Software Developer Career - 50 steps to change your career

  • Start with finding your Focus!

  • Create a focus statement - I help [people] to do [this] so they can have [that]

  • [people] = the specific people ou want to meet and associate with

  • [this] = it\'s what you do, what you are or want to be an expert at

  • [that] = it\'s what [people] want. What is that they want more?

  • Get your Blog in Shape

  • Define the specific topic of your blog based on your focus statement

  • Choose a descriptive domain name

  • Create a list of 30-50 possible subjects for posts

  • Write and publish a post from one of those topics (get started!)

  • Decide now one day of the week that you will post, and add to your calendar

  • Use Twitter! But the right way.

  • Choose a good name and create your account if you don\'t have one

  • Follow 30 “top” posters in your interest area (from your focus statement)

  • Your profile: the description is your focus statement. Add a picture and a banner.

  • Browse Twitter to locate content about the o topics you listed for your blog

  • Add your twitter to your blog and promote to everyone you meet

  • As a developer, you must be on GitHub

  • Create your GitHub account if you don’t have one http://github.com

  • Learn how it works: publish some code you already have

  • Learn forking: create a fork of an existing project

  • Learn Pull Requests: with a friend, submit and approve a PR

  • Tools that you Must Master

  • Git (learn to collaborate) http://www.git-scm.com

  • Jenkins (learn to automate) http://www.jenkins.io

  • Containers (Docker) (learn about infrastructure) https://www.docker.com

  • Issue Tracker (learn to organize your projects)

  • Object Oriented Programming (learn to program)

  • Create a Web Application (learn a complete stack)

  • Access the Database (learn to handle data)

  • Having a Mentor will accelerate your career

  • Talk about your career with someone who is more experienced

  • List 3 tips that your mentor told you and you intend to follow (write it down!)

  • Read books about other developers and what they did http://ridingthecrest.com

  • Networking is all about meeting other developers...

  • Meet at least 3 other developers you don’t know (can be online)

  • Talk about your projects and hear about their projects

  • Find similarities and differences among the projects

  • Participating on Events will expand your Networking

  • Go to a meeting at a local Java Users Group

  • Join online events. We run several at Code4.Life https://www.code4.life

  • Open Source is the Best Way to learn Software Development

  • List at least 5 open source projects your are interested http://github.com

  • Find at least 3 small problems in 2 or 3 of those projects (bad documentation, small bugs, etc)

  • Try to solve one of these problems, what would take?

  • If you are satisfied, submit the solution to the project

  • Doing a little Self Promotion is important

  • Learn a little about what is a landing page and a lead magnet https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/285172

  • List some ideas and create a lead magnet

  • Create a landing page to distribute your lead magnet

  • Presenting your ideas will push your Career forward

  • Present about something you learned to your co-workers (at lunch?)

  • Prepare a Google hangout and invite a few friends to attend

  • Present a talk about something you know at a technical school or university

  • Networking: Meet an open source developer

  • At an event or a User Group meeting, introduce yourself to an open source developer

  • Take a picture (maybe a selfie), tweet the picture and tag the person

  • Study something in their blog and ask a real question

  • Networking: Meet a Community Leader

  • Attend a Java User Group meeting and meet the JUG leader that is running it

  • Subscribe to the group and follow the leader on facebook/twitter

  • Send an email introducing yourself to the leader or the group

  • Send an email offering to help or asking how to create your own group

This checklist was created by brjavaman

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