Minimum Qualifications To Succeed As A Developer
Do you have what it takes to be qualified and become a successful developer in the tech industry? For technology to continue to work securely and effortlessly. We should emphasize the importance of the experts behind it. Experts known as developers provide their knowledge and skillsets that create secure computer applications for users. The confusion begins here, with the many terms for developers. To have some clarification to set these developers apart. Allows the average person to recognize the importance of each type. To get into more details on how to become successful as a developer. This research will inform its readers of the required skills recommended. In addition, a step inside through the lens of a software engineer's perspective, in how he can maintain his success as a developer.
Many terminologies will often pop up to describe developers, such as software developers, coders, web developers, and even software engineers. These terms quite often lead to so much confusion for the average person. At the same time, each share similar responsibilities in their duties but are distinct in how they will differ in what they do in the industry. Todd Cullum, a Software Engineer, informs the readers that experienced developers would have already known the information "through years of experience themselves". He continues to inform that people like to "simplify it and say they're synonymous". In other words, people want to be called what they feel like they are suited for. He further says that some would instead be called an "Engineer" or a "Coder" to satisfy their position. The best way to clarify these terms to an average person is to provide some essential explanations for each.
The Different Types of Developers
First, we begin with the term "Coder". When this term is heard, people will tend to gravitate to think of someone who programs and writes computational codes. The majority of the average individual would be commonly confused, but he believes it's not accurately represented with Cullum. Cullum shares that he's never come across any business that paid someone else to create programs and hands it over to someone that's a dedicated coder. His interpretation is that "coder is synonymous with programmer because coding itself is always paired with the act of programming a computer". Implying that individuals who don't write computer codes without writing programs would not make logical sense.
Coders Differ
Equally important, a Programmer will differ by how they develop a set of instructions for the computer to be executed. While the programmer carefully creates designs for the entire program. They will write and build codes to establish the user's inputs and the computer's output in staying synchronized. Based on an article, the difference between coding and programmers is that "coding is only a small part of a programmer's work and can be considered a subset of programming". The term coding is just another expression of a segment of what a programmer does, but quite often, they happen to manage other given tasks while also coding. Other duties include testing, developing designs, debugging, and creating plans to complete the process of work given. Generally speaking, the coder and programmer are fundamentally the same in their work structurally in design.
Comparatively, let's get into how a Web Developer gets their job done. When you hear this term, the average person can assume they build websites. Some will misunderstand their role and process that they do the same thing as a programmer in their minds. Based on an article written by Ben Stegner, he mentions the difference with "web designer would think of an idea for a website" and plans what features to apply. While the web developer creates and produces the design based on the details given. This suggests web developers are the experts who write the codes and programs for websites. He also included "the web developer would probably be responsible for updating and maintaining the site." With this implication, the web developer would have to look after the finished product while ensuring things are working correctly and up to date.
Furthermore, the Software Engineer is the term that confuses so many with software developers. To clarify some misconceptions, we must begin with the question by asking, what is an Engineer? The term Engineers borrowed from en.wikipedia.org are professionals who invent, design, analyze, develop and test machines, buildings, gadgetry, and materials to reach their objectives. The goal is to reduce error, keep things safe, and minimize cost. These are considered the standard principles of Engineering. However, being called an Engineer means they are very skilled, trained, and understand their trade. As stated in an article by Lewis Stowe, Software Engineers are "capable of doing every task as a software developer". In addition, he adds in and says that they are more "focused on the structure design and eliminating technical debt" by focusing their attention on solving sudden issues and other parts of the entire system. They also prioritize building designs, installing, and sustaining system applications.
