12 Ways to Become a Better Programmer

1. Read Other People’s Code
Reading other people’s code will allow you to understand different points of view in problem solving as well as introduce you to new techniques. It is important to have an objective to your reading, such as learning a new programming paradigm or how to work with a new API. 


2. Develop Personal Motivation
Being motivated to become better at your chosen profession is an excellent step in the right direction.


3. Get a Mentor
This should be a person that you aspire to be like professionally, that has a background that you can relate to and that you have a lot to learn from. 


4. Learn to Listen
Learn to listen to what the customer has to say, listen to your coworkers when they are discussing the project. Don’t assume that what you think is really what they want. 


5. Gain Confidence
Why are good programmers so confident? They know they have put in the time and effort necessary to truly understand what they are talking about. This knowledge enables them to make the best decisions and be able to discuss or defend them in a productive way when needed. 


6. Join a User Group
hese groups are usually structured around two concepts: teaching and networking. Not only will you be able to learn something new at each monthly presentation but you will gain valuable contacts in your industry that could later lead to internships, jobs or mentors.


7. Read at Least Two Books a Month
By reading books you will be focusing and exploring a concept in depth as opposed to “grazing” on information such as blogs, tweets and other online reading that rarely goes in-depth on a topic. This way, you will be better able to take these lessons and concepts and apply them to the real world.


8. Learn to Use Your Debugger
For some programmers, finding bugs means you did not spend enough time planning or that you have been sloppy during your code writing. Errors in your code should not be taken personally. Humans will continue to make mistakes and that is something we have to accept. Stop looking at your debugger as an evil you need to avoid and see it as a tool you can use to create better code.

9. Never Stop Learning
Over the years the continuous pattern of framework upgrades, version numbers and release dates start to run together but you must keep your skills up to date by evaluating new technology and trends as they are happening. 


10. Share Your Knowledge
The best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.


11. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts
For programmer this means knowing how to type quickly and accurately as well as know your way around keyboard shortcuts that will make you a faster developer.


12. Learn When to Take a Break
When working on a task such as programming that requires concentration, you will often find that you are making more mistakes or creating more problems when you are tired. Stopping programming is often a better solution when tired than having to fix the mess you made.


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