HARLEY FERGUSON

101 Tips For Becoming A Better

Developer
101 tips that will turn you into a 10x developer.
 First published by The 10X Developer 2023

Copyright © 2023 by Harley Ferguson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

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For all the developers who want to be their best.
 Contents

1 Essential 1
2 Coding 4
3 Practical 7
4 Environment 10
5 Team 13
6 Workspace 16
7 Growth 19
8 Mindset 22
9 Brand 25
10 Bucketlist 28
11 Finally… 31
 1

Essential

“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.”

John Dewey

1. Learn clean code

Understanding the clean code philosophy will result in you

writing better, more readable code.

2. Focus on problem solving

Writing code is just the tool. Problem solving is the actual skill.
The better you get at problem solving, the better developer you’ll
become.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

3. Done is better than perfect

The beauty of code is that it’s never perfect. There is always a

way to optimize it, make it more readable or more performant.
Knowing when the problem is solved and not wasting more time
on making changes that don’t improve the product is important
for any developer.

4. Find your niche

The software development industry is very broad. It bodes

well to have a good understanding of all the areas to help
round you out as a developer, but you’ll get more opportunities,
recognition and money if you become really good at one specific
thing.

5. Learn how to learn

This industry is always evolving and so must you. Learning how

to learn is crucial for any developer. Know what works best for
you and use that whenever you’re learning something new.

6. Take responsibility

For your code. For your work. For your career. It’s up to you to
become the best that you can.

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 ESSENTIAL

7. Document your questions and answers

You’re going to have thousands of questions in your career. It

will save you time and make you more knowledgeable if you were
to write down your questions, why you have them and ultimately,
the answers. Problems have a way of repeating themselves, so
why waste time finding the answer again when you could just
reference your documentation?

8. Keep exploring

There are so many amazing tools, languages and stacks out

there. Keep exploring and tinkering with things to help you find
what area of the industry you really enjoy.

9. Stay informed

Stay in the loop with all of the latest trends, stacks and languages.
Sometimes they stick so it’s very useful to already have a good
understanding of them. That’ll put you ahead of others.

10. You vs. You

You’re not in competition with anybody but yourself. Don’t

compare yourself with others. It’s up to you to become the best
version of yourself.

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 2

Coding

“Code is like humor. When you have to explain it, it’s

bad.”
Cory House

11. Plan before you code

If you had a map for a maze, would you still run in blindly or
would you use the map to navigate your way out? Writing code
is one large maze. Plan your work which will create your map.
Then start writing code.

12. Use a linter

Keeping your code formatting consistent saves you time and

some eyesores.

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 CODING

13. Learn to debug

Knowing how to debug well will help you identify issues faster.

14. Write proper comments

In the codebase or in code review, comments go a long way to

helping explain your thoughts. Be clear. Be concise.

15. Test your code

No item of work is truly complete until it’s been thoroughly

tested. Writing code to test your code is the sign of a truly great
developer.

16. Write documentation

You know how your code works right now. That doesn’t mean
others will or that you’ll remember how it works 6 months from
now. Write documentation to save everyone time.

17. Understand deployments

It’s crucial to understand how to get your code out into the world.
Understanding deployments can help you to understand the full
life cycle from first line of code written to first paying customer.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

18. Understand best principles

Every aspect of code has best principles and they exist for a
reason. Familiarize yourself and make use of them.

19. Write good commit messages

Explain what you did and why you did it. No more “I did things”.
It’ll make everyone’s life easier.

20. Use ChatGPT

When in doubt, ask ChatGPT for the answer. Answers, code

completion, technical documentation. The uses are endless and
should be used by every developer to help increase their learning
and output.

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 3

Practical

“First solve the problem. Then write the code.”

John Johnson

21. Use StackOverflow

For the longest time, StackOverflow has been the answer to

99.99% of developers’ questions. Understanding how to nav-
igate it, what to search for and how to find the best answer to
question is a valuable skill.

22. Learn JavaScript fundamentals

JavaScript continues to be King Of The Internet. Knowing some

(or a lot) of JavaScript will give you a lot of options in your career.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

23. Learn how to deploy code

Understanding (and also creating) pipelines, setting up CI/CD is

a great tool to have in your toolbox. Every bit of software needs
to be released, so knowing how that works is crucial.

