Blockchain-based smart contracts allow developers to program complex business logic into software applications in a seamless manner. Smart contract programming is expected to be a highly sought-after skill as we head into 2022 and beyond. That's because writing Web 3.0 apps is well on its way to becoming a global standard and smart contracts are set to play a key role in the development of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms.

Ethereum (ETH) has emerged as the dominant blockchain for creating DeFi applications which serve a wide range of use-cases. For the first time in history, complex financial transactions can be executed without requiring costly intermediaries that may take a long time to settle transactions between different parties.

While there are many so-called Ethereum competitors in the market, they don't benefit from nearly the same networking effects and large developer community. For this reason alone, Ethereum's native Solidity smart contract programming language has become an industry standard. While other software development environments are also being widely-adopted, there's no denying that Solidity is among the most popular languages for programming smart contracts.

So how does one go about learning Solidity? Well, you have to practice a lot and pay attention to details. In addition to that, here are four great ways to really sharpen your Solidity coding skills.

1. Reviewing Source Code Written by Other Programmers

University professors in the computer science department will tell you always to read and seriously study source code written by skilled programmers. Oftentimes, the best way to learn how to program in a certain language requires carefully studying, line by line, how other developers have written their code.

Writing code in Solidity is no exception, because one can only acquire the best smart contract programming skills by reading the code authored by other experienced software architects. When you read through large libraries of source-code, you will begin to learn how to properly program basic commands and tasks. For instance, there could be a standard or highly effective way to create a certain type of business application using smart contracts.

By learning how this is done in a standardized, routine, and efficient manner, programmers will become experts. But of course, there's more to it than just reviewing code authored by others. So let's go over some other great ways to become a better Solidity coder.

2. Taking Solidity Programming Courses Online

In the digital world, online computer programming courses are becoming highly popular amongst teenagers or older programmers who may be in University, working in an Internship, or even a seasoned developer trying to learn a new coding language.

In some ways, learning Solidity is like learning a new natural language. You know, the kind humans speak such as English or Mandarin. You have to learn the syntax and all the semantics (meaning behind the code). Youtube is a free and highly-recommended platform for learning all things related to Solidity. One of the best things about YouTube is that it's free, so you don't pay anything to learn. Then there's also Udemy and other online learning portals like Khan Academy where people can go to learn new skills, including Solidity code, of course.

3. Hackathons

But what could be better than learning for free? There's only one thing better, which is to potentially earn large rewards for getting better at Solidity coding. A great example for such a hackathon is the Metis hackathon. The developers of the Metis Layer-2, Optimum Rollup solutions for Ethereum have announced an exciting hackathon event that will allow participants to earn a share of $1 million in digital tokens.

Metis is a great initiative because they provide opportunities to build cutting-edge dApps as well as a chance to participate in charitable projects.

By competing in this hackathon event, you should be able to really sharpen those Solidity coding skills. For more information on this event, check here. 

4. Software Testing, Debugging

Another great way to get better at Solidity coding is to test programs and identify bugs or other issues. This will really teach you how to write programs in the right manner. You can also practice debugging code, by using special tools to run programs line by line, while studying and monitoring the changing values of program variables, and also check for other details.

This is a good way to learn how programs actually work, so that you get a better idea of how to code smart contracts effectively.

Cover Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash