4 Ways to Continue Your Programming Education As a Software Engineer
A lifelong career as a software engineer means your education truly never ends. Expect to learn about new languages, frameworks, platforms and coding design patterns until your day of retirement. In fact, being proactive about continuing education as a developer remains a great way to keep your career growth trending upwards.
If you want to continue your programming education – and you should – here are a few tips to keep adding skills to your toolbox. Leverage these insights to become the best application programmer possible. You career prospects thank you!
Take Advantage of Your Company’s Training and Tuition Reimbursement
One obvious way to continue your technical education simply involves taking advantage of the resources provided by your company. This typically includes a training program as well as tuition reimbursement for earning an advanced degree or even a certification course.
Regularly Attend Local Developer Events
Chances are good your region boasts a few local programming groups of interest to you. This is a great way to learn new techniques and best practices from fellow developers working on similar projects. You also gain an additional benefit of adding new contacts to your professional network, which is definitely helpful the next time you need to look for work.
Build a Library of Programming Books – and Read Them!
A robust library of books related to software development is a resource that pays dividends throughout your career. Some companies even reimburse their employees for technology-related learning material. This is a great way to learn a new language or better understand one you use on a daily basis.
Online sources are also great for learning new languages and frameworks. These include blogs, training courses, programmer communities and even YouTube videos.
Contribute to an Open Source or Volunteer Programming Project
Open-source software continues to make an impact at the highest levels of the IT industry. Contribute to one of these projects to gain practical experience in a new language you recently learned.
Additionally, consider volunteering on a tech project for a local charity or nonprofit. Once again, it’s a great opportunity to learn something new and build your network for a great cause.
Learn more
If you need advice on taking your programming career to another level, speak with the knowledgeable recruiters at Digital Prospectors. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in the Northeast, we know the companies who need fresh programming talent and the skills that are desirable. Connect with us soon!
