Here are a collection of my articles for software developers and engineers to help you in your tech career.
1. Always be learning
Tutorials fatigue — it’s real. If you think you’re learning something by going through endless books, videos and tutorials then you’re simply wasting your time. Pick a few options, be it books, videos or any other format and stick with them. Chances are what you learn in a video will be very similar to another tutorial that you’re reading on the same topic. To give you another example, I did a quick search on Amazon about React Javascript framework and there were about 700 books on the topic, a few of them even have the exact same book title, Learning React. There is no way you can get through all the books, and even if you did, it is no guarantee that you’ll become an expert at React or is it a good use of your time.
Common Learning Mistakes That Developers Make And How to Avoid Them
2. Build lasting habits
Bias towards action. When you’re stuck, when you’re given a new piece of information, or when you’re feeling dissatisfied being in your comfort zone, take an action, however small that action may be.
Forty Daily Habits To Transform Your Life (Even When You WFH)
3. Protect your time & energy
Albert Einstein once said that, “If you feed your mind as often as you feed your stomach, then you’ll never have to worry about feeding your stomach or a roof over your head or clothes on your back.” Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We need to constantly feed our mind and soul with new ideas, new ways of thinking and new information. In this day and age, we have no excuse not to learn. Information is at our fingertips; whether you prefer to read a book, read a magazine, listen to an audiobook, listen to a podcast and even browse social media, as long as you choose what you consume mindfully and carefully, you’ll be feeding your mind with good knowledge.
How to Still Be a Maker When You’re a Manager
The art of finding a good balance and being at peace relies a lot on control - and surprisingly, it is not about having a lot of control. It is about giving up control and not trying to control what you can’t. There are some things in life that just cannot be controlled.
Your Guide To Conquering Burnout and Eliminating Overwhelm
4. Eliminate limiting beliefs
I Am Going to Fail When I Get Promoted Because I Don’t Know How to Do Everything That the Next Level Requires
This limiting belief is very common and also quite relatable for high achievers and women. Funnily enough, I belong to both categories. The underlying reason for this limiting belief is a fixed mindset. Having a fixed mindset means you think a person’s qualities and attributes are fixed and cannot be changed or developed.But we all know for a fact that nobody was born with all the skills and knowledge that they would need in their life. Similarly, while you don’t know everything that the next level requires, you can learn and develop the necessary skills and attributes.
Replace this limiting belief with: “My ability to learn and grow is limitless.”
Six Limiting Beliefs That Are Holding You Back From Getting Promoted and How You Can Conquer Them
5. Showcase your skills via a killer resume
What’s one thing that you’re known for in the industry? It could be a specialised skill or a specific type of company or environment. For example, improving website performance or working at finance-related companies. Not sure what you’re known for? Look back at the last few years of your career, the projects that you’ve worked on, the companies that you’ve worked for and identify some patterns. The thing with becoming better at anything is the amount of consistent practice, so it’s more than likely that your speciality is something that you’ve been doing repeatedly.
5 Steps to Creating a Resume for Tech Jobs
The Perfect Resume Template: gum.co/perfectresume
6. Pursue a side hustle
Idea 2: Teach technical skill via an online course
Online learning has been around for a while, but with the increase of remote working, work from home, and social distancing, it has become increasingly popular, and the preferred medium for sharing knowledge.
Ten Side Hustle Ideas For Web Developers To Make Extra $1k A Month
7. Set strategic career goals
Strategic career goals are those that will propel you towards where you want to head professionally, in one year, two years, or even five years. They have a purpose, reflect your professional vision, and have a significant impact on your career success.
Strategic career goals can be categorised as:
– Technical goals
– Job goals
– Entrepreneurship goals
– Leadership goals
– Community goals
10 Strategic Career Goals For Software Developers To Have In 2021
Code repository works as a place to showcase your capabilities in technical craft, how you stay involved and active in changes in technology landscape and what kind of tinkering you do outside of work (eg: hobby projects).
How To Increase Your Visibility As A Developer Via Your Personal Brand
8. Know how to interview well
Never say, “Code reviews are a waste of time. Everyone should just write good code.”
Firstly, code reviews are a good thing. If you have never had a commercial experience with code reviews before because you have just graduated or your previous companies didn’t use it, it is ok to say so but as a technical person and a developer, you are expected to at least understand why it exists. Code reviews are not there just to detect code smells. It is also for knowledge sharing and for ensuring that coding standards and requirements are met.
