Article: The Best Programmers I Know by Matthias Endler

Here are some traits of the best developers/engineers that Matthias has met or seen. My post on this is more about repeating certain traits that I would like to improve for myself:

Know your tools really well

More specifically, knowing the history and limitations of the tools I use is something that doesn’t cross my mind very often. A great point to follow through on.

Write

Welp, I’m giving that a shot right now! Even if it’s brief commentary on things I’ve found or learned, it’s good to reiterate concepts to myself so I can better understand it.

Never stop learning

This section is gold, even if it sounds cliche at times. Continuing to foster curiosity and keep asking questions is difficult to do as I get older.

Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”, but don’t stop there

This is more of an extension of the “never stop learning” section, but admitting that you don’t know something then asking follow-up questions is the first big step in learning.

The general idea I got from all the sections in this article is staying curious. It’s difficult to do, but continuing to be intentionally curious is a skill that takes time, hard work, and consistency.