From Good to Great: Becoming the Best Java Developer After 10 Years

Becoming the best Java developer after 10 years of experience isn’t just about knowing Java syntax — it’s about mastery, leadership, impact, and adaptability in a fast-changing tech world.

Here’s a focused, real-world guide to help you go from experience to exceptional:

🧠 1. Deep Mastery of Java Language & JVM :

You’re already experienced, so now it’s time to truly master Java:

• JVM internals — Garbage collection, class loading, JIT compiler, memory management.
• Advanced language features — Streams, Lambdas, Optional, Records, Sealed classes, Virtual threads (Project Loom).
• Concurrency & multithreading — Executors, ForkJoinPool, CompletableFuture, and reactive programming.
• Performance tuning — Profiling tools (JFR, JVisualVM), heap dumps, GC logs.

📚 Book: Effective Java by Joshua Bloch (even re-read it, it hits differently after years of experience).

🔧 2. Framework Expertise (especially Spring)

Java in the real world = frameworks. You should be an expert in:

• Spring Boot — Auto-config, starters, testing strategies.