Posted on Sep 19th, 2019 by Natalie
You'll be familar with the stereotypes surrounding a career in coding, but like most sterotypes, in reality they don't hold up, particularly if you're of the opinion that a career in coding means sitting at a desk all day just writing lines of code.
Roles which require coding skills are rarely, if ever like the situation described above and so if you're considering coding as a career then it's important to be aware of the other skills which you'll need to have or develop to succeed in this type of career.
Agile methodoligies used by software developers, engineers and programmers require lots of communication, between different business areas, teams and individuals, you'll need to check in on a regular basis on the projects you're working on and you'll work on planning, refining and take part in retrospectives. In fact most roles which require coding skills also require pretty much constant communication about things that are going wrong, things that are going right and everything in between.
You might think these two skills are polar opposites but they're two very common attributes of successful developers. When coding, even the simplest of errors can lead to an issue and this is where the ability to problem solve and apply logical structured thinking is beneficial, but at the same time you'll be expected to think 'outside the box' when it comes to coding too. Creative curious minds are the starting point for innovative solutions and answers to problems which is exactly what you'll be expected to do as a developer or engineer.
Technology moves fast and so to succeed in a coding career you'll need to be committed to learning, of course self development is an important aspect in any career but it's rare you'll find such levels of self-learning still taking place within other career paths.
Even the most experienced programmers, developers and engineers continue to self educate and continously develop new skills and it has an added bonus too. The tech community is rife with people who want to share or 'teach' skills and it's an important skill to have as a developer, as at some point in your career you'll almost certainly be expected to teach a peer how to do something or solve a problem.
A person with sought after technical skills who is also business savvy is a great asset. Understanding your position in a business and most importantly what you can do to help that business meet its' goals and contribute to the bottom line can be critical to progressing through your career in coding.
The Tech Skills gap isnt just a soundbite, the need for individuals with coding skills to help drive businesses forward is a very real one, so to stand out from the crowd it's essential to hone these sought after skills.
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