How can a Software Developer keep Updated with new Technical Skills?
The fast-moving tech industry demands updated technologies to implement as fast as it can be. The reason is the efficiency and performance of new emerging technologies and technology hacks. This has a higher impact on the quality of work and also, competing with technology partners with better strategies and solutions is also important. The rapid pace of innovations in the IT industry is on one side, giving opportunities to the software developers and on the other side, it is becoming challenging for a huge developers community.
It has always been an issue for the programmers to keep themselves up-to-date with the new programming languages, software, algorithms, design patterns, programming hacks and strategies. It has always been a debate in the developers’ community about the use-cases, versions, frameworks and languages, that which is good for certain problem-solving. Even strategies do not match.
It depends on the programmer that what influences him the most and in what he finds ease in solving the problems. The emerging era needs highly skilled technicians and developers who adopt new technologies and implement them in an efficient way. The way they manage time and space complexity, and then give shape to the final product is extremely important.
The programmers who are fast learner would easily move forward to adopt the new technology, it needs passion. But, it would be like,
Jack of all trades, master of none.
The developers must know the updating technological advancements and should mould themselves along with the technology they are working in. Before this, question is, how can developers keep themselves updated with new technologies and skills? Below are some step-by-step tips that can help programmers in finding new strategies and hacks of improving their programming and problem-solving techniques.
The very first thing that a programmer can do is, to find out the ways where he can get the news about an emerging thing. Dive into all those platforms where one can get pop-ups about something new. Blog reading can help developers to get in touch with the innovations. Read programming related blogs. Start serving from minutes to hours in a month. Spend time on reading blogs.
Blogs sometimes help in getting the solution to the problems related to your work and programming language. Many blog sites give separate categories related to programming languages and trends. Some discuss the most trending issues and applications of industrial issues and their solutions. For example, Shufti Pro helps in giving services of online identification and verification of the identities. Also, they share several case studies and use-cases in multiple industries, their technological needs, the adoption of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Facial Recognition.
Many other blogs writing websites declare the launch of new languages, frameworks and updated versions. So, start reading them and get an overview of ‘What’s new?’
Reading news can help you keep in touch with the launch of new technology or hack, how any technological advancements failed, how a hacker hacked particular website or account, how cybersecurity is evolving around you and much more relevant stuff. Spend at least half an hour on a daily basis in reading news.
Read reddit, Hacker News and such news platform that can be helpful for the developers in any way or the other. Also, read the newsletter to know about the latest technological trends. These practices can help developers in updating themselves with real-world evolution.
The social gathering at technical events is also very important. Developers must attend the event where there is a demonstration of technical innovations by highly technical expertise. It is much influencing and grasping when a live presentation and demo of some technology is shown. The discussions of its applications and the strategy behind technology help developers get to know certain aspects, which they did not experience before. Any other medium of getting in touch with the highlights of technology are much time taking and hefty. Attending events let you think broadly in the environment of the technical community.
- Be Passionate to Learn new Technologies
The area of implementation of certain technology like any special language you like could be your expertise but the circle of knowledge should never be made narrow. It should always grow along with the innovation come into being. Keeping aside your expertise, have a passion to learn about something new. You do not know any other field could be much more flexible and workable for you than the one you do now.
To keep updated with the advanced technologies, there must be a desire to learn them. This helps you try to fit into some other environment in a much better way. Learning is always an opportunity, so never limit yourself with a specific amount of knowledge under those particular circumstances.
Pick some books related to what you are doing or some advance technology, spend at least half-hour every day and read them. Books can transfer knowledge that nothing else can. The effort takes to understand certain concepts are better absorbed by reading the books by experiencing difficulties. Sometimes the other person could not help you the way the book does.
Book reading should be a habit of technical personalities. This helps in the remarkable conceptualization of the programming and problem-solving ideas. The strength of ideas and strategies become much more potent by reading books many tech books and videos are available today, O’REILLY is one of them.
- Start implementation, Code it, Try it!
Do not waste your time spending a lot in just grasping the concepts. Immediately start coding it and you will be able to solve all your conceptual issues in the way and that would be much more effective. Just after getting now about new strategy, language, technology, or design pattern, try it. This would help you get in strong touch with that idea and you will be using it in your daily implementation in one way or the other.
Implementation help you in long-lasting relation with that idea, also would help you in keeping updated with any changings or version update availability, as you will be searching for the implementation details every now and then.
- Make new strategies, your habit!
Once you went through all the above steps, this last step is the most challenging one for the programmers. Keeping a track of implementing and coding new technologies every day is hard. But, the point is, this can change your life. Enhance your technical skills with updated technologies. Businesses want efficiency and accuracy in their system and this is the purpose of new technologies. The impact on work would be expressive and highly rewarded.
So it is evident that developers can never stick to one thing if they are passionate and a good learner. They want their skills to be updated with the passage of time. Developers need to make sure that they are using new concepts and ideas with hands-on implementation. Mark on diary the next target you want to achieve after the current one. Work on it, and reset the next priorities. This needs a little effort which can change their way of thinking entirely while benefiting both the individuals and organizations.