20 Tips to Become Better Software Engineer

1. Choose a suitable language

There are numerous programming languages available out there. But, the thing is, go slow. It is not easy to pick the reliable and best programming language that suits your project and helps you to achieve your goals. So, do one thing at a time and then proceed further.

It is important to choose the right language as it directs a computer to complete the commands over and over again so that you’re not required to perform the same tasks repetitively. Instead, the software can do it automatically for you. Selecting a language that fits your project requirements provides great solutions that are easy to extend, debug, fix, and document. However, we can say that choosing an effective and ideal programming language is the way to success.

2. Stay away from negative talk

As we all know, there is always something new and you might feel like giving up as things are not in your favor. In such situations, take a break and come back stronger. Always remember one thing, developers and experts never give up, because there is always a way; so go and find the solution instead of quitting.

3. Identify small goals

Don’t run behind every programming language and implement it. Make sure to define minor goals rather than jumping directly to complex and major goals. To perform well, make sure to perform one task at a time and give your 100% in it. This approach is the best confidence booster. Always set goals for improving ability and enhancing productivity.

4. Don’t forget your soft skills

Having knowledge about various programming languages is great, but make sure that you’re also an expert in soft skills so that you can directly jump to the top 5%. Soft skills are important for software developers as it allows them to interact with other people in a meaningful way.

Mastering soft skills will help you in problem-solving, communication, self-learning, time management, adaptability, accountability, teamwork, collaboration, and make you stand out from the rest.

5. Compete with yourself not others

Your first competition should be with yourself rather than others. Never compete with others, improve yourself first and see how much you improved over time. Comparing yourself with others will de-motivate you and it will bring many hurdles on your way.

6. Keep a ‘never-give-up’ attitude

The path to success is not easy, you’re going to face many challenges on the way. To be successful in your journey, you need to invest a lot of effort and work hard to achieve your goals. But sometimes things may not be in your favor. One main factor in becoming a good coder is having a never-give-up attitude.

Once you’re used to it, you’ll be amazed to know how quickly you can understand new concepts and also start implementing them. But remember, beginning anything is always difficult.

7. Use the best development tools

When you’re planning to build software, make sure to choose tools that are best for your project. For instance your IDE. In the same logic as in hardware; don’t go cheap on your IDE. As it is said, choose an editor and learn it very well. High-quality tooling can save a lot of time that you invest in the development process. You invest a good amount of money and save time later.

8. Refer online tutorials

Nowadays, watching online tutorials is one of the best ways to gain knowledge, perform exercises, and go through formative assessments. It is a great way for a beginner who is planning to start their journey in development. It becomes easier for you to adopt new skills and learn modern technologies than ever before. But why use tutorials?

You’ll get hundreds of views and perspectives
There’s no restriction on time
It helps you learn quickly and more efficiently

9. Word hard

No one will ever increase your salary and give you a promotion for nothing. It is said that Hard work pays off, so simply investing hours into work is not just enough; you need to be efficient and valuable also.

10. Always ask for help when needed

Don’t think too much when you need help, just ask for it. Ask your mentors and friends for help without any hesitation if you find any difficulty while learning. Even if you have silly or basic questions, ask without thinking twice.

This is one of the fastest ways to overcome problems and proceed further.

11. Consistency is better than intensity

Related to your learning mentality, reading about your craft at least 40 minutes per day is more useful than spending the whole day in front of the monitor to sate excessive studying workloads.

You must have known this from your college, didn’t you? Stress levels were more reasonable while doing homework during the school time, bit by bit rather than doing it at the last moment.

12. Remember the importance of task management and effective time

Task management and effective time are more important compared to learning the latest tech topics that are out in the market. Why? Because if your skills are not valuable, then no one cares. So it is essential to organize all your tasks that provide useful value on time.

13. Practice makes a man perfect

There is a saying that “practice makes perfect”. It is even true if you are ready to invest time to achieve something really great. Developing small projects is one of the most proven ways to master programming.

14. Having a strong portfolio is important

Portfolios are a great way to define the competencies and show your projects to grab attention. Make sure to have a strong portfolio of your work as many working professionals and companies also prefer to have a great portfolio to represent their work and display their skills and potential. While searching for a job, the portfolio helps you to showcase your work and presents proof of your capabilities and expertise in work.

15. Build small projects with basic knowledge

Learn some basics and try to create a small project having less complexity. The more small apps you create, the more effective your foundation will be. You are invincible if you concentrate more on creating samples to comprehend the concepts sufficiently.

16. Don’t accept socially unaccepted behavior in your work area

Bullying, sexism, favorability against your career, racism, and being unpaid for your work while your boss is on leave are not acceptable. I have seen many companies having great work culture, professional employees, and mature people who will respect you. So rather than working in a toxic environment, find something better who enjoys their micro-universe where you feel unique and superior as well as where your work is appreciated.

17. Try to keep your processes effective and as lean as possible

Nowadays, everyone wants to be agile, but being agile means creating projects in small chunks, learning from them, and repeating. If anyone is attempting to add more into it then they’re definitely dealing with something else. But it does not represent that they don’t need any help or guidance, but how many you have heard from enterprises regarding their Scrum process and how well it works. Make sure to be as effective as possible in the process. Build trust for your team and they will definitely deliver the best outcome.

18. Know the importance of your data

I have seen several projects where hope was the preliminary mechanism when it comes to data integrity. In such systems, anything that happens off the fair path forms partial data. Dealing with this data can become a nightmare in the future. Just make sure that your data is securely maintained in your codebase and later it will pay off.

19. Search for technological sharks

Old technologies that have attached around are sharks, not dinosaurs. They overcome challenges so well that they have outlasted the quick evolutions that occur constantly in the technology era. Don’t gamble against these technologies, and substitute them only if you have a valid reason. These tools won’t be striking, and they won’t be compelling, but they will perform the task without sleepless nights.

20. Document your journey

Share insights regarding your journey and tweet about your learning so that others get inspired. Write articles or blogs that help people who are planning to start their journey today. By doing this, you’re definitely going to inspire them, so do document your journey.

Conclusion

So here we discussed the best tips that I would have known earlier before starting my journey as a software engineer. It would be my pleasure to hear from you about your software engineering journey, so share some information that you have chosen over your career.

Thanks for reading my post, I hope you find these tips helpful and they’ll surely be useful to you when you’re planning to start your software development journey. Before the final goodbye, if you have any other tips that would help others, then feel free to share some insights regarding the same in the comment section given below. Help us to reach more audiences by sharing the post on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy learning!