![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*TCiwI4bwTzVF5m4I4TXb3Q.jpeg)

As many others careers there are tips or ways to get a better personal future, here i will tell you some tips that i_n my opinion_ are important to grow as a developer:

### 1.- Specialize

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*0jIu9MK4f1qOYBugBd1phA.jpeg)

When i tell you that is a good idea specialize in something, **i’m not saying that you must learn only one thing in all your career, no, that is a bad idea.** I mean, c**ompanies search and pay more for people that know very well one thing,** so is a good idea have a decent knowledge in a particular tecnology that a person who knows a little about everything.

### **2.- Practice**

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*thPrYVZefaoo7B-ha3Mi0w.jpeg)

This is key, I mean it’s a very good thing to read books, see online courses, etc., but the important thing is to **practice**. If you only read books, it’s as if you did a practical job and you never handed it to your teacher.

### 3.- Personal Project

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*ba4OuBavxY3r7i7ayHB3Gw.jpeg)

This point is similar to the last one, but i want it to split it, because this point for me is very important. **A personal project is a way to practice our skills in something that is more funny and interesting**. If you intend you can do a clone of some app that you like, like a social network, a blog or other thing.

### 4.- Read great people

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*l5VyUyqHjBFj6MoQh2AkoA.jpeg)

You can read _blogs,_ if you like JavaScript i recommend you to look at [_Ponyfoo_](https://ponyfoo.com/) by [Nicolás Bevacqua](https://medium.com/@bevacqua), or [Eric Elliott](https://medium.com/@_ericelliott), or other expert people for the tecnology that you like. [_Twitter_](https://twitter.com) is other place to read fast information and learn. One perfect place to read and learn is [_Github_](https://github.com)_,_ **there you can read a lot of code and grow as a developer.**

### 5.- Analyze before writing code

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*t82rpff8NQjfOcgIHwwimQ.jpeg)

As developers **we often fall into the error of writing code too fast,** **it is a good idea to analyze the problem before writing any lines of code.** A good idea is to write code on a sheet of paper, because in that way you think much more.

### 6.- Refactor your code

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*CsWwN0EYlLs6BvzH_ctyzw.jpeg)

It is highly recommended to refactor your code: it is a technique to restructure a source code, altering its internal structure without changing its external behavior. Because as a developer **we spend 80% reading code and 20% writing it, and if we have a good code we save a lot of time.  
**Other thing is that often, we work with other people, and obviously is a good idea always write **readable code.**

### 7.- Meet people

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*1qAsIGoNL4Gptk32bAr44Q.jpeg)

Meeting new people is a great idea, because we establish a connection by **winning contacts that can benefit us in future projects or jobs.** It is also a good idea to talk with other developers to learn, also participate in meetings, presenter in a conference / talk and other things.

### 8.- Share you knowledge

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*mlNj4O5ULkN-wOMJBIFDuw.jpeg)

When you are sharing your knowledge you are learning a lot, and is a great idea because you are helping other people and youself. You can create your own blog, create a educational Youtube channel, create a Udemy course or use Medium 😏

### 9.- Have a normal life

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*ATdPtftEgLVsPXjcqdtq7A.jpeg)

It is not necessary that you spend 24 hours in front your computer, you must clear youself, go to walk, see the movie that you want, play a instrument etc, do something else, because that is going to help your mind. There is a lot of information, don’t try to learn all, because you probably need 3534 lifes to do it, take advantage of **Internet and other people.**

### 10.- Enjoy

![](https://hackernoon.com/hn-images/1*PmKZZ2MoqM4ndjJQM-OO4g.jpeg)

Programming is not for everyone, i mean, _everyone can program?_ **Yes,** but, _any can have a professional developer career?_ **No.** You must have passion and really want to learn and study, i said it in [my last article](https://hackernoon.com/abilities-that-makes-you-a-better-developer-82295c75de59): the tech world grow every day, **so if you hate learning, you are out. So you must enjoy what you are doing, don’t study code only for money because that is incoherent.**

I hope you liked it!

**You have my** [**_Github_**](https://github.com/germancutraro) **if you wanna follow me, i will appreciate a lot!**

Thank you 😊

10 Tips for developers

Too Long; Didn't Read

People Mentioned

Companies Mentioned

@germancutraro

RELATED STORIES