Read code

Everything you learn about coding will help you to become a more skilled programmer.

You can learn a lot from the code of other programmers. You can consult with masters in your industry, or you can search for code that is comparable to your own on GitHub. You can also browse through GitHub repositories to discover how other programmers have written their code and form your ideas to improve the code you are writing. It’s fascinating to learn about different developers’ coding styles and problem-solving techniques. You will learn to think critically, is the approach that they employ comparable to yours?

The following are some examples of Github repositories with excellent code:

• Scikit-Learn
• Findings from Stackoverflow by JJruner
• Bootstrap

It doesn’t just end at reading code, either. As a complement to programming every day, why not try reading at least one article or a few chapters of a programming book daily as well?

The Pragmatic Programmer by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt and Deep Work by Cal Newport is a popular book to get you started on your path to becoming a better programmer. Still, reading, in general, is highly beneficial because it broadens your perspective and increases your knowledge.

Write Clean, Readable, and High-Quality Code

“Any fool can create code that a machine understands. Good programmers create code that is understandable by humans,” says Martin Fowler.  A good programmer should write clear and understandable code since it will make it easier to debug your code and for other programmers to comprehend it.

Programmers spend the majority of their time writing code. In the codebases of their projects, programmers frequently add, remove, or modify code lines. Those changes to the source code either improve or degrade the codebase. The codebases must constantly be improved with high-quality, bug-free code, and it is necessary to adhere to a well-defined coding style guide. If your project still lacks a coding style guide, you can always recommend one widely used.

The development of software is a team effort. Many programmers frequently collaborate within the same piece of code. Some programmers are adept at swiftly applying fixes to complex source code written by others. Some programmers, on the other hand, have difficulty with complicated source code. As a result, even if you’re implementing amazingly complex logic, you should always write self-explanatory code. Design patterns, directory layouts, and module decompositions all aid in the creation of clean code. Consider how the Chromium team arranged the browser’s UI controllers to simplify things.

Become a Learner

Across every profession, the process of learning never comes to an end. Similarly, there will always be something new to try and learn in the field of programming daily. There are numerous computer science-related theoretical articles, research papers, and methods published in professional journals and online publications every day. Similar to any other profession in the world, the field of computer science is still expanding. As a result, you will find something new to learn every day that will help you improve your abilities. For example, you might learn a new design structure today that will help you improve the readability of the code you produced yesterday and use it tomorrow.

Learning to code is a skill that can be compared to other activities such as sports. If you want to be great at something and perform well at work, you must put in the necessary time and effort. Make an effort to code every day, whether it’s during your lunch break or after work. It doesn’t matter if it’s only for an hour; you will notice changes, even a simple one, if you establish a routine and stick to it.

Seek expert assistance, whether it’s from your team’s leader, members of your local group, or even Stack Overflow, if necessary. Demonstrate your code and seek comments without fear of being criticized.

As a programmer, you could feel overwhelmed by the number of similar problem-solving activities you have to complete. As a result, to learn efficiently, it is essential to use engaging tactics such as flashcards, online quizzes, algorithmic puzzles, creating inventive apps, and so on. Always allow yourself enough time to really comprehend the subject rather than simply resorting to notes. If you don’t enjoy coding, you’ll feel weighed down by the theories.

Work on projects

Look for an app to build, understand how to get started, then put in some serious time on it. I’m not asking you to improve the quality of your work, but I do want you to challenge yourself and discover how well you understand coding fundamentals. You will be able to assess your weaknesses and will be allowed to improve.

So, how do you go about locating these opportunities? If you want to work from home, you may look into freelancing sites and offer your skills to small firms. Alternatively, you may cold email local agencies with freelance ideas and offer to assist them.

Writing a large number of small programs at the beginning of your programming career is a simple trick you can use to develop more programs. This will help you increase the quantity of code you write each day, allowing you to produce a far greater number of programs.

