What is the point in blogging as a software developer?

Two Brightec Engineers sharing knowledge through their blog reading

Here we explore some key reasons why every Software Developer should blog

If you’ve clicked onto this blog, we might be preaching to the converted...

Our blogging ethos at Brightec is that ‘we never want to be perfect, because we love to learn and grow’. Every member of the Brightec team is expected to contribute to our blog three or four times a year. Some of our developers enjoy writing more regularly for their own blogs.

1. Keeping yourself up to date

The nature of our work, and the sector in which we operate, means that as a Software Developer, it’s important to keep up to date with new languages, tools or practices. We have to be in a constant state of learning to excel at the service we offer.

When I first started at Brightec, I would hear the phrase 'everyday is a learning day' on a regular basis. I've come to recognise the value of this statement. From the seemingly small things, like a new keyboard shortcut, to bigger deals such as delving into a new coding language, each day is an opportunity to figure something out; to learn and adapt to this ever-changing sector.

The research, understanding, processing and written explanation required to form a good blog makes it an excellent way of keeping up with current trends. Taking space to consider what topic you might focus your blog around is also an excellent nudge to encourage you to keep an eye out for new trends in the sector.

2. Deeper understanding

Writing down what you’ve learnt - and making it readable and understandable - is a real skill to hone. A skill that becomes invaluable during client communication.

It’s one thing to say you know how to do something but it’s another thing when you come to explain it clearly and concisely! The process of writing a blog ensures that you yourself fully understand the concept first, in order to relay it back to someone in a way that they’ll understand too.

It’s a complex skill that will take time to learn. However, the only way to do it is to dive in and get writing. Even if you come back to the blog later down the line and think "What on earth have I written?"! You can always come back to it and revise what you’ve written once you’ve got a few blogs under your belt.

3. Helping fellow developers

Whilst blogging contributes to our personal developments, we love that it's also a tool to share our progress, improvements and sometimes failures! Sharing what we learn creates a community in which others can also learn from our experiences; A blog detailing a problem you encountered, how you resolved it and what you learnt can become a learning resource for a fellow developer battling with a similar scenario.

Here at Brightec, knowledge sharing is an important aspect of the work we do and an integral part of being in the team. Demonstrating to a colleague how to do something is a fantastic way for you to solidify your knowledge as well as pass on your expertise. Blogs provide the same opportunities for those outside of our team, and thus a much wider audience of Software Developers. We also benefit from reading the experience of other Software Developers and adjusting our own approach based on their knowledge and suggestions.

So, the next time you emerge from a warren of rabbit holes having hunted for a solution to your problem, and you’ve polished off multiple strong coffees (and a few biscuits too) whilst piecing together results from multiple searches and conflicting information to reach your conclusion, why not write down what you’ve learnt, and compile it into a handy blog to guide someone else?



This blog was originally written by Ellie Jones.


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