10 Tips to Improve Programming Skill and Become Better Programmer

In
order to become a better programmer, you need to be really good at data
structure, algorithms, designing using OOPS, multi-threading and
various programming concept e.g. recursion, divide and conquer,
prototyping, and unit testing. Programming is a combination of many
skills, which means it's not possible to learn it in quick time, rather
it will come with time and experience, but that won't happen
automatically. You can spend 5 years doing a Java programming job,
without being a good programmer. Since most of Java interviews focus on
theory rather than programming and coding skills. Not many programmers
practice these essential programming skills. If there is a mandatory
problem solving programming test, I would bet, average programmer would
have been much better. Any way, here is my list of things, which can
help you to become a good programmer.
1) Coding, Coding and Coding
Why
I have coding at top of this list? because it's difficult and same time
it's central piece of programming. By doing coding, you also realize
your mistakes in designing, error handling, threading and then go back
to those respective skill to improve. You just can not work in designing
only, coding produce output, which is important to learn and act as
success. By the way, do not stop just after solving the problem, it's
always better to throw away your first solution, that is just a
prototype, your next solution should address issues, missing
requirements which you have found building prototype.
2) Reading Books
Coding
is easier said than done, and there is huge difference between good
code and bad code, but how do you know? Until you have seen a good code,
and know why a particular code is good, you can not understand
difference. This is where books comes to help, more often than not
authors are great programmers themselves. They offers their experience
in form of book. I love books, but one book, which is particularly
helped me is Clean Code by Uncle Bob. By reading this book, I have found
myself finding problems in my code and applying advice given in this
book every now and then. My advice is if you ever find such books, grab
them. I also recommend reading this classic books many times, and refer
them every now and then. Another similar book is Effective Java by
Joshua Bloch, which is full of good advise. It's also from of my list of
must read books for Java programmer. Also, by reading books you are
learning from someone else's experience, and there is only two ways to
improve yourself, either by learning from own experience (which is very
limited) or learning from others experience (which is unlimited).
Remember more is not always good, rather than reading 5 books, I suggest
read two book, which you enjoyed reading multiple times.
3) Contributing to Open Source, Signing-up mailing lists
Contributing
on Open source code, especially from Apache, Google and some other
projects is another way to improve your programming skill and become a
better programmer. Just signing there mailing list and following
discussion teaches you a lot. Since most of discussions happens between
good programmers, by listening them and understanding problem and their
approach, solution and view, automatically develop good programming
habits on you. To get most of it, do not just sit passive, ask
questions, offer your view, but same time value others as well.
4) Practising data structure, Algorithms and Design related problems
I
was thinking to put that as second item, but it ended up fourth. In my
opinion this is the most critical of things to do to become a better
programmer. Most of good programmers I have seen and met are really good
in data structures, algorithms and basics. By learning these things,
you take better advantage of what is available. Since data structure is
key piece of any programme, solid knowledge of them helps during problem
solving. Similarly knowledge of key programming principles, search and
sort algorithms and other well know algorithms develop programming
skills on you.
5) Reading Good Blogs
Reading
good blogs is a small part of reading books. How does reading blogs
helps you to become better programmer? Well it does. Since blogs are
often written by programmer themselves and most of them share there
personal view, experience, you often find them relevant. Also blogs are
small piece of information so it digests well. Blog also help to learn
new technology and new features of existing language and API. Many
times, I have seen something subtle, or missed things from a really well
known part of Java described in a small blog post.
6) Reading Code
If
reading blogs helps to become good programmer, than reading code help
more than that, but same time reading blog is easy but reading code is
tough. Do you see resistance? then you should do it. Look code of open
source projects, your fellow programmers code, your existing proprietary
code, code from Java SDK and try to understand how they work, try to
see what they are doing and why they are doing. Find patterns, develop
navigation skill, initially you will find it boring and difficult, but
with time you will develop a good code sense, which will alert you when
you do mistake, help you to spot others mistake, gaps and code smell.
This Code sense is one of the sign of better programmer, they often tend
to look, what you missed.
7) Writing Unit test
Unit
test complement thinking and coding process, and subsequently helps you
to design better. Anything which is difficult to test has chance of
improvement. Also writing unit test helps a lot in finding better names,
better abstraction, better interface and abstract class design and
overall improves code quality. But like coding and designing, unit
testing is also tough job for average programmers, you will see lot of
resistance there. Some programmer writes trivial test, instead of
thinking hard on usage scenario. Remember there is no substitute of
think through process, after analysis, design and development, unit
testing is another opportunity to think through scenarios and gaps in
your code. Make it a rule, always write Unit test for your code.
8) Doing Code review
Like
Unit testing, Code review is another thing which help to become a good
solid programmer. Code review help both reviewer and author, reviewer
improves his code sense and offer genuine advice, while author learn
from his mistakes. It often helps that the code you think is rock solid,
has some bugs which only other programmer can see, Code review and four
eye check does that for you. If you are lucky and get a chance to work
in a company which has unit testing, code review as discipline then you
are likely to be better programmer than rest. These two things
immensely help to improve programming skill.
9) Talking to fellow programmer
Reading
is passive event compared to talking. Talking a program and discussing
that with fellow programmer, often leads in better solution, it's
natural because your mind tends to involve more, whey you talk and
listen to other. I have then found gaps, missing requirements, bugs and
design flaws while discussing with team mates. In software industry,
where programmers tends to isolate them with there computer, talking,
sharing and doing white board sessions helps immensely. Don't just sit
and code, talk, listen and think and hangout with fellow programmers.
participating on event also helps.
10) Participating Stack Overflow and forums, Commenting in Blogs
This
is another form of activity, which helps to revise knowledge. By
sharing knowledge, first person who benefits is the one who share. Since
programming is big and vast, you tend to forget most of things which
you don't use for more than 3 months. Participating in StackOverflow and
answering others queries, commenting on blogs and forums is a nice
little way to revise knowledge and same time correct your misconception.
By putting our knowledge in front of others, we not only helps others
but also put them into test. Many times you will see, someone benefiting
from your knowledge but also you are getting your misconception
corrected.
Every programmer wants to become
better programmer, but not every one succeeds. Apart from natural talent
of programming and problem solving, it requires lot of hard work,
constant learning and perseverance to become a better programmer. The
more you do real work e.g. Coding, Designing, Unit Testing and Code
review, the more better you will become. If you just want to do one
thing at this moment, I would say go and read clean code.
0 comments:
Post a Comment