Programming languages are an integrated part of our life. Most of the tools are using programming languages in our day-to-day life. From mobile, laptops, photo frames, machinery uses it. Code instructs machines to do defined activities. And who does not love machines working and we sitting ideal?

If you are basic or have very little experience in coding this article will make more value to you. It is always debatable that which programming language is better than others. To cover various aspects of using each language written. One language can be more hardware-centric, while another one can be user design-centric. But here we are not going to discuss any specific programming language. There are some tips and experiences I have gained during my work experience. There are a few habits that pushed me from failed Junior to a solution architect.

Table of Contents

• Habit 1: Follow the official documentation
• Habit 2: Follow the best practices
• Habit 3: Use the troubleshooting guide
• Habit 4: Control on execution time
• Habit 5: Find open source projects on GitHub
• Conclusion

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Habit 1: Follow the official documentation

The developer used to search code from the internet when it is outside of his forte. This technique works at a certain level but brings volatility. That’s why it is better to use the official documentation for its details.

Search for “<programming language> documentation“ in your favorite search engine.

Habit 2: Follow the best practices

Best practices ensure to make coding structure standard. It is helpful for small to large teams working on the project as it brings discipline. Every programming language has best practices to follow. It will cover project structure, naming conventions, largest code block, handling errors, logs.

Search for “<programming language> best practice“ in your favorite search engine.

Habit 3: Use the troubleshooting guide

Like best practices information, you will find troubleshooting guides for your programming language. It will help the developer to check all the steps one by one to find a potential issue in the application. I would recommend preparing one documentation by yourself while working on your project.

Habit 4: Control on execution time

For every type of application, it is the most important part. This is the part where it comes to memory usage. Appropriate plan-to-use conditions, loops, nesting can save various troubles in the application.

For example,

• The variable remains in memory more time when declared at global scope. Instead, learn to declare variables within the scope of the needed block.
• Avoid looping on the same data many times instead try to use it least possible. When there are large data sets to process it will take time. Try to find a way to reduce the size of the data set.

Habit 5: Find open source projects on GitHub

Github is a more used platform for hosting open source projects. You can find the best projects with their source code to learn and use. Try finding good open-source projects on the search engines in your favorite language. Once you find any project do the following:

1. Star and watch that project.
2. Find out its documentation.
3. Learn how variables, loops, iterations are being handled.
4. Learn how errors are being handled.
5. If there is any community related to that project then join it.

Conclusion

Learning and mastering any programming language is a very different thing. Proper attention to detail during learning contributes to mastering your programming language. I have followed the above 5 habits to go deeper into the programming language I worked on.