How to Become a Great Developer: Here’s the Key
Whether you’re a seasoned programmer or someone who occasionally dabbles in code, it’s natural to wonder what it takes to become a truly outstanding developer. Ask a hundred developers and you’ll likely get a hundred different answers. But some traits come up time and again.
Here, we’ve rounded up the five key qualities that define a great software engineer – along with practical strategies to help you put them into action.
1. Embrace the Challenge
One of the most important (and often overlooked) habits of great developers is this: make things harder for yourself. It’s easy to fall into a routine of repeating similar tasks. But real growth happens when you step out of your comfort zone and tackle unfamiliar challenges.
If you’re unsure where to begin, try exploring programming forums like Reddit. From there, you can curate a list of advanced features or tools you’ve never built before.
Working with technologies such as Git and Jenkins will also sharpen your skills in version control and CI/CD workflows – essential tools in DevOps that are critical for managing complex projects efficiently.
2. Contribute to Open Source
With the rise of modern programming languages, the open-source community has flourished. Popular languages like Python and Ruby weren’t created by corporations, but by communities of developers passionate about sharing their expertise.
If you’re already an experienced developer, why not build a public code library or contribute to a language feature? By creating tools that other developers can use, you’ll be forced to write clean, tested, high-quality code – while also giving back to the wider tech community.
Tools like Ansible, Chef, and Puppet are open source staples in the DevOps world and can help you increase automation and efficiency in your own work.
3. Stay Critical
Great DevOps teams write code that works. Outstanding developers go a step further and write code that excels. When you look at the work of top engineers, you’ll often find they rewrite sections of their own code – even when it works – because they know it can be better.
This constant refinement becomes even more powerful when paired with tools like Docker and OpenShift, which make it easier to test, iterate and deploy improvements quickly.
4. Adapt to Change
If you’ve worked on large projects, you already know one thing for sure: change is inevitable. The best developers set themselves apart by how well they adapt. But many still struggle – and often for two key reasons:
- Rigid code structure: Code that isn’t modular or flexible can break down quickly when new features are introduced.
- Building the wrong things: Sometimes functionality becomes obsolete by the time it’s released.
You can mitigate this by using infrastructure-as-code tools like AWS CloudFormation or Vagrant, which allow you to dynamically configure flexible environments.
Understanding your cloud architecture – whether you’re working with a public or hybrid cloud model – will also make a major difference to how scalable and maintainable your software is in the long run.
5. Keep Investing in Your Knowledge
One trait almost all great developers share? Curiosity. The desire to keep learning – no matter how experienced you are – is what keeps your skills sharp and your work relevant.
5.1 Learn by Doing
We said it at the start – challenge yourself. The internet is full of tutorials that help you explore specialised topics. Studying cloud migration best practices, for example, will give you vital insights into scalable, modern software architecture.
5.2 Read Books
Many top developers cite a handful of foundational books that shaped their thinking. If you haven’t yet, check out:
- The Art of Computer Programming
- Introduction to Algorithms
- Working Effectively with Legacy Code
5.3 Subscribe to Newsletters
Tech evolves fast. Newsletters are a brilliant way to stay up to date with new releases, features and trends. Many include curated articles, videos, and insights to keep you informed and inspired.
Security is also a critical area. Staying informed on the latest IT security developments and ransomware prevention strategies is key to protecting your systems and data.
Ready for the Next Step?
Already an experienced DevOps engineer – or looking to take the leap into a more advanced role? Check out our open positions for Cloud Engineers and Solution Architects. The right challenge could be exactly what you need to elevate your career.
At TTNL Group, we believe your growth is our success. Let’s build the future together.
