10 wishes for a new year for programmers

Translated from: http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/general/ten-new-years-resolutions-every-web-developer-should-make/

Andrew Burgess on December 27, 2011

Translator: Shiyute (reprint please specify source-http://blog.csdn.net/hfahe)

There is less than a week to go, we will usher in 2012 years. I know it's a cliché, but what important gains have you had in the past year? Naturally, it is time for us to make a wish for the new Year. Maybe you have some real-life goals, but what about your career as a programmer?

1-Learning a new language, framework or method

We must keep learning the latest technology.

The only constant web development is change. Take Nodejs as an example: two or three years ago it didn't exist, and only a few (if any) of the JavaScript code ran on top of the server. Now, you can't live without it. Every web developer wants to stay in their work. To do this, we must keep learning the latest technology. If you're a back-end developer, this could mean learning JavaScript and node. js, similar to Ruby and rails. For front-end development, it could mean really understanding CSS3 or mastering the HTML5 new API. Of course, this doesn't mean you have to use it often, just keep learning.

In the same vein, it's a good time to reassess your workflow, learn better and different tools to get the job done faster.

Excellence

Also, set aside a period of time to focus on known languages and software.

Of course, keeping in-depth is more meaningful than learning new content. It also includes ways to improve your use of everyday tools. I know that I have always insisted on using familiar patterns and methods, rather than learning a better plan in a particular situation. Do you know anything about JavaScript design patterns? Do you have a solid understanding of the object-oriented and functional programming of PHP? Have you ever used a SQL connection? Do you have any unused features in the text editor you are using? These are not new technologies, but if you don't use them, they're new to you! Also set aside a period of time to focus on known languages and software.

3-Explore a new field

This content is not the same as the first item. Learning a new language, framework, or approach in your field is important, and may be useful even for your daily practice. But if you're like me, you'll be hooked on every part of the web. Try to explore new areas. For background development, it is an in-depth study of front-end development, and the front end is exploring usability or user experience. If you like writing, you may be interested in content strategy or fostering design inspiration. There are dozens of different areas on the web, continue to explore!

4– participation in the community

Call it engagement, call it a net, call it anything you want.

The web site of GitHub is incredibly amazing: I can't think of any other phenomenon, where people are so far apart, and so deep in friendship. 2012, why don't you try to get involved in this amazing group? Talk to them on Twitter, read their blog posts and comments, or respond by writing their own articles, and contribute their code through github or other code-sharing sites. or join free seminars, user groups and various meetings. Call it engagement, call it a netting, call it anything you want, but one thing is for sure: it will benefit you and others in most cases. In addition, building new and important connections, you may get a new turnaround!

5– teaches others

The most rewarding comments are those that hurt your feelings.

You should agree with our previous point of view and teach others more in the 2012. Why is it? What will it bring? "Teaching is the best way to learn"? I have been writing for nettuts + for almost three years, and I can attest that this statement is entirely true. Writing down how a principle works can force you to fully understand it, and when you try to teach others, you will be amazed at how much you know about the topic. The most important thing is that when you know that you have helped others learn new skills, you will have an incredible feeling. There is no doubt that you will encounter several opposing sounds, such as pointing out your grammatical mistakes (or just some black sheep's comments). There is no need to worry too much; teaching is a learning process and you will improve yourself by doing so. The most rewarding comments are those that hurt your feelings.

6-Better take care of yourself

We are the victims of the network.

We seem to be very proud of our web development because we have sacrificed our labor. We work long hours, bow our waist in the dark using computers, we forget to bathe or eat. We are the victims of the network, suffering to make the Internet better.

It sounds brave, but that's not true.

For your health, I suggest you take good care of yourself in 2012 years. In addition to sleeping well and eating well, make sure your workplace is ergonomic. Supposedly, if you spend one-third of your life in the office, making it as comfortable as possible is very reasonable!

7– better manage your time and other resources

Maybe it doesn't have much to do with programmers, but even so, almost every knowledge worker can do better. For many of us, especially freelancers, what you have to do with your time may be the difference between feasting and being hungry. Remember all this fun, and the Web technology I recommend to you for learning? Well, don't let their temptations limit your learning time. Of course, the bigger the Internet, the more temptation it gets. I'm sure you've seen the following message recently and it gave me a warning when I did.

Over the past year, videos viewed on YouTube have been more than $1 trillion.

Assuming that the average YouTube video is 2-3 minutes long, what we're looking for can take a whole day, but in terms of knowledge I'm not yet profound enough.

Of course, "only work, no entertainment", is it right to do exactly that? I don't advise you to be a slave to a client or a dull workaholic. I'm just saying that we need to be smarter about how we spend every hour and try to make better use of our time.

8– uses better programming practices

Excessive documentation is never a bad thing.

No, I'm not repeating the same wish in two different words. This time, I'm talking about the practice of coding itself around. I can't tell you how many times I've eagerly started a new project, and then 1.5 hours later said, "Well ... I'm going to create a branch for trying this feature. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot to initialize git at the beginning. "Make sure I remember to use the code version from the very beginning is the work I have to face in the 2012 and it will make your project history clearer."

Another basic coding practice that I often ignore is annotations. I can make a lot of clever code and then distract myself from the rest of the time. The next week I went back to work and spent 20 minutes trying to figure it out. Does that bother you? Please do yourself a favor and leave useful comments for yourself and others. Documents and comments are the same thing. I've been studying dojo recently, and I've found that its code documents are priceless. Of course, the level of the file will depend on how open your project is, but I think that excessive documentation will never be a bad thing.

9-Generate passive income

I guess Nettuts + is the majority of readers doing client work either as a freelancer or in other ways. So why not get some extra passive income? Envato (Translator Note: A well-known company created by freelancers, with sales, tutorials, and blog sites) has 10 markets where anyone with the right skills can make a profit. For ThemeForest (Translator Note: Foreign well-known design site) to build a theme for CodeCanyon write a script, its potential value is endless. Of course, if your skills are not suitable for the envato market, or if you can, there are many other ways to generate passive income. For example, if you are a writer, you can try tuts+ Premium (Translator Note: A Web site for learning design, web development technology). They have been looking for new teachers with passion.

Tuts+premium's manager, Skellie, recently unveiled a blog with passive income authors, where you'll find a wealth of information about personal publishing.

Selling items on a market or personal website is a smart way to passively get some extra cash and you can do what you enjoy.

10– give himself a vacation.

In some cases, wear a totally different hat.

So far, each of the previous desires is something you can do to improve your skills as a developer. I will point out that one of the most important things you can do to become a good developer is not to be a developer ... At some point. Sometimes it is necessary to wear a completely different hat (the translator notes: meaning a completely different life and experience). Maintain a hobby that is not even relevant to development, and it is best not to involve computers. Play some kind of musical instrument, read, write, develop the culinary arts. No matter what you do, leave some time for relaxation. When you do this, you will find that solutions to programming problems tend to occur during break times.

I used to drive home on the road to think about solving a lot of code problems.

Of course, regular breaks are important, as well as those that take longer periods of time a year. Also throw out those annual plans!

What's your wish?

Well, this is the 10 wish list that Web developers should implement. What do you think is not on my list? Let's listen to these comments in the comments!

Programmer 10 wishes for the New Year