Just few things can make a developer professional

Just like some people are natural artists, some people are natural programmers. The natural programmers are ones that can both think logically AND intuitively. They can use logic and still intuitively jump to conclusions that would take far longer with logic alone.

There are several things that a developer should know other then coding to become a professional developer and it takes a lot more to be a professional in the field.

Is it like, schools teach you to code, and might even teach you how to code with a team, but there are a lot of skills that new developers go into the field not knowing. What are some skills an aspiring developer should build before landing a job, other than coding?

Businessman and woman working on computers

Developer needs the ability to learn because programming is a field that moves so fast you need to be able to keep up to date without it being too much of a chore for yourself.

You need to be able to talk with non-technical people who don’t know what they want and determine what they actually need and how you can get a program and database to do that.

Then you have to be able to convey why your new process is better than the old way and teach the users how to use your program.

Curiosity will also build up your skills because you will be tempted to do programming that is not work. Try a new language, try functional programming, do some graphics instead of line-of-business apps, try a mobile app. You need to program in your spare time because you want to.

As a professional, you will often have to work with a team of developers who have competing ideas, work under seniors who may have very specific ways they want things done, and be submitted to code reviews in which flaws in your code will be ruthlessly pointed out.

As long as you can maintain an excitement for learning new things, you will be fine.

Posted by Anuj Pathak

Anuj Pathak is a software enablement solution expert, a seasoned veteran in the field of sales, business development, and web & mobile apps development. His management skills and leadership continue to deliver results for organizations looking to expand their reach and revenues by providing services around user experience, and software development for all mobile platform and internet technologies.