Each of us programmers has a different story about how we got to where we are. And based on the types of projects we’ve worked on, we each carry valuable and unique experiences. 🙂
But we must understand that programming is not just about turning a set of logic into code that a compiler can understand. In simple terms, coding is not just about solving a problem — it’s about designing and engineering a flexible, well-structured solution. Over the years, software engineering has evolved into a vast and complete field of knowledge, and becoming truly professional requires significant work and experience.
Regardless of which language or platform you work with, to become a professional programmer and a real software engineer, you need to become familiar with three crucial standards and practices that define modern coding today:
1. Reading and Applying Clean Code
This book, written by Robert Martin, offers a complete standard on what clean code should look like. If we were to summarize clean code in just four key points, they would be:
- All tests pass successfully
- No duplication in the code
- Clearly expresses the programmer’s intent
- Minimal number of classes and methods
These four points are listed in order of importance. While applying these principles can take years of experience, others have already walked that path. Reading this book allows you to shortcut through years of trial and error by learning from the best.
2. Understanding the SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design
You’re probably already familiar with object-oriented programming (OOP), one of the most engaging programming paradigms. But OOP has evolved, and today it has its own set of principles. Robert Martin, also known as “Uncle Bob,” introduced these as the SOLID principles.
Each letter in SOLID stands for one of the five key principles of object-oriented design. It’s a special way of designing OOP systems that allows you to write clean and understandable code — without unnecessary complexity.
SOLID is also a cornerstone of Agile software development. You can learn more about these principles in this highly recommended article:
S.O.L.I.D: The First 5 Principles of Object Oriented Design
3. Learning Design Patterns
Many problems occur repeatedly in software projects. This repetition is what leads to the creation of frameworks. For example, in PHP, frameworks like Laravel or Yii provide ready-made solutions and enforce clear rules for writing code.
Even for smaller recurring problems, there are well-established solutions. These solutions, refined through repetition and community consensus, are called design patterns. Design patterns fall into three main categories: Creational, Structural, and Behavioral.
There are currently around 35 key design patterns widely used in software development. You can explore them in full through this resource:
By learning and practicing these three fundamental areas, we can elevate ourselves and operate at a higher level — capable of understanding and contributing to major open-source projects on platforms like GitHub.
