8 key ways I'm leveling-up my developer skills

In recent weeks, I’ve learned so much about programming, that I didn’t know where to begin when I started this article. There I was staring at a blank Google Doc full of good intentions. So I’m just going to list all the things I’m doing that I think are catalyzing the rapid learning:

1. I’m building an open source project I came up with called OpenOKR with a fellow Flatiron graduate and a senior developer I befriended in my job search. For me, collaborating with others seems to accelerate my learning process.
2. I’m doing frontend project work in React for a super-cool startup based in New York called The Wally Shop. It’s been a very good learning experience though at times a frustrating challenge to be thrown into a foreign codebase for the first time and have to make things work with minimal help.
3. Following my Developer Level-Up Plan 2020, I’m reading one technical book every month and this month I’m reading the 20th-anniversary edition of The Pragmatic Programmer. Fantastic read! Such a depth of knowledge the authors share in the book.
4. Every morning I’m also consuming a resource or two from the vast selection of software and technology email newsletters I’m subscribed to and have forwarded automatically from my Gmail to my Instapaper account. (An awesome process if you’re into slowing down your digital inputs by shunning things like instant alerts, notifications, and social media channels like I am.)
5. Taking the suggestion of the authors of The Pragmatic Programmer, I’m trying to keep an engineering daybook where I’m writing about what I’m learning, questions I have, and things related to code I’ve written that are bugging me.
6. Also as part of my Level-Up Plan, I’m taking Colt Steele’s (still can’t believe this is his real name) course on Udemy about Algorithms and Data Structures. After performing less than stellar on a couple of coding tests, I’ve had to acknowledge my skills in this area need improvement. Currently, when I see a coding problem that looks like math, I have a mild freeze/panic reaction and that will change this year because I’m committed to that outcome.
7. I’m talking about programming with others as often as possible in person, online, and anywhere really. Late last year, I started attending developer meetups in the Orlando area, which is the nearest major market to where I live. Meeting other programmers in person, talking to them, and getting in the flow of a conversation about code is super-helpful in becoming more grounded in the field.
8. Last but not least, I’m taking good care of myself. I’m a dedicated practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga in the Mysore Style, which is a rigorous mental, physical, and spiritual (or energetic if you don’t like the word spiritual) discipline much like a martial art that has many amazing benefits. I also integrate other supportive health habits in my life but yoga, I think, is the foundation that drives all the others.

Wow. This is a lot! Glad I listed these out. Pat on the back for me! If you’re early in your career as a developer like me or even if you’re a more senior software engineer, I’d love to hear from you in the comments about how you level up your programming knowledge and skills programmatically (pun intended)!