People who work in the technology industry will know how quickly things move. For developers, great programming skills may well be a start, but you’ll also need the hard work and commitment to stay ahead of the curve. This will make it much more likely for you to stay in demand and land the types of jobs that you want.
There are a number of ways to keep yourself sharp and make sure you stay in a strong position as a developer throughout your career. Here are just a few ways of doing this.
Master Naming Functions
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Opinions vary when it comes to naming functions, but you should have a clear strategy in place to ensure that your code is straightforward to read, as well as being easy to follow and understand. Consistency is key when it comes to establishing readable code, though the actual pattern itself may end up varying.
Project Management Skills
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If you intend on moving forward in the world of development, project management skills can be absolutely invaluable. Though building up your primary development skills is extremely important, becoming familiar with a second set of of ‘soft skills’ will ultimately play a major part in you standing out from the crowd. If you are unable to manage a project, you will end up having less of an influence on its eventual outcome which can be extremely frustrating.
Build Your Personal Brand
As a developer (and in many other careers), you need to continually build your own personal brand in order to make yourself stand out. This is often done through networking, so try to regularly attend events that will bring people in your particular field together. You are in a career path that is highly regarded, but if you don’t know what is out there, you won’t be able to advance and reach the upper echelons of the field. If you are looking to showcase your expertise, a good idea is to have a blog where you can demonstrate your skills and also post case studies of the projects you have worked on.
Continuous Development
As I’ve already mentioned, development is a career path that needs to be…well…developed! Keeping on track of changing practices such as java logging will ensure that you stay ahead of the pack. As well as online tools, there are a range of boot camps, conferences and other meet-ups so you can brush up on current trends and continuously learn new technologies that you may not encounter during your regular day job.
Communication Skills
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If you are a developer who also has strong communication skills, you will certainly be in high demand. Many people who are technically gifted don’t have the same interpersonal skills. Even if this isn’t something that comes naturally to you, there’s no reason that you can’t improve over time. Business owners will find it extremely valuable if you are able to communicate with clients and explain the ins and outs of the project you are working on.
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