you. This will motivate you to continue working on your projects or try something new.
54. Appreciate your work
Regardless of experience or position, your work has value. Appreciate it accordingly.
55. Block distractions
Turning off notifications in messengers, email, and social media will help you focus and have your workday be as productive as possible. Jerry won't die if you reply to him in 30 minutes.
56. Provide support
Support your team members, for example, by attending an important presentation or offering help if they are stuck.
57. Praise when it's deserved
If someone has done an excellent job, acknowledge it. Praise is a great way to earn the trust of your team members.
58. Test your code
Testing is important. Unit testing, regression, integration, end-to-end testing. Test your code and your product will be more stable.
59. Plan your approach
When you receive a request to develop a new feature or a ticket with a bug, first develop a plan of attack. What do you need to solve this issue or develop the feature? Spending even a few minutes to plan can save you hours of frustration.
60. Learn to pseudocode.
Pseudocoding is a great skill because it allows you to tackle complex problems without spending time writing lines of code. Describe your chosen approach on paper, model various test examples, and see where the pitfalls lie.
61. Track your achievements
If you've received an award at work, write it down. If you're developing an important feature, make a note of it. You'll create a backlog of moments that can help in career advancement or boost morale in tough times.
62. Study programming fundamentals
Learn some basic sorting and searching algorithms, as well as data structures. This will help you solve problems regardless of the language.
63. Choose durable and maintainable technologies
While testing the latest technologies is exciting, opt for those that will be easy to maintain in an enterprise application. Your team will thank you for years to come.
64. Study design patterns
Design patterns are useful tools for developing code architecture. You may not need them on every project, but having a general understanding of them will aid in creating larger applications.
65. Reduce ambiguity
Instead of writing complex code to showcase your programming skills, strive for readability and simplicity. This will allow your team members to contribute more easily.
66. Pay down technical debt
Technical debt can have serious performance implications, so if refactoring is possible, you should do it.
67. Update more frequently
Instead of releasing large updates once a month, do it more often with a smaller list of changes. This reduces the likelihood of errors and breaking changes.
68. Commit early and often
Committing early and often is the best way to ensure your work remains clean and to reduce the stress of accidentally rolling back vital changes.
69. Understand when to ask for help
You should not only feel unafraid to ask for help but also understand when it is appropriate to do so. Always try to solve the problem before seeking assistance. However, when you struggle with an issue for more than an hour, the cost outweighs the benefit, and you should reach out to a colleague.
70. Ask the right questions
When you ask a question, try to be as specific as possible.
71. Get feedback on unfinished work
You donât have to finish your work to get feedback on it. If youâre unsure about the direction youâre taking, ask colleagues to help review it.
72. Read the documentation
Documentation is the purest source of truth about technology, so being able to read it can quickly help you become an expert.
73. Try everything
Nothing is stopping you from attempting a solution to a problem. What do you have to lose?
74. Speak at meetings
Your ideas and opinions are valuable, so participating in meetings will help you foster understanding with the team and leadership.
75. Collaborate with other teams
If you have the opportunity to work with another team in your company, take it.
76. Start personal projects
When you work 40 hours a week, it's important to carve out time for side projects that you are passionate about. They help to reignite your love for programming and explore new technologies that you might not have access to at work.
77. Define Your Career Goals
It's important to have a vision of your ideal career path. If you don't have this, you're trying to shoot an arrow without seeing the target.
78. Engage in Conversations
Commenting on blogs and participating in Twitter discussions. Interact with the community. You'll learn so much more by being an active participant rather than a bystander.
79. Prioritize Tasks
Learning to prioritize tasks will help increase your productivity. Maintain a list of current daily tasks as well as long-term objectives, and organize them by importance.
80. Donât Overlook the Details
Details can make a significant difference in a project.
81. Trust Your Team
Your team members were hired for their skills. Leverage their expertise and trust them to get the job done.
82. Learn to Delegate
If you are in a leadership role, learn to delegate authority effectively. This will save you time. You can't do everything yourself.
83. Donât Compare Yourself to Others
The only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday.
84. Surround Yourself with Allies
Learning to code will be a long, and not always easy, journey. Surround yourself with people who will push you to move forward.
85. Donât Start with Scalability
Starting with scalability is a sure way to overwhelm yourself. Build with scalability in mind, but donât start scaling until thereâs a need. This way, you wonât overwhelm your team but maintain growth potential.
86. Weigh Performance Trade-offs
If you want to use some cool new technology, you first need to weigh the performance implications. Can you implement something like it without sacrificing performance? If so, it may be worth revisiting the chosen approach.
87. Donât Allow Discrimination
Do not discriminate against new technologies or ideas. Be open to the opportunity to learn new skills. Also, do not discriminate against people. We all deserve respect.
88. Take on work for which you are underqualified.
You will never meet all the requirements for a job. So take the chance and get started! What do you have to lose?
89. Break code into modules.
You could write all your code in one long file, but that is hard to maintain. By using modularity, we ensure that our code is easy to read and test.
90. Do not just copy and paste.
If you plan to copy and paste a solution from StackOverflow, you must understand exactly what it does. Understand the code you decide to implement.
91. Create an inspiring environment.
You will be much more motivated to work if you are satisfied with your workspace.
92. Remember where you came from.
We all started from the same place. As your skills and career develop, do not forget where you came from.
93. Try to remain optimistic.
If something does not work out, keep trying and stay positive. Tomorrow is a new day. Optimism will help your team move forward and improve your mental health.
94. Continually reevaluate your workflow.
Just because something works now does not mean it will always work. Reassess your workflow and make adjustments when necessary.
95. Learn to work from home.
If you have the opportunity to work from home, learn to do it effectively. Find a separate office space free from distractions. Boneskull wrote an excellent article on working from home that you should check out.
96. Create accessible products.
Everyone should be able to benefit from your product.
97. Keep your commitments.
If you told someone you would do something by a certain date, keep your commitments. And if you cannot meet the deadline, let them know in advance.
98. Be proactive.
If you have free time, help your team with their tasks. They will appreciate your initiative.
99. Build an amazing portfolio.
A great portfolio sets you apart from the crowd. Use this as an opportunity to showcase your programming and design skills.
100. Remember why you love programming
You chose this profession because it sparked your interest. If you find yourself burning out, take a break. Allow yourself the chance to rekindle your passion for programming.
101. Share your knowledge
If you've mastered something cool, share it. Present at a local meetup or conference. Teach your colleagues or mentees during lunch. Knowledge sharing strengthens them.
Source: habr.com
