Learning is absolutely crucial to get better in software engineering, especially at the pace our technologies evolves.
Here are some tips to help you learn and improve yourself.
When someones refers to a software or tool you don't know yet, search it on the internet:
- What is it ?
- When is it used ?
- Where is it used ?
- What problem does it solves ?
- How much is it used currently ?
Read the documentation of this product.
Watch videos or read newsletters to be kept up to date or to learn specific topics.
You may be surprised of how many wonderful software exists. You should at least have basic knowledge of each major software used in tech companies.
Knowing a lot of them is fun, and also helps you understand your colleagues when talking about a specific technology.
A lot of person worked in software engineering before us. They made mistakes, success and have lots of experiences. Some of them gathered this precious experience and knowledge in multiple paper sheets called "books".
You don't need a power supply to read them, and they contain a tremendous amount of knowledge, written to ease learning.
Find a topic or a tool you are interested in, buy a book in that topic, read it and practice what you have learned.
When learning a new topic, the most important part is to practice.
After reading the documentation, reading a book or even without any previous learning, think about a little personal project where you can apply this knowledge.
Set a time in your week to force yourself working on it and you will soon be able to use a new tool or a new skill very easily.