Seven Habits of Successful Coders

Insights from the Coding Gurus of LumenSoft

1. Develop the Positive Habit of Reading: Read, discuss, learn, and always be greedy for more. To keep yourself relevant in the fast-changing field of technology, read and digest every bit of news about the kind of technology you are using. But don’t just get stuck in your chosen field. Coding requires out of the box thinking; stoke your creativity by reading about subjects outside your domain of expertise. Ideas lurk everywhere!

2. Learn to Focus: While it is important to have a bigger picture in mind while designing a software program, focusing on one step at a time is the key to successful programming. Break down the process into small steps and give each step your hundred percent. Take the guidance from Zen Buddhism and practice being in the ‘here and now’ with just one segment of the development process.

3. Cultivate Patience: Closely connected with the above habit is the ability to be patient. Myriad things can, and will, go wrong in project design and development. You need to keep your cool if you don’t want to turn into a jittery, hypertensive, old nerd.

4. Strive for perfectionism: Keep your cool but strive for designing a perfect code. Correcting a faulty code is far more time-consuming and frustrating than putting in your 100 percent in the designing phase. And remember: Perfectionism is achieved with focus and patience.

5. Develop an Empirical Mindset: Get into the habit of direct observation and experience. Question predefined rules and test theoretical claims. A code may look good on the screen, but unless it is tested and tested again, from all possible angles, you can never be sure if it will work. Awaken your inner scientist.

6. Develop a sense of humor: Not taking yourself too seriously and the ability to laugh at yourself can help you wade through the technological walkways. Coding is a world of symbols where machines reign supreme. But there is one thing they still can’t do: they can’t laugh and have no way of looking at the flip side of thing. But you can.

So develop this habit to make the most of it before computers start exploring and re-defining this final frontier!

7. Learn to ‘Dwell in Possibility’: Coding is not as formidable as it sounds. It is just the technical aura around it that makes it look daunting. As with learning anything new, you need to get your feet wet, and once you are in it, dwell on what can be done.

Happy Coding!