24. Understand different database types

Most platforms require a database. Knowing the difference

between SQL, MongoDB, NoSQL, Collection/Document store
etc. will help you make the best decision on what to use for your
next project.

25. How to structure a database

After you’ve chosen a database, knowing how to best structure it

is a skill on it’s own. Spending time exploring how data should
relate to one another and how to dictate those relationships is
important.

26. Understand Git

Understanding the basics of Git can save you from a potentially

catastrophic merge into the wrong branch.

27. Use coding tools

Tools like Postman, Fork and database visualizers are essential

for making your life easier and increasing your productivity.

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 PRACTICAL

28. Understand how APIs work

Regardless if an API is RESTful or using GraphQL, knowing how

APIs work and how to integrate with them is something every
developer needs to know.

29. How to test your code

Functional, unit, end-to-end or automation tests. The more

you know and can do, the better. Your team/company/clients/-
partners will thank you for it.

30. How to write technical documentation

Writing code is sometimes easier than writing plain language

to explain your code. However, it helps to provide context and
explain the why and how of the code you wrote.

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 4

Environment

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.”

Tim Ferriss

31. Use productive extensions

Explore extensions for your IDE that will help make you more
productive.

32. Limit notifications

Mute notifications during times where you really need to focus.

Those emails and messages can wait.

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 ENVIRONMENT

33. Remove clutter

Have a clean desk. It’s very easy for our desks to become
cluttered, but keeping a clean desk can help our minds write
clean code.

34. Remove distractions

Don’t have distractions easily accessible. They’ll take you out

of your flow.

35. Maintain focus

Block out time to focus and get things done. Try to go for 30
minutes at a time. Have a goal, set the timer, get things done.

36. Invest in a good chair

Most developers are sitting for 8+ hours a day. Your body will
thank you if you’re able to acquire a chair that is comfortable
and good for your posture.

37. Take a power nap

Coding is very intensive mentally and can cause fatigue. Take a

8-12 minute power nap in the middle of the day to recharge you
for the next couple of hours.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

38. Look after yourself

Eat right. Sleep enough. Exercise often. This will all make
you mentally sharper, which results in you writing better code,
making better decisions and having a better life.

39. Be comfortable

A good chair. A bottle of water. A pair of headphones. Some

natural light. A good room temperature. All of these things help
keep you comfortable, reduce you getting naturally distracted
and induce focus. The more comfortable you are, the more
productive you’ll be.

40. Use a good machine

The better machine you have, the faster your code will compile
and run. This might not be a possibility for everyone, but a better
machine generally means you’re saving more time.

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 5

Team

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence

win championships.”
Michael Jordan

41. Find a mentor

Having a mentor can help guide you in your career, learn from
the mistakes of others and have someone to help chat through
ideas.

42. Find a mentee

Having a mentee can help increase your leadership skills, pass

on your knowledge to others and provide serious value to the
mentee’s career.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

43. Communicate well

When you’re in a team, communication is more important than

anything else. Get really good at listening and speaking to your
team.

44. Be open

We are all human. Being open when you’re having a bad day
or sharing some exciting news about your personal life helps
create a bond with your team members. You are more than the
code you write.

45. Raise your hand

When you don’t know something, raise your hand. Be honest

and don’t pretend. Sometimes we just can’t wrap our heads
around something and we need that little bit of assistance to
help us understand. Raising your hand earlier will help save
time and get you back to writing great code faster.

46. Share your knowledge

Sharing what you know with those around you helps create an
environment of growing, learning and improving. We can all
help each other if we are more willing to share what we know.

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 TEAM

47. Contribute during retrospectives

Retrospectives are designed to provide feedback, identify areas

of improvement and share thoughts. If you don’t participate,
you can’t complain if things don’t get better.

48. Create a team agreement

Creating a team agreement helps set the standard and expecta-

tions for everyone in the team. Use a team agreement to ensure
accountability within your team.

49. Win together, lose together

“There is no I in team”. All success is shared and all failures are

shared, regardless if one person was more involved.

50. Have team building sessions

Taking some time, as a team, to do something fun is crucial.

Something that’s not work related. Go out for a drink. Go
bowling. Play some video games. It helps improve your bond
and show that everyone is human with their own lives.

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 6

Workspace

“Optimism is an occupational hazard of programming:

feedback is the treatment.”
Kent Beck

51. Leave a toxic workplace

Plants don’t grow in poisoned soil. Careers don’t grow in toxic

environments.

