{"id":9600,"date":"2015-12-31T16:11:29","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T14:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.webcodegeeks.com\/?p=9600"},"modified":"2018-01-10T16:50:08","modified_gmt":"2018-01-10T14:50:08","slug":"next-skill-learn-software-developer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.webcodegeeks.com\/web-development\/next-skill-learn-software-developer\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the next skill you should learn as a software developer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my previous post<\/a>, I wrote about mapping out your current skills to know where you stand and take control of your learning. But knowing where you are is a lot easier that knowing what to learn next.<\/p>\n

Choosing what to learn next requires gazing in your crystal ball to guess if the technologies you want to learn will stay relevant. With the number of frameworks and tools that are churning out at a furious pace, you don\u2019t want to guess wrong and have to start over in a few years.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, you can put all the chances on your side and reduce the amount of guesswork needed. First, you need to focus on skills that will always stay useful and that you can build on. If you\u2019re only learning just-in-time with no thoughts for the future, your skills won\u2019t form a coherent whole.<\/p>\n

Also, you need to have an idea of where you wish to be in the next decade, even if you will probably be wrong to some degree. You\u2019re still going to be working in the next decade, right? It\u2019s best to plan for it and take control since the time will pass anyway.
\n 
\n[ulp id=’tgm4cmEWcKUikZNn’]<\/p>\n

Back to your skills map<\/a><\/h3>\n

We\u2019re going to start a bucket list of skills and concepts you wish to learn to help you figure out the best way to go. We\u2019re only brainstorming at this stage: writing down a skill on your list is not an obligation to learn it. You\u2019ll evaluate the ideas on your list later.<\/p>\n

Going back to the map of your current skills, you can already identify some gaps that must be filled using your own experience and knowledge. Write those down on the top of your list. I\u2019m sure there are also some skills you wish you knew, even if they\u2019re not relevant to you current job or skills: write those down too.<\/p>\n

Make sure you don\u2019t forget to write down skills that are always valuable regardless of the tech stack used: patterns and architecture, programming languages, low-level concepts, project and time management, speaking, writing, and tools to help you learn how to learn.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my own bucket list of prospective skills:<\/p>\n

\"SkillsToLearn\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll always be adding new items on this list, so don\u2019t worry about it being 100% complete.<\/p>\n

Managing the bucket list<\/h3>\n

Now that you have a list of prospective skills to learn, how to you manage it? The same way you created your skills map: you first must have strong core skills that will serve your long-term goals before spreading out to other kind of skills.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re starting out or moving to a new specialization<\/strong>, rank the skills on your list in order of importance to the best of your knowledge, starting out with core skills. Once you\u2019ve learned more and grown your knowledge of your industry, you can rank the skills on your bucket list more accurately. Also, don\u2019t forget to update your map with your newest skills!<\/p>\n

But how do you know what skills are important and will be the most productive use of your time? You must take the pulse of your industry on a regular basis to know where it\u2019s going and understand how you fit in it.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t need to take ages: a few hours a month is enough to get a decent handle on what\u2019s going on. Here are some of my favorite strategies: as a bonus, they will help you find skills you didn\u2019t think about and that will be worth adding to your bucket list.<\/p>\n