Everyone, in their specific field, looks forward to doing their best. Some may go for development but becoming a great and well-known developer is not an easy goal. You just can not cram the concepts or rules and apply to your work. You can never become a great (or even good) developer overnight and it's not a matter of just getting an IT degree. It's beyond all of this.
Let's have a look at the key points for becoming the best developer.
Remind yourself that you do not know everything
There's a saying "No one knows everything, everyone knows something". So keeping this in mind, a developer should always starve for learning more. The technology world is evolving every day and to keep yourself in pace with this evolution, you should keep on learning more.
Stop saying that you are right
Be the enemy of your code once you are done with the development. Yes! You always know where your code can break. True developers always find those points where users can find the defects. If you want to become a great developer, you should try to identify (and then fix) those areas of your codes that can be defected. Give yourself no margin during testing. Instead of putting your focus on defending your code and proving yourself right, you should work on proving yourself wrong in your self-evaluation. If at some point, you feel you know all, then it's probably the time for a reality check.
Do not stop at "It worked"
An important point to keep in mind during software development is the "quality of work". The final destination should not be "It's done" or "It's working"; instead, it should be "It's working like a charm". The best developer always finds a solution first and (not stopping at that only), tries to make that better and best.
Read more code
Try to read someone else's code. It helps you see how someone else solves a specific problem. After reading the code, you should ask yourself,
- What new did I learn?
- Was that solution the best or better than mine?
- If that solution wasn't the best, how could that be improved?
By this interrogation, you give yourself room for improvement and to learn new things.
Learn new techniques
As mentioned earlier, the technology world is evolving every day. So, it's insane to rely on specific tools or set of tools or grasping a single technology. You should focus more on learning new technologies and techniques because a good developer never stops learning.
Accept criticism
Writing a 100% bug-free code is nearly impossible and you should accept this fact. Quite often, you'll have to face criticism on your code. You should handle that criticism positively and learn from that, instead of taking that as a failure. Remember, if you listen and learn from the critics, that will make you a better developer. Because that way, you ultimately will be very careful about that mistake next time.
Be a good listener
If you are not a very good listener, then you should learn how to be one. Without knowing the business problem that you have to solve with your code, you can not do that well. So, if you listen to your client and your team very carefully, then only you can write and solve that problem with the best solution.
Conclusion
Development is not only a job but something far beyond that. If you are aiming to become a great developer (or even a developer), you should know the basic skills and a will to work on improving those. You have to keep yourself in pace with this 'rapidly evolving technology world' and for that, you should evaluate yourself on a regular basis.