I
have worked with many developers in my professional career. I worked
with extremely bright developers who lacked any kind of social skills
and developers who could barely understand basic concepts but could be
my best friend. I know developers that spend all their free time coding
and others who only learn as they go.
So what makes a good
developer? Math skills? Logic and reason? It is definitely a blend of
many skills that make up the perfect developer. It also depends on the
specific role, do you communicate with a large team or the customer? Do
you work by yourself on complex scientific data logic? Are you
developing intricate enterprise level applications or small IOS apps?
I
have worked on all sorts of projects from complex to simple, small to
enterprise, solo and on large teams. I have concluded there are two main
skills that any developer should have if they want to succeed in almost
any environment.
1. A Problem Solving Mindset
Simple.
Whether its a website, large data application or a financial API, the
goal is the same. Solve the problem. Whatever it takes, however long,
whatever you need to learn. Your mindset is to solve it. Period.
2. Understanding your Clients Needs
When
I say client in this context I mean everyone you work with is your
client. The actual customer, your fellow developers, the lead, the
project manager and even the CEO.
I know my fellow
developer needs me to finish my task so they can work on theirs. I know
my project manager needs me to communicate my status frequently so he
can keep his client happy. I know my CEO needs me to produce high
quality interfaces so it looks good when they present it to prospective
customers.
The reality is the quality of your code is
important but in the business world it is not the only goal. The goal is
to satisfy your customers ... and most of them never look at your code.
I
also want to mention that it does not take a genius to be a developer. I
truly believe anyone who is willing to put in the effort can succeed in
this industry! You can take courses or learn it yourself, the internet
is full of resources, free and cheap.
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you need help figuring out if you should commit the money to upgrade
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