1. Learn to Google
Being a programmer means learning to find answers to your questions. Learning how to google effectively will save you a lot of development time.
2. Don't over-promise, but do more than you promised.
It's better to tell your team that a task will take three weeks to complete, but complete it in two, rather than the other way around. By following this principle, you will build a trusting relationship.
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3. Be kind to designers; they are your friends
Designers provide solutions to user problems. Learn from them and work together to create effective products.
4. Find a mentor
Find someone you can learn from and get an opinion of authority (or "bounce off"). Coding Coach is a great place to find a technical mentor.
5. Be a mentor
Be someone from whom others can learn something. We will be glad to see you among the mentors at Coding Coach.
6. Write helpful comments
Write comments explaining "why", not "what".
7. Name variables and functions appropriately
Functions and variables must accurately describe their purpose, so "myCoolFunction" is not appropriate.
8. Take a vacation
We all need to rest. Embark on the journey of your dreams. Your brain and employees will be grateful.
9. Remove unused code
Don't accumulate technical debt.
10. Learn to read code
Reading code is an underrated skill, but a very valuable one.
11. Establish a healthy work-life balance
You need time to unwind after a long day at work. Turn off work notifications or remove apps from your phone.
12. Personal meetings only when necessary
Can this issue be resolved via Email or Slack? If so, don't make an appointment. If not, don't drag it out for no good reason.
13. Pair programming
Pair programming allows you to be both a teacher and a student.
14. Write great emails
Learn to capture the attention of the interlocutor in emails, expressing yourself briefly but clearly.
15. Be part of the community
Surround yourself with like-minded people who motivate you to overcome difficulties.
16. Get out of your branches
Clean up your revision control branches like you do at home before guests arrive. If you don't need something, throw it away; do not put in a closet.
17. Don't be a gatekeeper
Don't tell others that they are not good enough to work in the industry. Each has value.
18. Keep learning
You have chosen a profession that requires continuous learning. Learn to love this too.
19. Don't give up
It won't always be easy. But we all started from the same place. You will succeed.
20. Take on tasks that are intimidating.
If they don't scare you, they won't help you grow.
21. Check requirements before you start
You must understand the criteria for completing a task before you start writing code. This will save you time.
22. Master your toolbox
Get a set of tools that you own inside and out. Know for what purpose they serve and when it is more profitable to use one or another 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
Technology is changing, and changing fast. Do not resist novelties, but study and form your own opinion about them.
25. Stay relevant
Stay up to date with the latest tech news by following publications, blogs, podcasts and news.
26. Focus on problem solving
Developed problem-solving skills will help you overcome any problem. Hone what will help solve the problem.
27. Stay humble
No matter what title you have or what company you work for, stay humble.
28. Learn to Make Great Presentations
Learn how to captivate your audience and make great presentations
29. Research all solutions before settling on something.
Don't grab the first solution you see. Explore all options before you start writing code.
30. Find your niche
There are many different areas in the tech industry. Find an area that interests you the most and become an expert in it.
31. Develop good habits
Try to develop sustainable and beneficial habits such as removing distractions, planning your time, attending meetings, and starting with the most important tasks first. It may take some effort, but it will be worth it in the long run.
32. Learn to debug your code
Explore browser tools for debugging code. Explore these features in your IDE. By learning the most effective bug tracking techniques, you will be able to solve even the most complex problems.
33. Build Your Current Skills
Just because you've mastered a skill right now doesn't mean you shouldn't keep developing it. Skills get lost over time if not consciously improved, and the industry evolves so fast that it's important to keep practicing. Get rid of the "I've always done it this way" type of thinking and switch to "Is there a better way to do it?".
Even if you have great abs right now, it's foolish to hope that you can eat a donut a day and not lose it.
34. Understand why
There will be situations where you will have to speak your mind, so it is important to understand why first. Why is solution A better than solution B? Provide the right arguments and your opinion will be more justified.
35. Know your worth
You are a commodity and must be properly paid for. Be aware of the average salaries in your field in the region where you are. If you're getting less money, it's time to talk to a manager. Go for what you deserve.
36. Don't be afraid to ask for help
If you're stuck on a problem and are spending too much time looking for a solution, it's time to seek help. We are all humans. We may all need help. There is no shame in turning to a colleague for support.
37. Learn to learn
People learn in different ways. Some learn better through video tutorials, others through reading books. Find a learning style that suits you and practice it diligently.
