A reader who wishes to remain anonymous wrote to ask:

I'm a programmer from the Philippines. I'm kind of a latebloomer since I didn't take up Computer Science or a similar course in college, but I learned programming on my own. I tried to save money so I can buy a couple of books (although I would love to read more), so I can continuously learn software design and development. For almost two years now, I've been landing jobs in companies that really don't have good processes for developing quality software. I have recently started a job. I'm not an expert, but I know when legacy applications have been built by engineers that also aim to produce quality software. The applications uses an object-oriented programming language, but all of them looks procedural. I still want to continuously learn and be a good software craftsman someday. Should I leave and apply for another job in which I think there is more potential to learn great software development processes?

Thanks for writing. Let me preface my suggestions with the caveat that they're from the perspective of a programmer in the United States. I don't know how applicable they are to business life in the Philippines. You'll have to look at them through the lens of your own culture and understanding.

First, that you are wanting to improve yourself, to improve your skills, to improve your job prospects, means that you have the drive that will make you a better employee and programmer. Being able to write good software is only half of what it takes. The other half is having the drive to apply those skills day in and day out. (The third half is being able to be part of a team.)

It's good you have that drive, because it sounds like you're going to have to do much of the learning you want on your own. I would not rely on an employer to teach those skills to you. If your only reason to leave your current job for another is to learn better software development techniques, think twice. Chances are, the company you go to will have the same problems, perhaps with a different flavor, as your current company.

Instead, keep reading constantly. Read books like The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas, and Code Complete, 2nd ed. by McConnell. Read websites like StackOverflow for comments and ideas on how to be a better programmer. There will be much to sift through, but that's how it goes.

Apply those skills by working on projects outside of work, preferably open source projects. Working on open source lets you work with other programmers around the world who have the same drive you do. You'll learn and practice, while creating code that you can bring to your next interview to show as an example of your programming skills.

You may also want to try to bring some of these ideas to work with you. As you learn how to write great documentation, apply it to your daily life at work, even if nobody else in the company does. When you learn about test-first development, use it as your software methodology, even when you're the only one who does. You'll have better code, better projects, and people will notice. You'll be leading by example.

Finally, don't let the bad code get you down. The world is filled with it, especially at work, and it's just part of life as a programmer. Consider it a test bed for your refactoring skills.

If other TWL readers have suggestions, I'd love to hear them in the comments below. Good luck!