Developer Habits

The first steps in his career passed. You can already wear a sweater, beard and work remotely.

The acquaintances enviously call IT rock stars, but you know what you had to go through and how much remains to be done. Until the magic pills of success are invented, choose the right habits. They are good friends with work efficiency.

Self-development and laziness

Self development

No matter how many diplomas you received, do not stop learning. It is hard and boring, but the thirst for knowledge will not let you keep up with progress.

According to the HackerRank study, self-study is the norm for developers at any age. 67% of those surveyed have specialized higher education, and 74% have self-taught at least partially.
To improve, it is enough to be curious and know English. There are plenty of documentation, books, cases and courses for self-study on the Internet. Wait until the materials are translated into Russian - only time to lose.

Constantly improve knowledge and skills in programming and related fields.

Laziness

Thanks to laziness, the developer delegates the routine work to the machine. It will create a workable solution without crutches in order to reuse it in other tasks. Shorten the code, make it understandable for people and themselves, to facilitate future debagging.
The principle “keep it simple and short” (KISS), Occam's razor, elegant methods in mathematics prove that the formula “simpler = better” works in any field.

Encourage productive laziness to improve and simplify code.

Perseverance and creativity

Agility

The ability to painstakingly reach the point and find a solution is a good habit for the programmer. Grow an internal perfectionist: pay attention to the little things and complete the job. Few tasks are obtained from the first time. Learn to be patient, meticulous, and sometimes boring.

Do not drop the task, even if the solution does not come instantly. Patience and our discipline is everything.

Creativity

Problem solving skills are one of the most sought after in HackerRank. The ability to think outside the box, scroll the algorithm in your head and find a beautiful solution is more important than the level of language proficiency.

"When you have only a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Do not focus on the default tools, be open to new methods.

Develop creative thinking, look for non-standard tools for work.

Self-confidence and self-criticism

Self confidence

If you are self-taught, you may be stalked by an impostor syndrome. Comparing yourself with other developers is a pointless exercise. Do not do it this way. Spend this time reading the documentation or writing a piece of code.

The senseless and merciless Russian community will make even Bill Gates doubt his own professional suitability. Ignore caustic comments and mentally send "well-wishers" to the forest. Do not belittle your achievements and feel confident. Compare yourself only with yourself past.

Focus on yourself and learn how to track progress in development.

Self criticism

Don't be smart. Blaming users for improper use of the product, do not leave comments for colleagues, do not admit mistakes, and then put out fires. Good guys don't do that. The sooner the problem is voiced and the blame is recognized, the greater the chance of correction.

Critically evaluate your actions, even if you are a very cool developer.

Google and chat

Google

Almost any problem you encounter has already been solved. The same or a similar task faced someone, and he could share a solution on the Internet. Open a browser and find the answer. The habit of google will save a lot of nerves and time, which is better to spend profitably. Well, do not forget to lay out your cases to help those who come after you - get plus to karma.

Before digging deep into a problem, ask Google.

Communication

Get used to communicate not only with the glands, but also with people. Not about the weather or politics, but about what will help in development. Attend thematic conferences, meetings and workshops. Communicate with geeks, mentors and colleagues. Be open to acquaintances, offers and exchange of experience. It’s cool to sit at home, of course, but you risk losing your career prospects. Yes, and soft-skills do not pump themselves.

Expand your circle of friends in IT and do not miss the new opportunities.

Motivation and rest

Motivation

The only true motive for doing programming is to love it. Salary, cool office and corporate buns - not the best motivators for the developer. If you chose this profession only because of perks, maybe it’s not too late to change your mind?

HackerRank co-founder Vivek Ravisankar believes that 2018 will be the end for the standard selection of programmers for resumes. Companies will start holding contests to find talented candidates. One of the objectives of this approach is to find truly motivated employees. Those who are primarily waiting for development from work and are ready to root for the idea.

Do not lose a healthy motivation. Remember why you came to IT.

Relaxation

Great ideas will not appear if you are tired and exhausted. Banal advice to drink more water, give up fast food and sleep for 8 hours is annoying, but the performance is tied up with good health. If you catch a McConaughey, it only hurts the project.
Nobody calls to stop drinking coffee and run a marathon. Start small - take short breaks, go outside, take the stairs instead of the elevator, choose a business lunch, and not a cracker in front of the monitor.

Find a balance between work and rest, so as not to lose efficiency.

Instead of conclusion

Tips - an empty sound, if you are not ready to perceive them. Introduce a couple of habits and use version control. Return to the old state always have time.