38. Be kind
There will be situations where you will be asked to provide feedback on a colleague. Be kind. You can comment on Deborah's lack of initiative without tearing her apart.
39. Take breaks
It is almost impossible to spend 8 hours in a row writing code. 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. Taking your eyes off the screen will have a positive effect on your productivity and quality of work.
40. Track your progress
Learning to code takes a lot of time and can be incredibly exhausting if you don't see progress. Therefore, it is important to track achievements and progress towards your goal. Keep a small list next to your computer and each time you achieve something new, mark it down, no matter how small it may be. Big rewards are made up of small achievements.
41. Don't rely on a framework or library
Learn the nuances of a programming language more than the intricacies of a framework or library. You don't have to learn a language before getting to know libraries, but understanding why a framework or library works a certain way will help you write cleaner, more performant code.
42. Learn to love code reviews
The presence of someone reading and analyzing your code can be terrifying, but it can provide invaluable feedback that will make you a better programmer than before. You should also work on your ability to do good code reviews.
43. Get interested in related fields
Learn the basics of related fields such as design, marketing, front-end or back-end development. This will help you become a more versatile programmer.
44. Don't choose a convenient technology; choose the right one
Each project has different needs and therefore we must choose the right tools for the job. While it's much more convenient to choose technologies you've worked with before, if they don't fit the project's needs, alternatives need to be explored.
45. Take responsibility for your mistakes
All people make mistakes and you will make them throughout your career. Therefore, it is very important to acknowledge this and take responsibility when you make a mistake. This will help build trust with your team members and management.
46. ββTest your own code
Before creating a pull request, test your own code. If this was the work of a colleague, what comments would you make? It is very important to identify problems or bugs first before requesting a code review.
47. Learn from your failures
Failure is simply not achieving the expected result, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. We all have many setbacks in our careers. Learn from your mistakes. What can you do differently next time?
48. Identify your weaknesses
Know yourself. What are your weaknesses? Maybe you keep forgetting to update tests before pushing. Or you are bad at responding to email messages. Examine your shortcomings so you can actively work on them.
49. Stay Curious
This field is constantly evolving, so curiosity is important. If you don't understand something, whether it's a project requirement or a line of code, say so. No one will criticize you for asking for clarification, and you will create better code as a result.
50. Don't try to learn everything
There is a huge amount of knowledge in the world and it is simply impossible to master everything. Choose a few topics to master and discard the rest. Of course, you can get indirect knowledge about other areas, but you wonβt be able to master them all.
51. Kill your pets
Just because you write some code doesn't mean you have to be emotionally attached to it. No one likes to have their work thrown away, 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 fertile ground for trying new things without fear of punishment.
53. Look for inspiration in the community
Find a few people in the same field that you admire. It will inspire you to keep working on your projects or try something new.
54. Appreciate your work
Regardless of experience or position, your work has value. Appreciate her.
55. Block out distractions
Turning off notifications in instant messengers, email and social networks will help you focus and make the most of your working day. Jerry won't die if you answer him in 30 minutes.
56. Give support
Support your team members, for example by attending an important presentation or helping out if they get stuck.
57. Praise when you deserve it
If someone has done a great job, say so. Praise is a great way to gain the trust of your team members.
58. Test your code
Tests are important. Unit tests, regression, integration, end-to-end testing. Test your code and your product will be more stable.
59. Plan your approach
When you receive a feature request or a bug ticket, develop an attack plan first. What do you need to solve this problem or develop a feature? taking even a few minutes to plan an attack can save you hours of frustration
60. Learn to pseudo-code.
Pseudo-coding is a great skill because it allows you to solve complex problems without wasting time writing lines of code. Describe the chosen approach on paper, simulate various test cases and see where the pitfalls are.
61. Track your achievements
If you receive an award at work, write it down. If you're developing an important feature, write it down. You'll create a backlog of moments that can help you get promoted or boost morale in difficult moments.
62. Learn the basics of programming
Learn some basic sorting and searching algorithms and data structures. This will help you solve problems regardless of the language.
63. Choose durable and supported technologies
While it's fun to test the latest technologies, choose ones that will be easy to support in an enterprise application. The team will be grateful to you for years to come.
64. Learn Design Patterns
Design patterns are useful tools for designing code architecture. You may not need them on every project, but having a basic understanding of them will help when building large applications.
65. Reduce ambiguity
Instead of writing complex code that demonstrates your skillful programming skills, aim for readability and simplicity. This will help your team members contribute more easily.
