Essential Developers Skills That No One Talks About Much

Regular readers of this site know that I am big fan of raising awareness and proficiency with soft skills. This was one of several thinga about this guest post that caught my eye. – KW

If you are a software developer or aspiring to be one, there are some skills, both technical and non-technical, you need to have to become a proficient developer. As a modern-day developer, you should have the knowledge and expertise of the platform you are working on. And when we talk about the platform, it means everything from the programming language, operating system, networking, data processing, and more. Integrating modern technologies and technical aspects of your work results in the development of a good product.

You may learn the basics of programming, but there are some essential skills that no one talks about. In this competitive world, if you want to gain industry-wide recognition, start earning more, and skyrocket your career, learning these skills is a must.

With that said, in this post, we will discuss some essential developer skills that nobody cares to learn but are important for one's survival.

#1 Data Analysis and Visualization

When top companies are looking to hire proficient developers, they tap into the candidate's knowledge of data structures and algorithms. This is a topmost priority for companies because it allows them to check the developer's coding and problem-solving skills. The knowledge of programming language will not make you a good developer. If you know how data can be organized and how it can solve real-life problems, you become a good developer. Platforms like Artofvisualization are renowned for teaching students data analysis and visualization skills at a professional level. You should not refrain from learning such skills. It will allow you to remain competitive in the longer run.

#2 Networking Basics

The understanding of basic networking concepts is a must for developers. In the majority of the cases, the development projects are based on the client-server model. This means that the client can be based anywhere in the world to access the software or application that goes through the network to a server. Understanding of the networking concepts allows developers to create and support an application. Failure leads to HTTP network issues. Applications like cloud computing, business automation, online games, and web-based applications all use client-server architecture. So, you cannot overlook this aspect of learning. In fact, networking is considered to be the basics that every programmer should learn, along with the coding.

#3 Operating System

As a software developer, you should know the mechanism and fundamentals of the operating system. When working on development projects, it is normal for a developer to deal with issues related to operating systems like blocking issues, tools conflicting issues, delays, problems in communicating with other machines, and memory usage. The program you create should work on multiple machines (unless not requested by the client). And if it fails to do that, it can create a series of issues. So, you need to have a good grasp of the mechanism and functioning of the operating system(s) for which you are developing the software.

#4 Soft Skills

These are the skills that are not directly related to the developer position, but they somehow come in handy to the profession. Some of the soft skills every developer should possess are:

• Communication and Empathy: While most of your interactions will be with the machines, you will still need to communicate and coordinate with humans. That is why these skills are of utmost importance.
• Adaptability: Technology is changing at a fast pace. If you aren’t adaptable, you may lose your worth as soon as some new technologies hit the market.
• Patience: It takes a lot to write, run, and debug a code. So patience must be there to do the job.

Apart from these, there are also some necessary skills like problem-solving and humbleness, that you must possess.

#5 Testing and Continuous Integration

Software developers are always threatened with deadlines. They code as fast as they can, and in doing so, some errors are left within the code that goes unnoticed. Speed inevitably leads to errors and bugs. As a developer, it is your responsibility to make sure that your code is free of any error to achieve the bottom line. This gets a bit challenging when a team of developers is working on independent pieces of code. Every developer has a unique way of working and writing codes. So, the errors can be different. You need to test the software once all the codes are integrated. While it is the job of the tester, before you send out the code, you should cross-check it multiple times to make sure that it is compiling and running correctly. It is a continuous process.

#6 Teamwork Skills

As said, there will be different developers in a team working on independent pieces of code. This means that you need to build a relationship with every developer in the team to make sure that they all are on the same page as you are. This is an essential non-technical skill that every developer needs. Good team collaboration leads to positive outcomes. If the communication is great, there is proper understanding; then development projects can be summarized quickly and efficiently.

Final Words

Whether you are a self-taught programmer or learned from the masters, these skills are something that nobody mentions. You need to upskill at every step in order to remain competitive.