The desire to be a developer usually drives us to start learning to code. We might choose to do it on our own through online tutorials, attending a Bootcamp or through the traditional and more formal way we go to school attending a coding-related program. By learning and practicing, we will eventually become a developer and start working in the software development field. From this point, what can we do to improve our coding skills as we are moving forward in our career? There are actually several approaches a person can consider, but I will go with adopting the habit of writing blogs on a regular basis.

The idea of writing blogs about different topics related to software development seems pretty daunting to me at first. But when I take a deep breath to step out of my comfort zone and think harder about the eventual advantages, I’m starting to identify some of the benefits I can get from this new habit.

1- Improve my thinking process

By practicing writing, I will be forced to keep thinking in an organized way. I will not only have to find the content that I will talk about, but also put them in an order that the audience can follow easily. I will also have to analyze the content, and break it apart so I can present it on different aspects.

2- Hone my coding skills

We all know that one of the best ways to learn is to explain what you know (or should I say you think you know) to someone else. So by making the decision to write blogs about coding, I put myself in a situation where I must have a very good understanding of the concepts that I’m presenting or the exercises that I’m explaining if it is a sort of tutorial. That will require some research, some practice and testing to get a first level of confidence about the topic. Then I will have to go one step deeper to figure out the most effective way to communicate it to the audience.

3- Stay informed about what is happening in the industry

Another important benefit that is worth mentioning is the fact that I will inevitably have to keep myself informed about the evolution of the industry. Because I want to write a blog every week or every 2 weeks, that will push me to continually read articles, and watch videos about the sector so that I can pick some topics to discuss in my blogs.

4- Make myself a name in the community

The last point that I will bring up as a potential benefit that will result from this habit is the fact that I will make myself a place in the software development community. By publishing regularly content, not only will people be aware of my interest in the field but also I will have this opportunity to present to others my personal point of view on some topics.

As we can see, there are plenty of benefits that I will get from deciding to write coding blogs regularly. I have only listed four that popped out right off the bat from my imagination, but certainly, the list can go on and on. I consider this first one as a first step to defeat the sense of inertia and/or procrastination that tends to hold me back from moving forward in this lifetime journey.