10 tips to go from a beginner to an intermediate developer

Posted on 08 February 2016 at 05:37

#1: Learn another language
It doesn't matter which language you learn, but learning another language (regardless of how many you already know) will make you a better developer. Even better is to learn one that is significantly different from what you already use on a regular basis. In other words, if you are a C# developer, learning VB.NET or Java will not help you as much as learning Ruby or Groovy.

And when I say "learn another language," I mean really learn it. Learning a language consists of three realms of knowledge: the syntax, the built-in operators and libraries, and "how to use it." The first two are easy; I think that an experienced developer can pick up enough of a language's syntax to maintain code in 30 minutes to a few hours depending upon the language. The operators and libraries are just a matter of slowly accumulating knowledge and being willing to check reference materials until you memorize what you need to know. But it's the third item — "how to use it" — that can only be learned over months of working with a language and that's where the real magic happens. I suggest doing a project that is well suited for that language and doing it in that language's style.

Truly learn another language, and I promise that your abilities as a developer will start to blossom.