One moment you’re playing Minecraft, the next you wake up and you’re all grown up, coding for Google. Once you understand the basics of how programming works, all the tools and knowledge you need can be accessed free online, so you can start typing cryptic-looking text onto screens. However, because of how fast things evolve in this industry (particularly for front-end developers), staying up-to-date in an industry as dynamic as software development, while still maintaining a balanced life can be a challenge. The team at Boston Link – a recruitment company offering a range of developer jobs in Malta – shares a few hows and whys of staying relevant in the field.
Why keep up to date?
More open doors: There may be plenty of developer jobs in Malta and worldwide, however, the coolest places you can land a job will probably require you to know what is new.
Productivity Boost: If a new technology catches on, it means it is adding something to the table and makes it easier to solve particular problems. Resisting change would therefore be resisting a productivity boost that keeping up would offer.
Keep your brain stimulated: If you enjoy being a forever student, continually learning and keeping your brain stimulated, that’s reason enough to stay up to date with the latest tech news. Sure, there are certain major trends that you can’t really miss, but keep your eyes peeled for what repositories are getting the most attention, and identify the hottest libraries and languages that are trending.
How to keep up-to-date in an ever-changing industry
1. Podcasts
We understand that sometimes it’s a challenge to maintain a balanced life while trying to keep up to date. Podcasts are a great way to keep yourself up to speed during your daily commute or while doing that dreaded workout. There are plenty of great web and software development podcasts such as Modern Web, the Big Web Show, and The Web Ahead – to name but a few.
2. Attend conferences
There are plenty of renowned international conferences and meetups which may be extremely enlightening and bring you up to speed – not to mention, a great opportunity to network with like-minded people to geek out with. There’s a lot of value in the content tackled during conferences and workshops for developers; from the latest practices to innovative techniques, attending a conference is like receiving an instant power-up.
3. Use social media to your advantage
Following tech influencers on social media and joining online communities and active tech forums is an easy way to stay up to date with latest trends without diving too deep into specifics.
4. Get in the habit of reading
Set aside some time every day to go through other developers’ blogs to gain insights into what is new and important in the programming community. Books could also be instrumental for exploring a technical topic in-depth, allowing you to keep improving as a technical professional. If you are spending a large amount of time using a specific technology during the day, you should probably prioritise learning about that particular technology because it could save you hours a day and make you much more efficient in what you do.
This industry moves ridiculously fast, and learning every new technology and programming language that comes along is an impossible feat. What is necessary is keeping your skills sharp in order not to fall behind – this will benefit both you personally as well as the company you work for.
Looking for Developer Jobs in Malta?
If you’re looking for developer jobs in Malta, check out our vacancies here. When it comes to searching for a new job, show your curiosity and willingness to stay up to date during job interviews, even if you work with an old version of the particular coding language. At Boston Link, we are a specialist recruitment company in the iGaming and financial industries. Contact us for more information and be sure to follow us on Facebook for updates!