Do we know what a good software developer means? Let’s try to make a perfect profile of one. A professional creates a program that, after numerous checks and improvements, will work flawlessly, while respecting all available resources and making decisions and acting in accordance with the wishes of the client who hired them.
Judging by the prospect of this occupation that we can clearly see in the market, but also in comparison with other professions, it’s obvious that there’s a long and thorny path to go from a total starter to the person mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. One learns while he or she is alive – and no learning process can pass without working on ourselves and combating the most common mistakes that prevent us from taking our experience to a higher level.
We present you with five ‘pillars of shame’ that any software developer shouldn’t let appear in their career.
1. Failing to test what they do
This usually happens in the first stages, when developers finally come into contact with the first real projects, practices and tasks that aren’t a joke, but serious endeavors. Often, in a hurry to meet the deadline and being afraid of the client’s reaction, they just go over fundamental things and skip them. One of them is the obligatory check of everything that’s done.
Although this is a mandatory and strictly recommended step and measure for every software developer, it still happens that a single mistake can cost the entire fee and a good relationship with the client, as well as a bunch of nerves. In addition to testing the product of our work, there is also the primary market testing, which is a tactic of Tech Tiq Solutions and numerous other successful companies, so we shouldn’t forget that either.
The temptation that distracts us from such a crucial step can be extremely big and you might think to yourself that this isn’t such a big deal. However, just remember that one and only wrong detail that hasn’t previously been tested and possibly corrected could spoil the function of the entire project. You don’t want to know how many problems it can bring, but what you definitely want is not to let something like that happen.
2. Problems with time estimation
A satisfactory project can’t be done in the blink of an eye, and that’s probably clear to everyone, less or more. What still remains a breaking point for some developers and a kind of error in steps is a bad assessment when it comes to the deadline needed for a quality project.
Whether you work as a freelancer and as an individual or you’re part of a team in one of the companies that do this kind of work, among other things, there’s a lot wrong with this approach. Procrastination, of course, plays a significant role in its implementation and makes us believe that we can finish something much faster than the real situation implies. Therefore, when it comes to an agreement made with the client, one should estimate the number of hours or days that such jobs require objectively, so that they don’t actually have to be forced to speed things up and spoil them on the way.
3. Changing jobs and companies too often
Ten companies in your resume would absolutely look impressive at first glance – until someone glances at the section stating how long you had worked for each of them and finds that these are periods of a few months. So, while it may seem like it could boost your work experience and a way to show that you’ve been someone’s choice before, it doesn’t always have to be that way. It can also turn against you the moment a potential employer realizes that you aren’t staying for too long in your jobs.
Experience is a basic point and people gain it in a million diverse ways, but the question is – to what extent it all affects the quality of service you’re willing to provide. Effort and proper performance of duties always pay off, and the optimal length of the employment period shouldn’t be less than at least a few years.
This will indicate to your future clients the desire of your former employers to keep you, which in turn will imply that you have good sides and qualities that they mustn’t miss. Software development is a serious profession – no one wants to deal with frivolous individuals on this path.
4. Staying in a single company for a long time
Just like you don’t need to change workplaces as often as you change socks or underwear, it’s not recommended for software developers to ‘bury’ themselves in a single company during their whole lives. This kind of occupation provides a huge deal of opportunities and chances that others don’t and it’s simply a pity to let them just pass us by.
For this reason, many professionals in this field choose to take freelance paths, hoping that it’ll somehow relieve them of certain restrictions and give them more freedom. And not only that – the choice of clients in that case is reduced exclusively to mutual preferences, personal agreements can give much better results, and the profession is promising enough that there wouldn’t be a lack of interested potential newbies. In these cases, you just need to be brave enough and dare to spread your wings, but before that, of course, you need good tactics and impeccable organization.
5. Lack of proper communication with clients
Although it seems that this job is mostly related to the computer, and that in that case, you don’t have to delve too deeply into interpersonal relationships and create that kind of connection with the people you work with, it’s not quite like that. Insufficient attention paid to this segment can result in a serious deterioration of the relationship with the employer or the client, especially if there’s a disagreement in the perspective from which the process of working on the project is viewed.
Just like in all other professions where you come into contact with other people who expect a certain type of service from you, developers must bring their soft skills to perfection in order for communication to be successful to mutual satisfaction. This applies to all situations, especially those concerning suggestions and ideas that the client has for them, payment agreements, as well as steps in the work assignment. Guessing and working on your own instead of consulting can also be disastrous, as well as rudeness, lack of understanding, and unreliability.
