Improving Coding Skills: Building Better Developers by Building Better Habits

In the latest episode of Building Better Developers, Rob and Michael continue their journey through Season 23, “Building Better Habits.” In Episdoe 5 the focusing on improving coding skills. Like diving into why developers should consistently refine techniques, stay updated with evolving coding standards, and explore new tools. This hosts go beyond just writing code; it’s about forming habits that make continuous learning an essential part of a developer’s daily routine.

Tools and Techniques

Rob shares insights on the importance of regularly updating coding habits and exploring new languages and techniques. While it’s easy to rely on familiar coding methods, especially in stable languages like Java, doing so can lead to missed opportunities to improve coding skills and write more efficient code. Rob suggests developers make time to explore updates in the languages and tools they already use, as newer features and standards can bring significant performance and workflow benefits.

The Importance of Tools for Improving Coding Skills

Michael builds on this idea by discussing the importance of trying out different tools. Many developers grow accustomed to particular development environments like Visual Studio or IntelliJ. Becareful relying exclusively on one tool, because this can limit your skills as a developer. Instead, Michael recommends creating sample applications (like the kitchen sink app) to test how various development environments work. Experimenting with multiple IDEs (integrated development environments) can make developers more versatile, which is especially valuable as they shift projects or roles.

Coding Standards and Best Practices

Maintaining coding standards and regularly reviewing best practices are essential to improving coding skills. As Michael explains, developers’ understanding of best practices should grow over time. Start by revisiting previous projects. This can be a great opportunity to enhance the quality of code. The kitchen sink app can be a helpful reference for testing and refining best practices, helping developers ensure that new projects begin with a foundation of high-quality, standardized code.

Resources for Improving Coding Skills

Rob offers practical resources to assist developers in their continuous learning. He mentions platforms like CodeSignal, where developers can engage in challenges and tutorials, practicing coding skills in real-time. This type of interactive platform mirrors real-world coding environments. This allows developers to get immediate feedback and making it ideal for those aiming to learn new languages or strengthen their problem-solving skills. He also encourages developers to explore podcasts, blogs, and forums to stay informed about trends. Also, look at changes in their coding languages and frameworks.

Daily Commitment to Improving Coding Skills

Spend 10–15 minutes daily learning something new about a coding environment, tool, or language. Rob suggests beginning with an overarching goal—such as exploring a recent update in a language—then breaking it down into small daily learning segments. This incremental approach to learning makes it easier to grasp new information without feeling overwhelmed and helps developers make continuous progress.

Improving Coding Skills by Understanding Standards

Michael emphasizes that improving coding skills goes beyond practice; understanding the “why” behind coding standards is essential. This deeper comprehension helps developers apply coding standards effectively and reduces the likelihood of coding “blindly” or by habit alone. With this approach, developers improve their code quality, problem-solving skills, and ability to communicate technical choices within their teams.

The Episode’s Challenge: A Week of Learning Challenge for Improving Coding Skills

The episode wraps up with a learning challenge for the week: pick one coding or technology-related topic to explore. Rob and Michael recommend choosing a topic that complements the developer’s current skill set, whether it’s a new feature in a familiar language, articles on coding standards, or recent security protocols. By setting aside a small amount of time each day to learn something new, developers can gradually build knowledge and gain new insights for a week.

Improving Coding Skills through Small, Daily Steps

Episode 5 of Building Better Developers provides an actionable approach to continuous improvement for developers. By forming habits around learning and experimentation, Rob and Michael show that developers can stay sharp, relevant, and prepared for a fast-evolving tech industry. Their advice—taking small, daily steps toward learning something new—reminds developers that effective growth is as much about mindset as technical skill.

Stay Connected: Join the Developreneur Community

We invite you to join our community and share your coding journey with us. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting, there’s always room to learn and grow together. Contact us at [email protected] with your questions, feedback, or suggestions for future episodes. Together, let’s continue exploring the exciting world of software development.

Additional Resources

• Incremental Improvement and Progress – Do It Now
• Mastering Skills In Under Ten Thousand Hours
• Self-Confidence That Comes From Incremental Improvement
• Implementing An Incremental Approach – Small Progress is Still Progress
• Building Better Habits Videos – With Bonus Content