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Best Practices to Become a Better Developer

EhsanBy Ehsan
••10 min read
CareerLearningBest PracticesSelf-ImprovementWeb DevelopmentCode QualityDeveloper SkillsProfessional DevelopmentSoftware Engineering

Introduction

Becoming a better developer isn't just about writing more code. It's about challenging yourself, learning continuously, and finding balance in what you do.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to level up your skills, these tips will help you become a more well-rounded developer.

2025 Update: The landscape of learning has fundamentally changed with AI. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and GitHub Copilot now give you 24/7 access to a personal coding mentor. You can ask questions, get code explanations, debug issues, and learn new concepts instantly. This doesn't replace the fundamentals—you still need to understand what you're building—but it dramatically accelerates learning. Use AI as your rubber duck, your pair programmer, and your teacher. I wrote a detailed guide on how AI transformed developer learning from days to minutes.

Challenge Yourself with New and Difficult Problems

One of the best ways to improve is to take on problems that push you outside your comfort zone. When you're comfortable, you're not growing.

Why Difficult Problems Matter

Difficult coding problems force you to think differently. They expose gaps in your knowledge and push you to find creative solutions. Don't stick to what you already know—that's where growth stops.

Here's what you can do:

  • Solve coding challenges - Platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank are good starting points, but don't get stuck there. Real-world challenges from actual projects are always the best in my opinion
  • Read open source code - Go read open source projects in your programming language. See how experienced developers structure their code, handle edge cases, and solve problems
  • Try new languages - If you know JavaScript, try Python or Go. Each language teaches you different ways of thinking
  • Experiment with new frameworks - Pick up React if you're used to vanilla JS, or try React Native if you want to build mobile apps.

Learning by Doing

Don't just watch tutorials passively. Code along, break things, fix them. That's where real learning happens.

// Instead of just reading about Array methods
// Actually use them and see what happens
const songs = [
  { title: "Song A", duration: 180 },
  { title: "Song B", duration: 240 },
  { title: "Song C", duration: 200 },
  { title: "Song D", duration: 150 }
];

// Try chaining methods to find songs longer than 3 minutes
const longSongs = songs
  .filter(song => song.duration > 180)
  .map(song => song.title);

console.log(longSongs); // ["Song B", "Song C"]

Quick tip: Did you know that for JavaScript, all you need to test your code is Chrome? Open up Chrome Developer Tools (F12), go to the Console tab, and you can write and test JavaScript right there. No setup required!

Read articles, watch videos, but most importantly: implement what you learn. The knowledge sticks better when you've wrestled with it yourself.

Create Projects That Interest You

Here's the thing—tutorials are great for learning syntax, but they don't teach you how to build real applications. That's where personal projects come in.

Beyond Following Tutorials

Following a tutorial step-by-step is comfortable, but it doesn't prepare you for the messy reality of building your own projects. When you build something from scratch, you'll face problems the tutorial never covered.

That's valuable. That's where you learn to:

  • Figure things out on your own
  • Read documentation effectively
  • Debug when things go wrong
  • Make architectural decisions

Build What You Love

Pick projects that genuinely interest you. It could be anything:

Your Interests + Programming = Learning

  • Music lover? → Build a playlist manager
  • Sports fan? → Create a stats tracker
  • Love cooking? → Make a recipe organizer
  • Gaming? → Build a game or mod tools

When you're building something you care about, learning doesn't feel like work. You'll naturally want to make it better, add features, and solve problems. That drive is what keeps you learning.

We've all seen developers build amazing things just because they wanted to solve a problem they had. A workout tracker, a budgeting app—it doesn't matter what it is as long as it matters to you.

The Learning Compound Effect

Personal projects teach you things tutorials can't:

  • How to structure a full application
  • How to handle real user data
  • How to deploy and maintain something
  • How to come back to old code and understand it

Plus, you'll have something to show for your learning. That's way more impressive than saying "I completed 50 tutorials."

Learn Intermediate and Advanced Topics

Basic tutorials teach you syntax and simple examples. But there's a huge gap between knowing the basics and writing production-quality code.

Go Beyond the Basics

Once you're comfortable with fundamentals, it's time to level up. Don't stay in tutorial hell—start learning topics that professional developers use daily.

Important topics to explore:

  • Testing - Learn to write unit tests and integration tests (Jest, React Testing Library). For React Native apps, check out E2E testing with Maestro
  • Clean Code - Study principles that make code readable and maintainable
  • Design Patterns - Common solutions to recurring problems
  • Code Refactoring - How to improve existing code without changing behavior
  • Version Control - Master Git beyond basic commits (Git documentation)

Learning Strategy

Here's a practical approach:

  1. Learn from content - Read blog posts, watch videos, read documentation
  2. Understand the "why" - Don't just copy code, understand why it's written that way
  3. Apply gradually - Pick one concept and use it in your current project
  4. Repeat - Once comfortable, move to the next concept
// Example: Learning clean code principles gradually

// Before - unclear variable names
function calc(a, b) {
  return a * b;
}

// After - applying clean code
function calculatePlaylistDuration(songs, averageSongLength) {
  const SECONDS_PER_MINUTE = 60;
  const totalSongs = songs.length;
  const totalSeconds = totalSongs * averageSongLength;
  return totalSeconds / SECONDS_PER_MINUTE;
}

You don't need to master everything at once. Pick one topic, learn it well, apply it, then move on.

