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11 Habits of Highly Effective Developers

In this episode Wes and Scott discuss 11 habits that will make you a better developer - everything from understanding the business goals behind your projects to maintaining work-life balance, staying curious, and developing empathy.

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Show Notes

2:55 - You understand stakeholder and business goals

  • What is the website (or project) ultimately trying to accomplish?
  • How does the business make money?
  • Don’t get caught up in your own “mama drama” about frameworks, but instead focus on how a particular framework will help achieve the end goal of the business

5:13 - You’re curious and always learning

  • This industry is ever-changing and isn’t slowing down

7:36 - You have an open mind about new technology

  • Don’t “poopoo” something because it’s intimidating, new, scary or different
  • Like foods you’ve never tried, sometimes something unusual turns out to be game changing

9:57 - You ask for help

  • #LifeHack - most people know more than you
  • Be comfortable with NOT knowing
  • Be comfortable with failing and with how others might perceive that
  • Check your ego at the door

15:35 - You help others

  • Helping others solidifies your own knowledge
  • Answering questions
  • Blogging
  • YouTube videos
  • Mentoring co-workers
  • Not offering unwanted advice

19:12 - You have a “problem solver” mentality

  • General curiosity - figuring out why things aren’t working
  • Break things down into testable components to pinpoint an issue
  • Have a clear head under pressure (e.g. interviews)

24:37 - You have fun with what you do

  • Enjoying challenges
  • Even if something isn’t particularly fun, you find ways to make it fun and interesting

27:54 - You understand work-life balance

  • Burnout is huge in our industry
  • It can be difficult when you love what you do, but it’s so important to maintain balance

34:00 - You are empathetic to your co-workers and users

  • Be a team players while getting things done
  • Make everyone around you better at what they do
  • Be someone others want to work with by being inclusive and professional
    • Don’t make inappropriate jokes, put co-workers in a tough position, etc.

37:08 - You pay attention to detail

  • Think about edge cases

39:03 - You’re part of the community

  • Local meetups / lunch and learn
  • Twitter #100daysofcode
  • Conferences
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