What should a programmer's yearly routine be to maximize their technical skills?

Posted by sguptaet on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by sguptaet
Published on 2013-10-29T05:07:34Z Indexed on 2013/10/29 10:18 UTC
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Filed under:

learning

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career-development

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self-improvement

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skills

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self-teaching

2 years ago I made a big career change into programming. I learned various technologies on my own without any prior experience. I really love it and feel lucky with all the resources around us to help us learn. Books, courses, open-source, etc. There are so many avenues.

I'm wondering what a good routine would be to follow to maximize my software development skills. I don't believe just building software is the way, because that leaves no time for learning new concepts or technologies.

I'm looking for an answer like this:

Take a new concept sabbatical/workshop 2 weeks per year.
Read 1 theoretical and 1 practical programming book per year.
Learn 1 additional language every 2 years.
Take a 1 week vacation every 6 months.
Etc.

I realize that the above might sound naive and unrealistic as there are so many factors. But I'd like to know the "recipe" that you think is best that will serve as a guide for people.

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