In the latest MSDN Flash Finula asked a few of us for our top tips on being a great developer. Mine was:
“Love Learning”
We can't always be on the most exciting project with the latest and greatest technology so look for the learning opportunity in every project be it a new technical skill, a new business domain, or an interpersonal skill.
What do I mean by this? If you look for a way to learn something new on every project you’ll increase and improve your skills.
You might being using the same language you’ve used for ages but the team might be trying a different project style i.e. SCRUM, Agile, Iterative, Pair Programming or a new tool e.g. TFS.
You may also have some freedom how you implement some of the items so it gives you the opportunity to try out a control you’ve wanted to play with e.g. on of the AJAX tool kit, WCF etc.
Other times, you might get to learn about how a business works.
Working in teams and watching presentations I also like to watch other people work. It’s amazing the number of tricks, features and short cuts you can pick up just watching someone else use the same tools. It’s also a way to find new tools too.
To see what tips the other guys gave check out some of their blogs:
Andrew Parsons, Andrew Coates, Craig Bailey,Tatham Oddie,