article

Department of Informatics and Computing Engineering

25 de abril de 2019

Become a good software engineer

For me, becoming a developer has been a great career choice. It challenges you because of its constant evolution and, therefore, it is rewarding. Nowadays, almost every company is searching for good developers. However, university doesn’t cover all the aspects of what it takes to be a good developer and master this missing aspects will help you succeed.

Being a great developer is more than just coding

You might think you are all set once you know C++, JavaScript or Python. However, being a great developer requires a wide range of soft skills too – like being able to empathize with people. At the end of the day, you will still be working with humans. Empathy helps you understand what your teammates want, how your clients prefer to work, as well as how the end user will interact with your software.

Ideas are everything – so good debate skills are vital

Another important skill is communication, especially the power of persuasion that is often gained from the art of debate. A team must be able to discuss and challenge themselves in a healthy, non-confrontational manner for the ideas to thrive. You will prosper if you can communicate in order to change priorities, requirements and urgency in a collaborative, positive way.

Our industry will gain if you have the ability to have an open dialogue with people who may not share your values or point of view — this can be achieved, by fostering a more inclusive environment that’s attractive for people of all personality types and cultural backgrounds.

Collaborate with different teams across your organization

If you are given the opportunity to work beyond your division or business unit with another team, take it! You will see new, different points of view and grow your skill set.

When someone has an idea, regardless of what unit they’re in, they can effectively be mentored by another team and guided to make any changes needed themselves. It’s a very fulfilling way to work, seeing someone empowered to take their own creativity and supported to turn it into an end-product.

The lone wolf software engineer is a myth

The most part of a developer’s job is about teamwork, collaboration and communication. Doing these things well is really at the heart of a successful development career. This makes the work more enjoyable and improves the quality of what we do and the impact we can have.

Underpromise, Overdeliver

Underestimating the amount of work needed to accomplish a feature is an extremely common mistake among new, and even experienced, engineers.

This aspect is very beneficial because it gives you more time to develop and refactor your code and you can figure out the best design possible, and not just one that works. Furthermore, several things can go wrong during the development phase: you can get sick, meetings, a co-worker goes on vacation and the list goes on.

Various things can happen during feature development, and as long as you are openly communicating, everything will be fine.

While I could keep adding to this list, the best advice I could offer is for you to go out and put these tips into action. By implementing these in your day-to-day, you will become a better programmer in no time – whether you’re still studying at university, an established programmer or simply looking to develop coding skills for you to use in your existing job.

Starlight Software

By Luís Saraiva

Department of Informatics and Computing Engineering

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