[caption id="attachment_139435" align="aligncenter" width="2962"] iOS Developer slide at WWDC 2016[/caption] Every developer wants to be at the top of their game, but how do you get there? CodeFights, which encourages developers to try and outperform each other in a digital setting, has some ideas on what makes a great developer. First, be a team player. Nobody likes the lone-wolf developer who doesn’t play nice with others. “There's a pop culture stereotype of the brilliant but emotionally stunted programmer - someone who can pull off heroic feats of codeslinging but can't connect with the people around them,” said the CodeFights team. “This doesn't work in real software development teams.” The second attribute developers are going to want to cultivate is humility. You can’t always be right, and making every opportunity a learning experience will carry you further than acting as though you know everything. Developers should also be open to criticism; code review can be a pain, but keeping an open mind to new ideas and concepts will carry the day. Keep learning and being curious about new technology. "Find opportunities to practice and push yourself a tiny bit harder than you do everyday at work,” CodeFights advised. “Doing this regularly will keep your skills sharp and will keep you refreshed, interested, and on top of your game.” In addition to giving CodeFights a shot, we suggest Ray Wenderlich or the new Realm Academy. Both are great learning platforms for a variety of languages and disciplines. CodeFights says developers should be invested in their work, too:

Developers who feel ownership in the work that they do tend to be much more successful than the ones who don’t. Outstanding developers are much like outstanding artists. What they are creating is not just work you do to collect a check but there is a sense of pride in your craftsmanship and authorship. This allows them to avoid mediocrity and fuel them to go the extra mile to make sure that their work is high quality. On the other hand, if you’re half-assing it or aren’t fully invested in what you’re doing, your work and the project will suffer as a result.

Finally, detail-oriented developers tend to get it right more often. “If a code does not compile or a product has a bug, it’s not computer’s fault. Exercising the ability to think through corner cases and writing codes that will handle various use cases allow a much easier development process,” CodeFights said. This can be as simple as reading through libraries you’ve implemented (don’t lie, we’ve all added CocoaPods and not bothered to check them out thoroughly) or simply forcing yourself to read the code like a book and making sure you understand what each component does.