A vast number of small programs, on the other hand, would not be sufficient to cover the range of programming skills required to be deemed a good programmer. It’s critical to move from writing a significant number of small programs to developing larger ones at some point since doing so will expose you to a new set of obstacles that will compel you to become a better programmer overall.

General

Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) has a wide range of potential applications in the business setting. In truth, the vast majority of us interact with artificial intelligence regularly, in one form or another. Artificial intelligence is now revolutionizing every business activity in every industry and impacting everything from the mundane to the astonishing workloads. Increasingly, businesses aiming to maintain a competitive advantage rely on artificial intelligence technologies, which are becoming more prevalent.

Before we can talk about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way we do business, we must first grasp how it relates to the business sector. In computing, “artificial intelligence” refers to any type of computer software that performs behaviors comparable to those performed by people, such as learning, planning, and problem-solving.

In the context of business, artificial intelligence (AI) refers to a computer-based system that executes, improves, or transforms business processes by replicating human behavior. Artificial intelligence (AI) is utilized in business to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the company.

If you’re curious about how artificial intelligence might affect your business in the short term or even over the long term this article can help you keep your finger on the pulse of the latest advancements in artificial intelligence practice in the industry The picture shows some of benefits implanting AI across the industry.

DEALING WITH DATA

Artificial intelligence is often regarded as a supporting tool rather than a replacement for human intelligence and creativity. Although artificial intelligence is currently incapable of doing commonplace activities in the real world, it can digest and analyze large amounts of data significantly faster than a human brain. The artificial intelligence software can then present the human user with synthesized routes of action. Artificial intelligence can assist humans in ruling out the potential effects of each decision and simplify the decision-making process in this way.

Businesses will be able to create better, more tailored, and profitable campaigns as AI gets increasingly adept at processing and understanding mountains of data at a faster rate than ever before. It means you can better allocate budget and resources based on the insights gathered from the developing field of artificial intelligence and deep learning as AI apps gather patterns and insights from text, statistics, still photos, and video. The data assists businesses in improving marketing effectiveness, better understanding customers, segmenting customers to provide personalized experiences, and developing business strategies to aid business decision-making.

“Artificial intelligence is the software’s second coming,” said Amir Husain, a machine learning business founder and CEO of SparkCognition. “It’s a type of software that can make judgments on its own and act in scenarios that the programmers haven’t anticipated. In comparison to traditional software, artificial intelligence offers a greater range of decision-making capabilities.”

These characteristics make artificial intelligence extremely beneficial in various businesses, whether it’s just assisting visitors and employees in smoothly navigating a corporate site or executing a task as difficult as monitoring a wind turbine to predict when it will need repairs.

Machine learning is frequently employed in systems that collect a large amount of data. Smart energy management systems, for example, collect data from sensors attached to various assets. Machine learning algorithms contextualize the troves of data before delivering it to human decision-makers to comprehend energy usage and maintenance demands better.

Artificial intelligence is now used in a variety of business intelligence solutions. Microsoft Power BI is a popular application that helps businesses obtain crucial information to determine which approaches and decisions impact business performance. Furthermore, the integration of machine learning capabilities within Power BI can assist companies in developing machine learning models for making valuable forecasts and predictions from data and automating business operations.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

CRM (customer relationship management) systems are also being influenced by artificial intelligence (AI). For software like Salesforce or Zoho to remain current and precise, a significant amount of human engagement is required. However, when artificial intelligence is applied to these platforms, a standard customer relationship management system morphs into a self-updating, auto-correcting system that takes care of your relationship management for you.

Although client engagement is a vital element of any B2C business, artificial intelligence is predicted to transform these customer support procedures in the next few years.  Artificial intelligence-powered software solutions, such as sentiment analysis technologies, eliminate the need for a human to accurately assess a customer’s tone of voice, allowing businesses to respond more effectively to consumer problems, complaints, and inquiries. After all, customers who have a positive experience with a service are more likely to tell their friends and family about their positive experience, both online and offline.

Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into your customer engagement strategy, for example, through the use of automated live chat software, can enable you to provide better and more dynamic responses in a shorter amount of time. It will assist you in reducing the staffing required to study solutions and build stronger engagement and customer loyalty. As a bonus, it will provide you with predictive insights, which will enable you to automatically propose similar things or services to customers who may be interested in them.

By 2021, it is expected that 85% of consumer contacts will be handled without the involvement of a human. Customers will benefit from this disruptive innovation in business from artificial intelligence since it will reduce the requirement for human engagement, hence lowering business expenses while vastly enhancing customer care accessibility and everyday experience.

PERSONALIZED AND TARGETED MARKETING

Recognizing a customer’s desires and knowing what products to promote to each customer is essential to increasing a company’s income. Customers have incredibly limited time in today’s world of rising digital interaction, and there are far too many companies trying to advertise their products to them simultaneously. This explains why it is becoming increasingly important to sell only those products that appeal to each client and know who to promote each company’s products.

Companies can now use artificial intelligence to predict and target who they should sell a particular item to increase the probability of sales and the efficiency of the marketing activities while at the same time reducing the overall marketing cost. This is made possible by data obtained from customers’ online activities.

TikTok’s algorithm is one of the advanced algorithms used to personalize internet material.eByte Dance, owner of TikTok, announced in June that the company’s technology is based on user interactions, video information, and, to a lesser extent, device and account configurations. Data analysis can be used to personalize cosmetics as well as other products. Beauty companies, like Kao, are utilizing genetic data to combat wrinkles and dermatological problems.

Spotify, for example, monitors and understands the listening behavior and song preferences of users, which then uses this information to deliver song recommendations that each user is likely to enjoy. Other companies, such as Netflix, use artificial intelligence recommendation systems to keep users engaged and hooked to their service. They do this by delivering movie recommendations tailored to each user’s preferences based on their individual histories.

These recommendations influence approximately 75% of what Netflix subscribers watch, and the business’s AI recommendation system saves the company approximately $1 billion per year in operating expenses. Banks and Fintech businesses also utilize artificial intelligence for predictive analytics, fraud detection, and assessing which clients are most likely to repay loans before processing loan applications.

Personalization of products and marketing is an area that is rapidly developing and has the potential to provide significant benefits to producers and merchants. According to a 2018 analysis by PwC, a Big Four accounting firm, the value obtained from the effect of artificial intelligence on customer behavior, such as product personalization and an increase in free time, might reach $9.1 trillion by 2030.

NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING

Customer service chatbots have become a cornerstone of many customer care centers. They are utilized to answer questions on various topics ranging from product possibilities for online marketplaces to phone inquiries at utilities and financial institutions.

Depending on the product, these digital assistants range in sophistication. Still, they are always restricted by their command of “natural language processing,” which is the capacity to treat words as more than just inputs and outputs. As a result, sympathetic responses are difficult to imitate, and AI cannot discriminate between a joke and a slur due to its inability to interpret contextual information. With developments in natural language processing, companies are increasingly offering smart digital assistant solutions to assist customers in doing everyday tasks.

Companies are now utilizing artificial intelligence to generate automated business reports without the need for human supervision and conduct sentiment analysis to understand how people perceive their brand based on various online comments, tweets, and other communications about the company.

Companies may continually understand how customers feel about their products and services by employing sentiment analysis techniques. This contributes to the improvement of the overall quality of services and the personalization of product offers.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a global catastrophe that has affected billions of individuals worldwide, including Malaysia. In addition, the pandemic had significant consequences for the global economy, industries, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and large and listed enterprises (LLs). Therefore, experts anticipate that the slowdown of economic activity will begin in March 2020 and continue until an unspecified date in 2021 or later.