Finally, getting to the point where things contrast with the Software Developer in how they shine in what they're known for. Software Developers tend to approach their duty by starting their procedure with direct communications with customers and collecting valuable information that meets their objective needs. According to Lewis Stowe, he mentions that "they go on to design and develop the different components in the applications," resulting in an end product that will need to work synchronized to meet their goal objective. His implications lead to the understanding that software or programs can become successful. It should be designed and developed from the ground up intended for that particular user's needs and ensure it stays up to date with its partners. Quite often, a developer will work alongside programmers in using various skills, which we'll get into later on about the requirements of becoming a successful developer.
Altogether. It is not fair to generalize the term developer. By gaining a better understanding of noticeable differences that exist. With some clarifications and basic information gathered through available sources. The average individual can grasp that there is more than just one type of developer in the tech industry.
Payscale and Future Employment Projection
Getting paid is important for several reasons. Knowing how much income provides the security for individuals to live life comfortably. The security of making payments from daily expenses to purchasing food and even having enough for your retirement is to see the median salary and future employment projection. It helps the curious prospective developer decide whether becoming a developer is the right career choice.
According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth of software developer and engineering jobs will increase 22% over the next ten years. This indicates the job growth rate is much faster than the average rate. It has a median pay scale of $110,000 per year and an increase of employment of 410,000 from 2020 to 2030. As for a web developer, based on BLS projects, its growth to be increased by 13% over the next ten years. This also indicates the change has become increasingly faster than the average rate, with the median pay of $77,000 per year and a slight increase of employment of 26,000 from 2020 to 2030. The exciting difference with a programmer's projected growth has decreased by 10% over the next ten years. The median pay of $89,000 per year and a decline of employment from 2020 to 2030. As reported from BLS with the high cost in managing projects. Businesses will outsource tasks overseas within the next ten years to cut costs and save money. This suggests that people outside the United States can provide the same skills needed to complete projects at a much lower pay scale.
The statistics have shown and projected the future of employment for developers to remain strong for the next decade. Annual salaries that are much higher than the average American income of $31,000 per year have been shown. This informs everyone that there is plenty of job growth within this field and demands experts to keep up with it to remain stable.
The Required skills to succeed.
So what are the skills needed for the average individual to succeed as a developer? With many options available for all curious individuals. Many interested in having a career in the tech industry will have to establish time and commitment to acquire some knowledge that's typically required. Knowledge gained through the typical 4-year bachelor's degree available from most colleges and the alternative coding boot camps available online. Having suitable sources will lead to acquiring proper skills and eventually open doors for entry-level positions. The essential way of grasping new skills and knowledge is to understand the fundamentals of each teaching. Developers, in general, will have to acquire complex skills and soft skills to become essential in team settings. The hard skills programmers need, according to the article, mention a list of the ten most desired hard skills for today's industry. Those hard skills include knowing of:
- Algorithm coding set of instructions sent to the computer for processing.
- Data Structures ability to organize and store information in computers to improve the performance in reaching stored data efficiently.
- HTML (HyperText Markup Language) coding language used for web development.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) coding language goes hand in hand with HTML with web development.
- JavaScript works with HTML and CSS language to incorporate complex characteristics on the web pages.
- SQL (Sequel) is a language used by databases concerning querying related data.
- NoSQL (Non-Sequel) is the opposite of SQL used for non-relational databases in higher volume data storage.
- APIs (Application Programming Interface) act as a messenger by receiving user requests and sending the information to the server in response.
- Git open-source project that tracks changes in a set of files used collaboratively with other developers to increase efficiency.
- PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) scripting language used by web developers to generate web pages in real-time.
While these are just a handful of complex skills that are highly desirable for a modern developer, many other hard skills can be found throughout the web, with different positions available as a developer in the market. Various situations will require different sets of skills to become a successful developer.
The skills all programmers need include effective communication with others in a team setting, being responsible, taking accountability for the things you do, being patient while showing respect, staying favorable to others, being curious, and enjoying problem-solving. In addition, one also needs to have soft skills. This skill is usually developed naturally through many stages of the individual's walk of life. It is probably an essential aspect of communicating with others in a team setting. Since hard skills and soft skills go hand to hand, they can make or break an individual's ability to progress in their career even though a developer who can grasp all the complex skill knowledge at hand will have difficulty getting the promotion they desire when lacking the soft skills.