React and React Native

If you're working with JavaScript, learning React opens up web development, while React Native lets you build mobile apps with the same skills. Once you're comfortable with React, learning Hooks will transform how you write components.

These frameworks teach you important concepts:

  • Component-based architecture
  • State management
  • Lifecycle methods
  • Hooks and modern patterns
// Understanding state management in React
import { useState } from 'react';

function MusicPlayer() {
  const [isPlaying, setIsPlaying] = useState(false);
  const [currentSong, setCurrentSong] = useState("No song selected");

  // Clean, predictable state updates
  const togglePlay = () => setIsPlaying(prev => !prev);

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Now playing: {currentSong}</p>
      <p>Status: {isPlaying ? "Playing" : "Paused"}</p>
      <button onClick={togglePlay}>
        {isPlaying ? "Pause" : "Play"}
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

The patterns you learn in React apply to many other frameworks and situations. That's the power of learning advanced topics—they transfer across technologies.

Never Stop Learning

Technology moves fast. Really fast. The framework that's hot today might be replaced tomorrow (looking at you, JavaScript ecosystem).

But that's not a bad thing—it's exciting. There's always something new to learn, new problems to solve, new tools to try.

Stay Updated After Landing a Job

The learning doesn't stop once you get hired. If anything, it becomes more important. Developers who stop learning become outdated quickly.

Ways to stay current:

  • Follow tech blogs - Dev.to, Medium, official blogs
  • Subscribe to newsletters - Weekly digests in your area of interest
  • Join communities - Reddit, Discord servers, local meetups
  • Listen to podcasts - Learn during commutes or workouts
  • Read documentation - Stay updated with official changes

Research and Experiment

Set aside time regularly to explore new things:

Weekly Learning Schedule

  • Monday-Friday → Work/Main projects
  • Saturday → Learn something new
  • Sunday → Experiment/Side projects

You don't need to learn everything deeply. Sometimes it's enough to know a technology exists and what problems it solves. When you need it, you'll know where to look.

Don't Give Up

Learning to code is hard. You'll hit walls, encounter bugs that make no sense, and feel like you're not making progress.

That's normal. Every developer goes through this—yes, even the senior ones.

The difference between developers who succeed and those who don't isn't talent. It's persistence. Keep going, keep learning, keep building. The breakthrough moments are worth the struggle.

Discover New Interests

As you learn, you'll discover areas you never knew existed:

  • Backend systems and APIs
  • DevOps and cloud infrastructure
  • Mobile development
  • Game development
  • Machine learning
  • Developer tools

Stay curious. You might find your passion in an area you hadn't considered before.

Maintain Balance: Don't Focus Solely on Development

This might seem contradictory in a post about becoming a better developer, but hear me out: you need to do things that aren't programming. A little bit of dancing and head banging once in a while helps fresh your mind.

Why Balance Matters

Coding 24/7 doesn't make you a better developer—it makes you a burned-out developer. Your brain needs rest and different types of stimulation.

When you step away from the screen:

  • Your subconscious works on problems
  • You return with fresh perspective
  • You avoid mental exhaustion
  • You maintain long-term productivity

Activities That Help

Do things completely unrelated to programming:

  • Sports or exercise - Physical activity clears your mind
  • Music - Playing an instrument or just listening
  • Hobbies - Photography, cooking, gaming, whatever interests you
  • Social time - Hang out with friends, family
  • Nature - Go for walks, hiking, just be outside

The Developer's Cycle: Code → Rest → Other Activities → (repeat)

Result: Better code, happier you

I've found that mixing programming with other interests actually makes me better at both. Music taught me about patterns and rhythm. Problem-solving in real life translates to debugging. Everything connects.

Long-Term Sustainability

Development is a marathon, not a sprint. You can't maintain high intensity forever without breaks. The developers who have long, successful careers are the ones who found balance early.

Take breaks. Seriously. Your code will be better for it.

Your Turn

Becoming a better developer is a journey, not a destination. Start with one practice from this post and build from there.

Here's a challenge: Pick one thing to focus on this week:

  • Solve 3 coding challenges on a platform you haven't tried
  • Start a small personal project that interests you
  • Learn one intermediate concept and apply it to your code
  • Read documentation for a tool you use daily
  • Take an evening completely off from coding

Which one will you choose? Start small, stay consistent, and don't give up. You've got this!

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