In the beginning, COVID-19 was a health crisis that soon morphed into a global economic crisis at incredible speed and size, unlike anything we have ever seen before. The ripple effects of this pandemic are still being felt worldwide, and it is unclear that the full implications of its influence will be known until the situation stabilizes. In this post, we will look at how COVID-19 has affected SMEs and LLs in Malaysia. Based on the study, SMEs and LLs business effects from COVID-19 can be discussed in 5 areas: financial, customer, technology, supply chain, and employee.

FINANCIAL

According to Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) figures, financial concerns faced by SMEs were already apparent during the third quarter of 2019, owing to an average debt-to-equity ratio of 25% and a profit margin of only 5.7%. As a result, the effects of sudden shock situations on the stability of a corporation cannot be avoided. According to the results of an online survey on the sustainability of Malaysian SMEs conducted among 15,627 respondents, the majority of SMEs are extremely cash-strapped and expect to have no cash inflow for at least three months upon MCO due to multiple commitments such as staff salaries, rental payments, and other statutory payments. Approximately 33.3% of SMEs will only sustain their cash flow until March 2020, while 37.8% will sustain their cash flow until April 2020.

While for the large businesses, in contrast to the early months of the pandemic, there are indications of a slow but steady recovery; yet, liquidity seems to be a significant challenge, with the medium businesses having only two months of cash flow remaining. In October 2020, 60% of companies were already in difficulties or were on the verge of going into problems within the next six months. The tourism and transportation industries currently have the most considerable proportion of enterprises in difficulties, but the automotive and construction industries have the strongest impression of falling into financial hardship. Because of this widespread image of getting into arrears among businesses, many businesses are hesitant to take out loans for the risk of not being able to repay them.

CUSTOMER

Across large and SME companies, nearly half of the respondents have cited that a fall in demand is their key challenge, followed by a lack of client access for their products.

To overcome the lack of demand, digitalization is the most effective way for both LLs and SMEs. The justification for digitalization is apparent for big businesses: it increases productivity, competitiveness, and scale of operations. Complex technologies, such as automation of production processes and data-driven quality control systems, can help businesses cut costs and boost profits.

The low levels of back-end digitalization among SMEs before the COVID resulted in reduced productivity, lower efficiency, and a lackluster performance in business operations during the MCO. The week after the compulsory MCO, 70% of SMEs reported a 50% decrease in their commercial activity. Comparing these numbers to those found in the digital space within the same time frame reveals that online non-food purchasing climbed by 53%, online grocery shopping increased by 144%, and online food delivery increased by 61%. 

TECHNOLOGY

A total of 84% of SMEs reported experiencing challenges with their internet infrastructure and communications with clients and suppliers during the MCO survey. Meanwhile, for LLs, nearly a third of large and listed companies cited the inability to contact clients and suppliers as the major challenge.

SUPPLY CHAIN

Outages in the supply chain had a negative impact on sales and operations in the vast majority of companies. The failure of supply chain interruptions resulted in difficulty in completing sales orders for almost two-thirds of the impacted companies in October 2020. When it comes to supply chain shortages, exporters are hammered harder than non-exporters.

To deal with these interruptions, companies are employing a variety of tactics. These strategies include expanding supplier networks and boosting in-house manufacturing. Other than that, inciting large corporations to engage with SMEs, for example, by increasing their help in supply chains concerning financial recovery, raw material sourcing, and project outsourcing, can provide financial stability for SMEs and LLs for the time being. 

 EMPLOYEE

Most industries have seen a net loss in employment since the implementation of the MCO, which has had a considerable influence on employment levels. The most often implemented changes by businesses in October 2020 were the reduction of working hours and wages. Numerous employees were compelled or forced to remain home because the pandemic and self-isolation may be optional in several countries. In more seriously affected areas, the government may mandate non-essential employees not to break isolation restrictions. These restrictions may affect SMEs and LLs business in many ways, from delays in upskilling, completing projects, and operational downtime.