Having these skills will open doors and excel a person's career and allow them to shine. Eventually, they become more valuable in the job market. Nothing seems better than directly asking a developer a few sets of questions on how they stay successful as a modern developer. So being curious is good because it enables the individual to seek answers for what they don't know.
A Developer's Perspective
Acquired the hard skills that every developer aimed to grasp. Obtained the knowledge of using the right soft skills for communications. Sought open opportunities to level up your career but curious to maintain the position as a developer. This is where the perspective of a modern software engineer shares his expert advice in answering some common questions about how to stay successful as a developer. Senior Software Engineer Oscar Garcia Telles worked his way to obtain his bachelor's degree in computer science by attending 4-years in college. Excel in mathematics, including having the ability to communicate well with others through mentoring students from all backgrounds. He landed a career as a developer working under Liberty Mutual insurance. Mr. Telles was able to work his way up in achieving the title as a Senior Software Engineer. The first question asked to Mr. Telles,
What advice can you give to someone interested in becoming a developer?
"Simply learn the basics and building experience can mean different things depending on the individual's interests". Implies that understanding the fundamentals of programming and getting hands-on experience best interests you. A great example that he mentions is that of a developer interested in backend development, "build a backend application with an appropriate framework like Spring Boot and Node.js. To explain, a framework is a software developed by programmers focusing on building applications. Instead of starting with nothing, existing tools are available to create an application. "If someone is interested in frontend development, build your frontend applications". Implying that new developers stick with their interests and let curiosity do the work. The second question for Mr. Telles asks.
What minimum qualifications to succeed as a developer?
"You must be comfortable with at least one language and should be familiar with data structures to the point where you can easily identify when/how to use a particular structure". Developers should aim to fully understand a computer language thoroughly and have the ability to be organized with different types of structured data. He includes that "you should also be a good problem solver and have experience with troubleshooting code". So back to the basics with coding. Practice makes perfect. Understand how to correctly identify and fix errors when bugs appear on the screen. In addition to being successful, a developer "should also be curious to learn about best practices and having an eye for efficiency". So let your curiosity lead you to learn even more while self-improving are crucial to becoming successful. The third question asks.
How do you keep your frame-of-work in check without getting stressed?
"This can be challenging, but a few things can avoid this. Asking for support is an option. This could mean asking a teammate for help with challenging/stressful tasks". To his response, this means it's okay to seek help and ask questions when coming to a roadblock. Even various developers will have to seek some advice through others to learn and adapt to certain situations. Also, "the sooner you ask for help, the better" when time is not your friend when trying to complete a given project on time. Teamwork through communication creates success when running into issues. One person might have the skills that another does not have. To overcome situations and succeed, one must work in unity. The last question asks.
What are the benefits of becoming an experienced developer?
"There are several benefits to being a developer. One benefit is working in an endless number of fields: insurance, online, retail, gaming, science, etc.". In this case, having the flexibility to find many jobs that cater to developers in various areas in all industries. Which creates the opportunity to find work and life balance. In addition, the benefit of "working remotely since all that's required is a computer and reliable internet access"—is an excellent example of why new developers are so attracted to the idea of working remotely. Whether comfortably from home or anywhere, a working computer and internet are required. Once more, concerning the benefit", "each project will likely have you learn different tools when implementing a solution". A great way to encounter something new while taking on projects. Sometimes getting involved with new opportunities leads to problems, but a chance to learn new skills is a benefit.
Takeaway
We find that there are different types of developers in the tech industry. Various developers specialize in building programs, websites, and computer applications that meet user objectives. The average tech individual has a better understanding of how each developer differs in what they do. Hard skills and soft skills are required for individuals that want to become successful developers.