66. Pay off technical debt
Technical debt can have serious performance implications, so if you can refactor, you should.
67. Update often
Instead of releasing massive updates once a month, do it more often with a smaller list of changes. You are less likely to make mistakes and break changes.
68. Commit early and often
Committing early and often is the best way to keep your work clean and reduce the stress of accidentally reverting important changes.
69. Understand when to ask for help
You should not only not be afraid to ask for help, but also understand when to do it. You should always try to solve a problem before asking for help. But when you're struggling with a problem for more than an hour, the cost outweighs the benefit, and you should turn to a colleague.
70. Ask the right questions
When asking a question, try to be as specific as possible.
71. Get Feedback on Unfinished Work
You don't have to finish a job to get feedback on it. If you are unsure about the direction you have chosen, ask colleagues to help you check it out.
72. Read documentation
Documentation is the purest source of truth about a technology, so being able to read it can quickly help you become an expert.
73. Try everything
Nothing prevents you from trying a solution to a problem. What do you have to lose?
74. Talk in meetings
Your ideas and opinions are valuable, so participating in rallies will help you build rapport with your team and management.
75. Collaborate with other teams
If there is an opportunity to work with another team in your company, take it.
76. Get personal projects
When you're working 40 hours a week, it's important to make time for side projects that you're passionate about. They help rekindle your love of programming and try out new technologies that you may not have access to at work.
77. Define your career goals
It is important to have an idea of ββthe ideal career path. If not, you are trying to shoot an arrow without seeing the target.
78. Participate in conversations
Blog comments, participation in Twitter conversations. Engage with the community. You will learn much more if you are an active participant and not a vegetable.
79. Prioritize tasks
Learning to prioritize tasks will help increase productivity. Keep track of current daily tasks as well as long-term tasks, and arrange them by most important.
80. Don't overlook the details
Details can make a big difference in a project
81. Trust your team
Your teammates were hired for their skills. Use them and trust them to get the job done.
82. Learn to delegate
If you are in a leadership position, learn to delegate effectively. This will save you time. You cannot do everything yourself.
83. Don't 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 forward.
85. Don't start with scalability
Getting started with scalability is a sure way to overload yourself. Design with scalability in mind, but don't scale until you need it. This way you don't overwhelm your team, but you retain the ability to grow.
86. Weigh the Performance Consequences
If you want to use cool new technology, you have to weigh the performance implications first. Can't you implement something like this without performance loss? If so, there may be a desire to reconsider the chosen approach.
87. Don't discriminate
Do not discriminate against new technologies or ideas. Be open to opportunities to learn new skills. Also, don't discriminate against people. We all deserve respect.
88. Take on jobs you're not qualified for.
You will never meet all the requirements for a job. So take the chance and get started! What will you lose?
89. Break code into modules
You could write all the code in one long file, but that's hard to maintain. Thanks to modularity, we make sure that our code is easy to understand and test.
90. Don't just copy-paste
If you are going to copy-paste a solution from StackOverflow, you need to understand exactly what it does. Understand the code that you decide to implement.
91. Create an inspiring environment
You will be much more motivated to work if you are satisfied with your job.
92. Remember where you came from
We all started from the same place. As your skills and career develop, don't forget where you came from.
93. Try to stay optimistic
If things don't work out, keep trying and be optimistic. Tomorrow is a new day. Being optimistic will help your team move and your mental health.
94. Constantly reevaluate your workflow
Just because something works now doesn't mean it will always be that way. Reevaluate your workflow and make adjustments when needed.
95. Learn to work from home
If you have the opportunity to work from home, learn how to do it effectively. Find a separate office devoid of distractions. Boneskull has a great article on working from home that you should check out.
96. Create affordable products
Everyone should be able to use your product
97. Keep your commitments
If you told someone that you would do something by a certain date, stick to your commitments. And if you can't meet the agreed deadline, let us know in advance.
98. Be proactive
If you have free time, help out with your team's tasks. They will be grateful for your initiative.
99. Create an amazing portfolio
A great portfolio will make you stand out from the crowd. Use this as a chance to show off your programming and design skills.
100. Remember why you love programming
You went into this profession because it aroused interest. If you burn out, take a break. Give yourself the opportunity to rekindle your passion for programming.
101. Share your knowledge
If you've mastered something cool, please share it. Present at a meetup or conference venue. Teach your colleagues or mentees during lunch. Sharing knowledge strengthens them.
Source: habr.com