So\u2026 it’s almost February \u2014 How are those New Year resolutions panning out? Any of them involves learning a new skill? Probably not. Going to the gym rather than just paying for it. Dry month. Quit something. So torturous. We suggest a more positive approach. You\u2019re already a pro. We know that. But there\u2019s always room for improvement. In tech, you must stay up to date if you want to remain relevant. That means updating your dev toolkit and skills on a regular basis. And, because we are aware that you\u2019re a busy person and you don\u2019t always have the time to drop by your local Microsoft Ignite conference. We wanted to share a few tips and resources for MS developers to make your CV look shinier than ever. <\/p>\n
First things first. If lately you have been taking a break from the media, spend a few minutes catching up on the most relevant app-dev news of the last year. TechTarget\u2019s David Carty has compiled a very useful list<\/a> of the top 5 new stories of 2019 that will dictate what happens in software development in 2020. \u00a0<\/p>\n Of special relevance \u2014 GitHub\u2019s decision to Another resources for MS developers is to make sure you check out the recommendations that Infoworld\u2019s Simon Bisson makes for platform developers looking to strengthen their abilities.<\/a> From NET 5 and WinUI 3.0, to AKS, WSL 2 and Azure Sphere, Bisson proposes a great toolkit development routine; to start the year ahead of the competition<\/p>\n You can also take Although Microsoft discontinued MSDN Magazine last November after more than three decades. All of its issues are available on the company\u2019s digital archive<\/a>. The site packs tons of valuable information, from how-to guides to introductions to various technologies, tools and languages. \u00a0For example, the last MSDN magazine featured a practical guide for iterating with async enumerables in C# 8<\/a>. And an article exploring Python functions and coding tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n How To Learn Python With Rune<\/a><\/p>\n For more up-to-date resources, Microsoft Docs<\/a> has loads of deep technical content. You can also check out devblogs.microsoft.com<\/a> for helpful in-depth technical blog posts. Visual Studio\u2019s Subscriptions portal<\/a> offers great training resources, and Visual Studio Dev Essentials<\/a> has a full catalogue of useful development tools to explore. \u00a0<\/p>\n If you want to get serious, Microsoft\u2019s Virtual Academy<\/a> is a no brainer. With hundreds of online training courses spanning from Azure and Microsoft Dynamics to cloud development, the portal is a true gold mine for skill enhancement. We suggest you obtain the company\u2019s official certifications<\/a> in your desired area of expertise, as they will validate your expertise among the community and boost your career prospects. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Hungry for more? Try something different. If you haven\u2019t yet played with AI, Azure Machine Learning<\/a> has made it easier than ever to build AI models at scale. You can easily set up an account that grants you 12 months of access to a suite of useful and popular products. All for free \u2014 Unlike the gym to which most likely you\u2019re not going. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nopen its licensing to include unlimited private repositories, a great move for
\nsmall teams of developers. Also worth mentioning, the enhancement of
\nMicrosoft\u2019s Power Platform, which now provides better tools for developers
\nwanting to easily build chatbots and apps for data analysis or business process
\nautomation. <\/p>\nUpgrade your toolkit<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nadvantage of the myriad of free resources that are available online.<\/p>\nGet your feet wet with AI<\/strong><\/h3>\n