Josh: Five Ways to Become a Better Software Developer

iptton

原文：http://joshblog.net/2009/01/12/five-ways-to-become-a-better-software-developer/

摘译：
1. 为兴趣而写代码  　　　　　　Write Code For Fun
      对于许多开发者来说，coding 仅仅是他们在办公室里的事。据我所知的大多数成功的开发者都会在写或多或少地写些代码：有些是贡献给开源项目；有些是为自己打造点小工具；有些则写了足够专业的代码做出产品赚些外快。不管哪种，业余项目是个非常好的引发奇思异想及学习新技能的途径，这种学习过程没有deadline，没有每天工作时的琐碎事务。
　　显然，没有必要每个晚上都对着电脑敲代码，社交活动是不可或缺的！不过，当你坐在沙发上发呆时，大可发起（或参与）一个有兴趣的项目。（译注：原文：However, if you find yourself sitting on the couch in the middle of the week with nothing to do, brainstorm a project idea that you’ll find exciting and challenging.　brainstorm的翻译也许有错？）
         Fun Side Project Ideas

            -> 使用一些你“爱慕”已久但日常工作却用不上的API或库。
            -> 创建新程序或为已存在的程序扩展
            -> 设计一个有趣的小游戏
　　　-> 尝试做点在你所选择的技术上没有人做的东西（译注：假设有SQLite数库管理器，但没有人用JAVA做过，百你熟悉JAVA可以尝试一下）
            -> 尝试学习新语言(译注：这似乎真的很有用，最近接触了erlang，一种函数式语言，有不少以前从未接触的元素)


If all you know are web apps, switch it up, and learn how to write a compiler or an operating system kernel.

Try to learn a new programming language.

Be ambitious. Stretch your limits. It’s okay if you fail. You’ll learn something no matter what the result.

For me, personally, coding in my free time has been the best way to learn anything about software development and various technologies. I jump into new frameworks, APIs, and technologies headfirst and come out with greater knowledge that helps me a thousand times over on the things I actually get paid to do. My co-workers often say “let’s ask Josh” when they run into trouble because they know I’ve spent a lot of time digging into a wide variety of features. In many cases, I’ve already discovered a bunch of quirks and bugs that they might run into, and I can often share workarounds so that they won’t get stuck for hours figuring it all out themselves like I had to do.

Though I never get paid directly for the time I spend on fun side projects at home, I’ve found that the skills and knowledge I gain on these sorts of projects earn me better rewards in the long run.
2. 研究了解软件架构及设计模式 Study Software Architecture and Design Patterns
3. 写写博客　　　　　　　　　 Start a Blog
4. 加入一个开发社区                  Join a Community
5. 保持激情　　　　　　　　　 Keep Yourself Motivated


Final Thoughts

Certainly, I don’t consider this list of tips an exhaustive resource. Nor would I say that doing all these things will be right for every software developer. However, I’ve described many contributing success factors in my own personal career as I see them. I would have loved to read an article like this when I was just starting out. If you’re an experienced developer, what helped you get better at your job?

苏格拉底柏拉图

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