How do you improve your programming skills?

Dont be biased on one language or technology. Keep an open mind and always be ready to learn a new language and use it on the fly. Technology is moving very fast today and if you get stuck in one technology you will fall behind.

It does not matter what language you choose. What matters is having fun with it! Most programmers know multiple languages, but they all started with one. Having a good understanding of a language you like will come with many transferrable skills. This opens doors to learning many more as the need to do so arises.

Getting involved in Open Source software projects is a great way to enhance your programming skills. When I first started with my language of choice I would spend hours downloading scripts and applications written in my chosen language and study the code line by line, trying to understand as much as possible. Nowadays you can sign up for a GitHub account, follow projects which require contributors in your chosen language and get hacking. Learning from experienced developers and getting involved with the code review and feedback process will help you understand other programmers' approaches. It's also a great way to build your professional network and showcase your skills to potential employers.

There are so many groups and social areas to pick from Discord, Facebook, LinkedIn group areas, Blogging sites where people post their projects. There is a new trend going on and that is asking AI for assistance. It can help you figure out things to complex areas or get you started with a boiler plate. I have used it to help solve issues and as a way to get started when I had no idea where to begin.

In my experience, people should not stress about writing the best code possible, instead, their problem should be writing the simplest code possible that solves a problem. Software engineers tend to over-engineer (me included) and it's a constant battle between business and tech. In my opinion, programmers learning to code should get a prespective on how this skill is helpful in the real-world with real companies and real companies are looking for solutions that are simple, maintainable and don't cost to much to create.

Stop asking for things to read and start asking for exercises to do. Spend time making your own exercises too, because that's no different than imagining solutions to problems you don't immediately know the answer to. Flexes the same muscle.

It can be helpful to approach your code with a beginner's mindset. When you look at your code, consider it from the perspective of a brand new hire who knows nothing about it. Will they understand your variable names and the flow of your functions? Does your code clearly articulate its purpose? When's the last time you updated your documentation? A fresh perspective can help you see inefficiencies or unneeded complexity that you might overlook out of familiarity.

Top-notch industry standard work gets reviewed multiple times by multiple people. In order to find improvements in your work related to code or programming one should review their code as well as get it reviewed by peers. You should make it a practice to review your teammate's code as well. This is the best way of learning the right way or industry standard. One can remove critical vulnerabilities by doing a simple code review which can result in huge problems if not reviewed. Automate the code review with scan tools (SonarQube, Eslint, etc) to make sure you wouldn't miss anything outside your code as well.

Staying updated with emerging skills and technologies is critical for boosting your programming proficiency. Despite the challenge of continuously tracking new frameworks and updates, it's essential to be informed about relevant advancements. Experimentation with novel frameworks and tools can enhance your software development skills. The key lies in your approach towards learning and assimilating these new technologies. Understanding your learning strategies and maintaining an active role in integration can turn this task into an enriching experience. A custom tool to monitor such trends could also be an invaluable asset.

If you want to be relevant to the constantly changing and highly volatile industry you should always upskill and learn regularly. We should make a habit of learning new technology or how we use to work before advanced frameworks etc. It will open your mind and you will have boundary-less thinking. You can use different websites like Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare, etc to learn. You can use youtube, and listen to tech Podcat to understand what the trend is.

I spend a great deal of time answering forum questions on how to perform simple to complex programming task in c++, c# & vb.net. I have found that I gain a lot of knowledge doing this and it also helps to build reputation and find leads for future customers. I highly recommend spending time supporting other developers, this will give you a good insight into how effective you are, as they will likely give you feedback on the solutions you provide, which will help you gage your effectiveness.

Listen to others when they tell you about their passion, about new technologies and problems they have solved. Without high expectations, try new technology for a short time, share that experience, talk about it. Recognize concepts, purpose, prescribed solutions. Keep your curiosity alive, surrounded by people who are vocal about their challenges.

When designing and implementing professional software remember to maximize your use of automated static analysis tools. Those automated tools can identify problems in your software more quickly and comprehensively than you can by yourself.

Something that a lot of people forget to get into is test driven development. Get your code written, get an initial set of tests for it, and as you create more tests, you'll find bugs or missing functions in the main application. Iterate until the feature/application is ready for a release.