Learning never stops. This is a cliche that is especially true in software engineering. Whether you’re just starting out or a developer with years of experience, you just have to keep improving. And with the coronavirus mandating most developers to work from home this year, chances are, following these tips will make you a better developer in 2020. 

Learn to Plan ahead

This is a surprisingly very common mistake even senior developers make. Yes, planning can be boring. But this is why we so often skip this very important step. But planning will literally save your (programming) life.

And contrary to what most people think, planning doesn’t always have to be boring. Simply making project-based bullet points or making a list of elements you need to convert on Notion can go a long way.

Always save samples of your own code

For job-seeking devs, one of your best assets is a sample of your code. Many young developers fail to show recruiters a clean sample of their code, and it significantly hurts their chances. While it might be common for developers to present their code on live sites, it’s better to take your best samples and display them at a place like GitHub so they can easily be reviewed.

Beware of bad plugins

Every developer has been there before. Spent tons of hours on a project only to ruin everything because of a bad plugin. You need to pay painstaking paying attention to every plugin you use; study plugin ratings, updates, and user popularity on GitHub. You might also need to pay close attention to plugin codes. Do they look clean and organized or messy? And every once in a while, you may even learn something from looking at another programmer’s bad code.

Be Proactive

There is nothing worse than waiting until too late before you inform your client or employer that a particular deadline won’t be met. Anticipating or highlighting any potential blockers or delays is important to keep your clients or employers happy.

This is not to say that the occasional mishap won’t occur. These things happen. Bugs and blockers are normal. What is not okay, however, is it’s not okay, is keeping it to yourself.

Stay healthy and active

The reality of working as a front-end developer is that you spend a lot of time indoors staring at a screen or screens. And these days, with coronavirus-induced lockdowns and all, it’s even mandatory. But you need to get your blood flowing. There are tons of indoor exercises you can do in the comfort of your room. A genius mind is great, but it’s only as good as the body that supports it.

Join a mentorship program

The pillar of every career path is community. Every successful developer has something in common: community and support. You need people who relate with your developer career, and mentors who are experienced and excited about helping you improve.

At Enye, we are interested in Nigerian software devs thriving in a rapidly changing world. We embrace a distributed-first working culture and place emphasis on community and social consciousness. Would you like to join our growing community of standout developers?

We have exciting things lined up for this year. Like us on Facebook and follow us on LinkedIn to stay in touch.