52. Participate in technical conversations

The water cooler talk for software developers generally gets very
technical. Everyone wants to share the latest tool or language
they’ve discovered. This is great as it helps inform and grow
your knowledge. Get involved. Share your opinion. Listen to
others.

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 WORKSPACE

53. Do more pair programming

Two brains are generally better than one when solving a complex
problem. Beyond that, sitting on a call with another developer
can give you more insights into their process and how they tackle
their work.

54. Get involved in code reviews

The more code you review, the better developer you’ll become.
If you’re a junior, you’ll learn a lot from going through other
people’s code. If you’re a senior, you’ll be able to provide
guidance to juniors and even learn a thing or two.

55. Give constructive feedback

Feedback is crucial for growth, but sharing feedback in a con-

structive way is even more important. You don’t want to offend
someone or come across as a tyrant. Share your feedback in a
positive manner and they’ll thank you for it.

56. Improve based on feedback

When you receive feedback, which is bound to happen at every

point of your career, be objective and thankful. Too many
developers can’t handle criticism and take any feedback as an
act of war. It’s not. It’s simply someone sharing information
that they think will help you become better. Take the feedback,
reflect on it, take action to improve.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

57. Let your work speak

Politics and human nature often become overwhelming in the

workplace. Instead of leaving things to chance or politics, let
your work speak for itself. Be so good that nobody can dispute
that you’re the best.

58. Build relationships

The people you work with now may end up helping you in the
future. They could help you find another position at a new
company or even help you start your own. Build healthy and
strong relationships with those you enjoy working with.

59. Make yourself known

In order to get more opportunities, a pay raise or a promotion,

someone has to actually think of you. This only happens if they
know who you are. Being confident and making it clear that
you’re a contender will get your foot in the door.

60. Create the culture

A company’s culture is crucial for employee retention. Manage-

ment likes to think that they create the culture, but it really
comes down to the employees. If you want the culture to
improve, it starts with you. Organize a team lunch or go chat
to someone you’ve never spoken to before. Chances are people
will love it and the idea will spread.

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 7

Growth

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

Albert Einstein

61. Learn from open-source

Open-source is one of the single, most beautiful things. Think

about it. A endless supply of the highest quality code, written by
some of the greatest minds in the industry. And you have free
access to it. That’s powerful.

62. Learn from your failures

You’re going to fail. Hopefully a lot. The more you fail, the better
you’ll become. Make sure you learn from your failures, because
if you don’t, you really just wasted your time.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

63. Celebrate your successes

It’s easy to focus on a goal, achieve it and immediately move

onto the next thing. That’s a good mindset to have. You always
want to keep growing, but take some time to enjoy your success.
Celebrate it and take in the moment.

64. Know when to ask for help

Writing software is a collaborative endevour, even if you’re

working alone in your room as you’re still researching online.
Get good at identifying when you’re stuck and know who to ask
for help.

65. Plan your next step

Your career is a series of steps. Know where you are, where you
want to go and what the immediate next step is to get there.
Then start working on taking that step.

66. Share what you know

Sharing what you know is so valuable. It helps solidify your

knowledge, it helps others to extend their knowledge and it
helps validate that you know what you’re talking about.

67. Be ready to change your opinions

Having an opinion is great. However, the tech world moves so

fast that your opinion may become invalid at some point. Stay
up to date and regularly re-evaluate your opinions.

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 GROWTH

68. Understand people

The better you get at understanding people, the better team

member and eventual leader you’ll be. Understand what moti-
vates people, how they think and what their goal is. This will
give you perspective that will help you get the most out of the
relationship.

69. Be accountable

You want to be known as the person that can be given any item
of work and you’ll get it done. Take responsibility and being
accountable is the way to get this done.

70. Explore opportunities outside of coding

You can do a lot in this industry without writing a line of code.

Teaching, giving a talk, consulting or creating content are all
ways to leverage the skills you’ve learned as a developer and
turn it into a new opportunity.

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 8

Mindset

“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.”

Oscar Wilde

71. Set your goals

We all need goals to help guide us and inform every decision we

make. You need to have something to work towards and that
comes by setting goals.

72. Know your next step

When you have a decision to make ask yourself, “Will this bring
me closer to my goal?”. If the answer is yes, then do it. That’s
your next step.

