By Robin Bhowmik, Chief Business Officer, Manipal Global Education Services
stands eminent in today’s technological era. It fosters self-confidence, productivity, and independent individuals who are efficient in solving the problems they encounter. With a skyrocketing increase in computer technologies, there is a need for contemporary learning systems that can meet the needs of future generations.
The post-pandemic technical advancements and automation have actioned a drastic shift in the way we work. Online collaboration tools are rapidly replacing office collaborations. Still, the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests a -10% (decline) in programmers’ job outlook in 2021-31. Why?
The observed decline is not because programming jobs are losing their charm. Rather, there is a sharp decrease in employers willing to take a chance with programmers with limited tech skills and knowledge. Skilled coders remain highly valued, placing a dire need for aspiring coders to upgrade their skills and keep tuned to new-age developments.
Become an efficient programmer and stay ahead of the competition by developing the following good coding habits:
#1. Be open to many languages
Researching “What programming language should I learn?” will push you into a dilemma. Since most languages are similar, choosing the powerful and simple one is best. Typically, Python is a common early choice owing to its not-too-arcane syntax.
Once you have a basic understanding of a language, learning a second or third is wiser. Comparing and contrasting the syntax and structure of different programming languages will teach you a lot about how languages work. You can choose from various online platforms to grasp various languages and learn to code. JAVA is a strong coding skill to have when looking for programmer jobs.
#2. Documentation
A developer usually documents when requested. However, a good developer will carry out the documentation for the design even when it has yet to be requested. This habit brings promising results.
Tracking and documenting help you demonstrate the progress to team members and stakeholders and build trust and credibility within an organisation. The immediate benefit is that you can showcase your work, collaborate with others, and gain insights via feedback. In the long run, you will develop a strong habit of having a document for every code you write.
#3. Clean up the code
Taking care of your code is vital to keep it maintainable and worth reuse. A good coding habit is to improve the code, be it a line or if it is about adding an entirely new feature to the existing code. This habit emerges from constant learning. Things that were good yesterday can be made better in some other way today.
#4. Think about the next coder
When writing code, think about the next programmer and make it readable and easily understandable. Good code is always meaningful regarding variables, method/function, and class names. Use meaningful structures and names rather than $m, $k, or $test.
Typically, the time spent reading versus writing a code is well over 10 to 1. Therefore, every coder can save much time in the long run by putting extra effort into making the code readable. This habit can significantly accelerate productivity in an organisation.
#5. Don’t go overboard
Developers build something extra to address the ‘just in case’. This habit often makes the code more complicated than necessary. Often the additional piece of code that might never be useful gets added to the codebase, making it heavy. This should be avoided, and best practices should be maintained.
#6. Avoid Global Code
Global loops and variables can prove problematic when an application upgrades to thousands of lines of code. They may cause noisy naming clashes and reduce modularity. When using global variables, you compromise on the code’s scalability, modularity, and flexibility. For instance, if two modules share a global variable, you cannot modify one without evaluating how it would affect the other.
#7. Plan
It is inevitable for proficient programmers to dive straight into coding whenever they are assigned a certain task.
Rushing into the code often takes time, as you might need to catch up on the larger picture. Therefore, plan and organise. It would be best if you made it a habit to brainstorm what problems you might find along the way. Think about how you can tackle them. Design the code structure and understand why you would implement the specific features.
Developing the best coding habits requires an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and upgrading oneself. Young learners must develop positive attitudes and sharpen their problem-solving, numerical thinking, and analytical thinking skills to master the art of coding to create a mark for themselves amidst the stiff competition.