©Shutterstock/David ArtsPractice! Practice! Practice makes app development perfection
Write as much code as you can, even as a novice in the field. Find problems on the web or make up problems that interest you. If you get stuck on a problem, look for help on developer forums or set the problem aside for a while.When you've finished solving a problem, look for ways to add features to your solution. The more practice you have writing programs, the better your developer skills will be.
Critique your own code
Don't be satisfied with code that merely works. Good code does more than that. Good code is readable and maintainable. Good code complies with published style guidelines. Good code runs efficiently. No matter what kind of code you write, there's always room for improvement.Have other app developers review your code
Other developers can find flaws that you're too entrenched in the code to notice. Expect reviewers to be critical but respectful. Respond to reviews with an open mind. Think carefully about each comment and decide whether the suggestion makes sense to you.Find out which app development technologies your nearby companies use
If local companies use MySQL, learn something about MySQL. If local companies program in Haskell, learn something about Haskell. What's trendy throughout the industry may have little demand in the town where you live.Attend programming user group meetings
When you hang out with programming professionals, three very nice things happen.- You learn about things that you might not discover on your own.
As a novice at a user group meeting, you don't choose the topic. That's a good thing because it exposes you to ideas on the periphery of your range of knowledge.
- You find out what issues are at the forefront of today's technology.
A few years ago, the word microservices was presented at a small session in New York City. A bit of research yielded several blog posts calling microservices "the next big thing." The blog posts were right.
- You network with professionals in your chosen field.
Who knows? Maybe one of them can help you find work!
When you attend a meeting with programmers and listen to the discussion, you may not understand what people are saying. That's okay. If nothing else, you're learning by osmosis.Ask questions
In college classes, students apologize for asking what they think are stupid questions. "Don't apologize," one professor says. "The stupid questions are the ones I’m sure I can answer."Ask yourself whether you truly understand app development concepts
Sometimes, app developers ignore a gap as they try to grasp a particular concept. Maybe they’re either too busy, too embarrassed, or too lazy to stop and think in-depth about the concept. Eventually, that lack of understanding will come back to haunt you. Even if it doesn't, you may carry around the nagging feeling that you don’t fully understand what you’re working with.If you don't understand something that's useful for you to know, stop and try to figure it out. The effort always pays off.
Learn things that you may never need to know in your app development career
You may never need to run 13 miles, but you sign up for a half-marathon anyway. You may never need to paint a stunning landscape, but you visit art museums anyway. Exercise your mind. Nothing you learn ever goes to waste.Do what you love to do
If you love your work, you love your life.You may need to earn money in a job you don't enjoy. If so, make a mental note to yourself: "For now, I’ll do what I have to do to support myself and my family. When I can, I’ll find work that I look forward to every day."