How Do You Become a Good Software Developer/Programmer?

By many standards, software development is a 'relatively new' profession. Many argue that despite a couple of decades of innovation and great advances, our profession is still in its infancy and we've got a long ways to go. As professionals, we have the ability to influence the direction.

In my career as a software developer, I've been extremely fortunate to work with some of the best and brightest minds in our profession. They've been there to help me when I was just starting out. They've helped me to grow both personally and professionally. I want to share and pass along some of the things I have learned over the years from my unofficial mentors.

Always be ready to learn. There are many reasons for this. I don't have to remind you of the pace at which technology changes. While it's great to find a niche, you must not forget that whatever technology or product you learn may not always be around. So for your own career's longevity you must be prepared to stay up to date with the latest. Another equally important reason is so that you don't settle into one way of doing things even while there may be better ways out there. IF you are willing to learn and always seeking out ways to improve yourself you will grow and your peers will come to respect you for your knowledge. No matter how much you think you know there is always something more to learn.

Always be humble. We have always experienced moments where we've come up with some solution to a problem that we thought was 'ingenious'. These are great personal victories over challenges. But we must not let them go to our heads. Staying humble means you will keep yourself open to learning from anybody and everybody around you. You can always learn more from your peers and having a positive attitude and evaluating your own work critically will go a long way in making you a better developer.

Get beyond the technology. Of course our technical knowledge is our bread and butter. It pays the bills. However, as you progress in your career, I guarantee that you will find if you have picked up any business knowledge along the way, it will be immensely helpful to you in your profession. It can open a lot of opportunities - perhaps you can find innovative solutions to business problems; or perhaps you can come up with a great idea for a product that a particular market is yearning for.

Be patient and don't get discouraged. There is always information overload in our industry. It's easy to get confused and discouraged, and difficult to figure out where you should spend your energies. Moreover, its sometimes hard to see the benefits of your time spent learning new things if you have not had a chance to apply them at work just yet. Patience is key.