- How to Write Clean, Readable Code (That Future You Won’t Hate)
Code isn’t just for machines—it’s for humans, too. Avoid cryptic variable names and convoluted logic. Make it a habit to comment code just enough without over-explaining the obvious.
- Version Control Is Your Safety Net—Use It Well
If you’re not using Git (or another version control system), you’re living dangerously. Knowing how to properly manage branches, handle merges, and roll back changes will save you from hours of disaster. And no, using git commit -m "fix stuff" is not a real strategy.
- The Power of Algorithms and Data Structures
Look, you don’t need to be a whiteboard warrior every day. But knowing the basics of algorithms and data structures will save your life when things start to scale. Understand when to use a hash map over an array, or why a binary search will always beat a linear one. These are tools you can’t ignore if you want to build efficient software that doesn’t collapse under load.
- You Don’t Know Everything (And That’s OK)
The fastest way to stagnate is thinking you’ve “made it.” Technology changes daily, and what’s cutting-edge now might be obsolete tomorrow. Stay curious. Learn new languages, explore different paradigms, and most importantly, be open to saying, “I don’t know.” Google is your friend, StackOverflow is your co-pilot, and learning never stops.
- Testing: Not an Afterthought, But a Priority
If you’re not writing tests, you’re leaving your software vulnerable. Unit tests, integration tests, E2E tests—they aren’t just there to check a box. They protect your code from future breakage, especially when new features are added. The sooner you embrace testing, the fewer late-night panic attacks you’ll have when something goes wrong in production.
- Networking Basics (Not Just for SysAdmins)
Understanding how the internet actually works is often underrated by developers. Know the fundamentals of HTTP, DNS, load balancers, and firewalls. Your apps don’t live in isolation—they interact with the real world, and knowing how data moves across the wire can give you the upper hand when debugging tricky issues.
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