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 MINDSET

73. Inspire others

The more you inspire others, the more people will want to work
with you. The more people want to work with you, the more
opportunities you’ll have.

74. Stay humble

You’ll achieve a lot in your career. That’s amazing, but don’t let
that form an ego. Nobody wants to work with the person with a
huge ego. Stay humble and grounded.

75. Discover your purpose

We all need a reason why we do things. Knowing your why and

your purpose will help you identify what type of work you want
to do. Doing work that aligns with your purpose will help you to
enjoy your work endlessly.

76. Work smart (and sometimes hard)

Working hard will only get you so far. Working smart is how
you can make the most of your career. Determine what you
should focus on, what makes you most productive and what you
enjoy doing. Then spend as much time in that state of mind as
possible.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

77. Turn off

When you’re not working, turn of properly. Don’t look at your

emails, messages or social media. Just focus on being in the
moment and recharging so that you’re ready to tackle work the
next day.

78. Be reflective

Your career is a journey and you’ll get better by being reflective

and thinking about your decisions and how you can improve.

79. Reset

Take time to reset. Sometimes we just need an extra day to help

us fully recharge and clear our mind. When you’re feeling like
that, don’t ignore it. Avoid burnout by resetting at the right
time.

80. Everything is an opportunity

Adjust your mindset to view everything as an opportunity. You

may not always be able to work on the project you want or work
with a cool stack. See each change as an opportunity to learn
and grow and you’ll become an unstoppable force.

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 9

Brand

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”

Coco Chanel

81. Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is great for expanding your network, sharing what you

know, building an audience and demonstrating your experience.

82. Use Twitter

Twitter is useful to stay informed on what the latest trends are

and to get advice from those you look up to.

83. Build a portfolio website

A website that demonstrates you, your skills and your experience

is like having the best CV ever made, permanently available for
anyone who wants to work with you.

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

84. Create content

Creating content, in any form, helps package and ship your

knowledge. This is valuable and could turn into it’s own form of
income.

85. Start a blog or newsletter

A blog or newsletter is a great way to write down your thoughts,

opinions and experiences. Some people like to do this just for
themselves and others use it to build their audience. Either way,
writing things down helps solidify your knowledge and process
your thoughts.

86. Be a guest on a podcast

There are so many podcasts out there looking for guests. Reach
out and have a conversation to help spread your reach and share
what you know.

87. Host a podcast

If you have the skills and confidence, hosting a podcast is an

amazing way to build your brand and create a network.

88. Attend talks or other networking events

There are so many events out there, both in-person and remote.
Find one that you like. Attend it. Learn from it. Network with
others there.

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 BRAND

89. Speak at an event

If you’re able to find an opportunity to speak at an event, take

it. It will help you share your knowledge, build an audience and
validate you and your brand.

90. Engage online with other developers

Reaching out to developers, both those you admire and fans

of yours is how you can build relationships and create more
opportunities.

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 10

Bucketlist

“It’s not a bug; it’s an undocumented feature.”

Anonymous

91. Stay up all night coding

Nothing will make you feel more like a developer than drinking
far too many energy drinks and pulling an all-nighter.

92. Attend a hackathon

A bunch of developers. A couple of days. A lot of energy drinks.

A lot of code. Now that’s a fun time.

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 BUCKETLIST

93. Accidentally delete a database

You can’t call yourself a developer until you’ve felt the sweat
and anxiety that comes from accidentally deleting a database.

94. Having a commit message “Did stuff”

I don’t condone this, but at least once you’ve got to have this
commit message in the history log.

95. Use too many if statements instead of a switch

statement
Probably the most common mistake that developers make.

96. Spend too much time customizing the theme of

your IDE

There’s nothing like wasting a whole day making your IDE look
just the way you want it.

97. Spend hours on a bug that’s a one character fix

Enough said.

98. Buy noise-canceling headphones

Can you really focus unless the outside world doesn’t exist?

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 101 TIPS FOR BECOMING A BETTER DEVELOPER

99. Create an infinite loop

When you write one so bad that you have to restart your machine,
that’s when you know you’ve made it.

100. Have something go wrong in a demo

“The demo gods were not with me today.”

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 11

Finally…

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what

they are doing.”
Dale Carnegie

101. Have fun

Fall in love with code. Fall in love with always learning. Fall
in love with building something out of nothing. Enjoy yourself.
That’s when you’ll succeed.

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