What have been the most helpful online tools to self-improve as a developer/software engineer?

One key trait that I'd say I've come to appreciate from being a developer is the fact that the learning is constant(with effort and good habits formed of course) and continuous. In this article, I will share a few resources I have used and still use to upskill myself.

Youtube.

This one is too obvious, right? I thought to mention it still because this article covers the tools I have used/still use to improve my craft. Seriously, the hype on Youtube is no hoax. There are millions of tutorials on Youtube to help with whatever you want to learn. My friend Crystal and I refer to it as the 'Youtube group of schools' because it truly is a gold mine of useful knowledge. With Youtube, the disclaimer I'd give is to make sure that as much as you're following the tutorial, code it out on your own editor. Once you're done coding out the demo with the instructor, do it by yourself. You will learn a lot from debugging code and researching.

Udacity

With Udacity, you can gain a lot from the paid courses as there will be coaches to help with your project. It is however understandable if you don't have the money at the moment to invest in your learning journey in that way. Udacity also offers some of its courses for free so you can filter to get the free courses and check to see what you're looking for. If not, hab kein angst!(That's German for "Have no fear". It's the one phrase I remember to date from my high school German knowledge); there are a lot more platforms to explore

LinkedIn Learning

I used LinkedIn Learning to advance my knowledge on excel sheets because I work with them a lot in my role at AIESEC(I will be writing about my journey with AIESEC soon so stay tuned.) LinkedIn Learning integrates short videos and small quizzes at the end to keep you alert and engaged. The courses are also short and more focused on what particular area in that field you want to learn about. I got the privilege of using LinkedIn Learning for free from being a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador, a journey I will also be writing about soon( At this rate this article will have so many calls to action😂😂).

Forage

Forage is a platform where you get to do virtual internships with a wide range of companies. Multiple companies have virtual internships on the platform including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, BCG, PwC and so many other companies. With the virtual internship, you will get to work on tasks that software engineers at that company work on. A clarification I'd like to make before proceeding is that Forage is not just for Software engineering internships but offers virtual internships for a wide variety of fields. Make sure to read their policies on how to include the virtual internship on your resume before you proceed to do so. A pro tip is to, when applying for opportunities at companies, check to see whether they have a virtual internship on Forage and do it as this shows a lot of initiative on your side.

The list above is not exhaustive on every single tool I have used to improve as a developer. I have used Django documentation when I was getting started, Github repositories with learning materials on various topics, and recently WakaTime to monitor how much time I spend coding on a daily basis. If you have any tools you use to self-improve in your developer journey, share them in the comments, and let's learn together!