Today I came across Rob Walling’s series of articles on becoming a better developer through ways other than improving your technical skills. Quite an interesting read, here’s a quick rundown:

• Making Fans – “learning about your company and co-workers will dramatically improve the software you build”
• Know Your Core Competencies – “When dealing with tasks completely outside your realm of knowledge expect to spend a lot of time researching”
• Enjoy the Panorama – “Gaining this external perspective on life is a critical part of becoming a better developer.”
• Know What You’re Building – “Someone who knows what they’re building can see their place in the big picture”
• Don’t Use a Dull Knife – “you have to use tools that make you the most productive and that don’t wreak havoc on the rest of your team”
• Become a Manager – “being a technical lead, or running your own business are all suitable ways to experience what makes a ‘better’ developer from a different angle”
• The Jigsaw Puzzle – ” The more you know about your co-workers, the more you’ll understand the puzzle”
• Know Your Archetype – “a way of realizing that we each have strengths in certain areas”
• How to Criticize a Software Developer Without Getting Punched – “how to criticize well? be socific!”

One can be an exceptional coder, and have an excellent knowledge of the programming language used, but it takes more than just technical details to become a great Developer. This series of articles is a nice overview of some non-technical aspects to consider – recommended reading.

– Tony

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