How do you keep your SDLC skills up to date?

Peer programming and code review are essential practices in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Peer programming involves two developers at one workstation, enabling real-time problem-solving and code quality improvement. Code reviews come post-development, offering an added layer of quality control. How do these methods keep SDLC skills current? They expose you to different perspectives, fostering continuous learning. Peer programming allows immediate absorption of new techniques, while code reviews promote best practices and emerging standards. Together, they create a cycle of continuous improvement, vital for staying updated in a fast-evolving industry.

In the ever-evolving field of SDLC, staying updated is crucial. As a Sr Platform Engineer, I actively pursue a diverse range of learning resources in the DevOps arena. This includes online classes, certifications, and up-to-date articles. I apply this knowledge directly to my job and run experiments in my personal lab to test out new DevOps tools. One standout method I employ to keep my skills sharp is through teaching. Whether it's guiding junior members or assisting mid-level and senior colleagues, teaching reinforces my expertise and keeps me on the cutting edge of industry developments.

If you are not doing enough from the begining of project code, then you need to build small projects on your own machine and time. You need to keep up to date on what has been improved and changed in project setups with each iteration of a framework. Ultimately being ahead of the curve is your responsibility.

The human being will always learn from others and human can learn from short pattern compared to brute force machine models. Today, learning is pervasive and it is available everywhere. I learn from core documents, software tools books, technical write ups, engineering blogs, large university technical write ups, online seminars, youtube videos and from my teams looking at their work in a collaborative way. I learn from failures, I experiment with my teams and put that in practice to improve continuously.

Leveraging community and collaborative learning empowers you to tap into collective wisdom, share experiences, and uncover innovative techniques and tools that significantly enhance your prowess as a software developer.

Invest your time in learning new trends in SDLC, getting involved in more challenging projects and continuous learning can improve your skills

Continuous upgrade of tools are very important. In digital economy, softwares are the platform for total human experiences (THx). Tools should modern and current to manage, maintain and continue to offer values. Let me explain with an example - there are many recent tools like synk started offering great value. It is the single platform which offer static code analysis as well as other security scans across the SDLC value stream, or datadog offers a deep monitoring capability on application logs, API, Infra, mobile as well as security from one platform. Blaze offers unit mocking to performance tests and these sort of tools and continuously upgraded. Trivy scans the containers for deprecated images. Important to use such tools!

Keeping your development tools up-to-date is essential for honing your SDLC skills. First, updated tools often have new features that streamline development by automating repetitive tasks. This lets you focus on complex challenges. Second, newer tool versions typically offer enhanced security, vital in today's cybersecurity landscape. Lastly, they can provide compatibility with emerging technologies, giving you invaluable exposure to new industry trends. In sum, regularly updating your toolbox is a straightforward yet impactful way to keep your SDLC skills sharp.

Self-Assessment: Regularly evaluate your skills and identify areas for improvement to ensure you're always evolving with the field.

This one is super important in software based careers. However, I always observed there is a large gap in from knowledge to implementation. Let me clarify, like ChatGPT is a great tool but do we see an intelligent use like transforming the code, learning something new like some RBAC integration or quickly verify understanding of architecture, or giving some intelligent prompt to draw insight of an article ... not always but that is what practical. Tools are improving greatly be it infra as code like Pulumi or testing like Applitool ICE - one needs to follow these changes, try it out in small way and apply as required. That is what follow the trends meaningfully and effectively.

Navigating through new frameworks or libraries via online tutorials is a great way to stay fresh and keep up with new, and old, SDLC techniques. Coding daily, experimenting with new features or tools in projects, amplifies my understanding. The magic happens when code morphs into a live web page or a functioning app feature. Engaging with online communities fosters an exchange of insights and challenges, leading to innovative solutions. Tuning into podcasts and reading blogs keeps me informed about the latest in web development. Scaler and Syntax are two great ones. This fusion of continuous learning, practical application, and community engagement sharpens my SDLC skills.

Simple, practice these skills for a project around the home for instance. Decide on a project (portfolio management alignment). Develop the budget, risks, timeframe and resources for the project. Gain approval to do the project. When project starts, are there points where preliminary testing can be performed? Is project meeting expectations early on, 20% mark? If not, why not, as at this stage, if project is not on track, there more than likely will be overruns. When the project completes, is it matching up with initial expectations? If not, what happened. Does this project have an end life that will have to be evaluated in 5, 10, 15 years from now? What does that "upgrade" or modification look like.

The journey of skill enhancement is a continuous, ever-evolving one. It's vital to embrace this idea of "Continuous Everything." Embracing new tools and methodologies, staying updated with industry trends, and honing your skills are essential. Regardless of your experience, keeping an open mindset and dedicating time to explore new skills and concepts ensures that you remain effective and adaptable.

To keep my SDLC skills current, I employ various methods: Podcasts & Social Media: I subscribe to key podcasts and follow industry experts on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest trends. Blogs: I read top blogs on Software Testing to stay updated on methodologies and practices. Webinars & Conferences: I attend these events to gain insights and network with peers. Daily Learning: I allocate 30 minutes daily to learn a new tool or technique, ensuring continuous skill refinement. Mentorship: I engage with senior professionals for advice, complementing my self-driven learning. This multi-faceted approach ensures my skills in SDLC and software testing stay current.

Software specialists should always remember to keep up with the market trends, growing technologies and most importantly understanding the vision of your customers Business. If this gap is fulfilled all the techs and approaches will automatically align towards it.

To keep my SDLC skills up to date, I use traditional learning and cutting-edge AI tools. I read industry publications, attend conferences, and network to stay current. AI helps with data analysis, pattern recognition, and process optimization in software development. AI-driven learning platforms offer tailored courses. This combination of methods ensures my skills stay current.

1. Stick to using SDLC in every project, irrespective of big/small. 2. Ensure every team member knows their role in the SDLC lifecycle for colloborative and efficient outcome. 3. Regularly talking about the previous SDLC applications or works and evolve continuously.