After having worked at the company I'm at for several years, I've seen quite a few mediocre programmers flounder at the same level for quite a while, none of th

After having worked at the company I'm at for several years, I've seen quite a few mediocre programmers flounder at the same level for quite a while, none of them particularly improving. I think the same things that keep someone from improving their skills are the same thing that make them a mediocre programmer in the first place. There is a difference between working hard at your job, and working hard to hone your craft.