Own Your Professioal Development

To get proficient at anything you need to always be learning. You can never get complacent. Software development is no different. Recently, I felt the urge to continue my knowledge of web services and Windows Communication Foundation. Web services is such a big thing these days and has been for awhile with the continued excitement over Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

A friend lent me a book authored by Scott Klein entitled  "Professional WCF Programming - .NET Programming with the Windows Communication Foundation", published by Wrox. While I realize the book is dated 2007,  and was published when  version 3.0 of the .NET framework was out, my point is to stay passionate about learning. Grab anything you can that can help you learn. While reading this book, which incidentally is a fantastic read, my journey took me to YouTube where I was introduced to Peter Thorsteinson and 4 great introduction video's for the programmer who wants to begin his introduction to Windows Communication Foundation. That journey , in turn, made a sharp left and before you know it, I have been looking at ASP.NET MVC. 

So my point is to always stay hungry. Cultivate a mindset of learning in yourself. Surround yourself with people who are smart and are just as much a learning junkie as you are.  Take classes at your local college. Join a user group or industry organization. Subscribe to a trade magazine. In today's economic environment, companies have limited budgets for training. You need to take ownership of your own professional development.

A lot of times, you will be in a position where you have to complete a project but know very little about the technology that is required.  It is up to you figure it out. This can mean spending time googling the subject, buying a book or even seeking out a mentor in an attempt to gain some knowledge.  The point is to be seen as the industry expert and actually have the skills to back it up. Do not let yourself become obsolete.  Be a professional student.

Nurture a passion for learning about your profession.  When you see yourself as a professional student, you’ll find that everything you do has some learning value  – even if it isn’t always inspiring.
To be a professional student:

• Seize ownership for your professional development. Stop waiting for your talent to be recognized and your potential “developed” by someone else. From here on out it’s just you and your network of trusted friends, family, and professional mentors.  Don’t have a lot of support at home or at work?
• Experiment. Play with different technologies at home...practice  and learn and share it with peers or mentors whose opinions you respect.  Remember, no one learns in a vacuum.
• Read, practice – repeat for infinity. If you’re a reader, invest in a subscription to software development trade magazine.  Not only does a steady stream of new information challenge your views about the world and technology, it also helps you identify specific areas of focus for your future career.

From TheHappyDeveloper