𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 "𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿"

One book I always recommend to developers is "Pragmatic Programmer" by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt. Although it is not new, it builds on a foundation that is important today and will continue to be.

Here are the main learnings from the book:

𝟭. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲

Striving for perfection can lead to never-ending projects. Instead, aim for "good enough" and iterate. Deliver value early and often. Write code that works, prove it by writing tests, and ensure they are executed automatically.

Record every change in your software using version control software. If you mess up, you can always revert to the previous code version.

𝟮. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀

You can use tracer code or prototypes to validate your understanding of the problem. This helps in clarifying requirements before fully implementing a feature.

𝟯. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗳𝗶𝘅!

Sometimes, you will find lousy code that someone else wrote. Sometimes, you will find bad code that you wrote some time ago. Pragmatic programmers don't say, "I didn't write this, so I will not fix it," but do something about it and open a debate in a team about why.

𝟰. 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘆

In the book, you will learn about the "Broken Window Theory," which states that if something is broken, others will break it even more in the future. As a pragmatic programmer, you should fix all significant problems you find in the system while working on it.

𝟱. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲

Continuous learning is essential. Stay updated with new tools, technologies, and best practices. Learn at least one programming language or tech stack every year. Read technical and non-technical books every once in a while. This investment in your skills pays off in your career growth.

𝟲. 𝗗𝗥𝗬 (𝗗𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗹)

Redundant code is more complex to maintain. When you notice duplication, refactor it into a shared function or module. This will promote consistency and reduce errors.

𝟳. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Understand your code deeply; don't rely on coincidental successes. Make sure you know why your code works, not just that it works.

𝟴. 𝗕𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿

To help your users, you'll need to understand them first. Be careful when others speak (Product managers, developers, business analysts). And ask good questions.