Dave A. wrote in post #1026700:
Agreed – but practice + reading > practice alone. Especially in
situations where practice does not generate feedback, as I’ve often
found.
+1
Practice alone in this profession isn’t enough IMHO. Bad practice
remains bad practice no matter how much you practice it. If you really
want to grow as programmer then strive to join a team of programmers who
are all better than yourself. However, don’t be complacent once you’re
there. Aim to be the worst, then strive to be the best. Find the experts
and take every opportunity to study their code, read their blogs, watch
their screencasts, or whatever medium they choose to share their
knowledge and experience. Chances are you’ll find out that you really
weren’t as bad as you thought, and soon you’ll find yourself to be one
of the best programmers on the team. That’s the moment when it’s time to
begin looking for a team where you’ll again be the worst.