Whether you are already an experienced developer or just starting out, if you want to become really good in this industry, you need to constantly sharpen your skills to stay relevant. Here are some of the most valuable skills for developers to tackle this year.

Of course, you won’t need all of them and this list isn’t complete. But it should give you a good idea of what to learn next or what to improve on.

1. Practice Coding Every Day
2. Learn To Be a Good Communicator (Both Written and Spoken)
3. Practice Object-Oriented Design Principles
4. Learn How To Use Version Control Systems (e.g. Git) Effectively
5. Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills
6. Learn How To Use Design Tools Such As Photoshop, Sketch, and Illustrator
7. Learn at Least One Scripting Language (e.g. Python)
8. Learn How To Write Clean and Maintainable Code
9. Be Able To Think Ahead and Plan Out How a Feature Should Work Before You Start Developing It
10. Learn How To Implement Security Measures Properly
11. Learn How To Work With Different Environments (Mac, Linux, Windows)
12. Practice Pair Programming Regularly With Your Team Members (or Others)
13. Understand Design Patterns (SOLID Principles and Object-Oriented Design Patterns)
14. Learn About Business Processes and Soft Skills