Software development is one of the popular career choices of this era. A huge amount of career changers aspire to work as software developers. If you aspire to be a developer, you should already learn or build skills that will help you get the position.
As one of the most competitive fields, becoming a software developer necessitates an extensive knowledge of programming skills and a variety of other technical talents. However, software developers are in huge demand globally, and coupling new technical skills with existing skills that career changers already have is of huge advantage.
Here are some of the skills required to be a software developer.
What Are Software Developer Skills?
A software developer’s responsibility is to develop and design software that meets the company’s needs. The developer must have a strong understanding of analytical thinking, creativity, and programming skills to do so.
Since there are so many career changers vying for the position, employers have difficulty selecting the best candidate. Someone who is competent in software development and has other miscellaneous skills that can assist them in software development would be the ideal candidate hiring managers are searching for.
The following are the skills that will pique the hiring manager’s interest in your resume:
Good Knowledge of Programming Languages
To become a developer, you must be proficient at programming. There are a lot of programming languages that are used for diverse reasons. The languages are even divided into different categories such as frontend, backend, scripting and many more. Therefore, an applicant for the software developer position must be skilled in at least two or three coding languages.
Here are some programming languages you should learn for the role of a software developer:
Understanding Data Structures and Algorithms
The comprehension of data structures and algorithms is the second most significant talent every organisation looks for in a candidate after programming languages. For software developers to build efficient programs and organise data efficiently, they should possess knowledge of data structures.
Developers employ data structures to create algorithms that simplify tasks quickly and efficiently. Trees, linked lists, heaps, arrays are some concepts you will learn in data structures.
Data structures and algorithms are covered in a variety of online courses. Try to complete them and acquire certificates, demonstrating your DS expertise and piquing the recruiting manager’s interests.
Software Testing
The next step after planning and developing a project is testing. Before releasing a product, organisations typically do a series of tests using various digital technologies to find and correct any potential faults, difficulties, bugs, or latencies. So, as a software developer, you should be familiar with software tools and construct algorithms that run tests.
There are numerous testing methods; here are a few that you should be familiar with:
Unit Testing
Every line or block of code is tested in unit testing. This test aims to ensure that the codes are working correctly.
Integration Testing
The interaction between distinct blocks or modules is assessed during integration testing.
System Testing
After all, tests are complete, the final test is the system test, in which the overall software is tested. Again, external testing professionals usually do this test.
Source Control
Source control allows software developers to save and track changes to their code. As a result, almost every software firm is seeking a software engineer who is already familiar with source control software like GIT.
Text Editors
If you are a programmer, you probably are aware of text editors. Every programmer starts their coding journey by writing various codes in a text editor such as notepad, visual code and many more. There are a variety of text editors to choose from, each with its own set of features for better code execution. So, software developers must be familiar with text editors.
Some text editors in which you can implement your codes:
Knowledge in Databases
For a developer, adequate knowledge of databases is a must. The database is where an organisation stores all data, arranged neatly in terms of fields and records. A professional software developer must be able to alter, delete, update and secure the organisation’s data in a database.
The developer must be familiar with SQL, or structured query language, to deal with the database. You should be familiar with the following databases:
Cryptography
Cryptography is the technique of implementing strong passwords and security systems to ensure the security of a system. To prevent malicious malware or attacks from infecting software, software developers must be well-versed in encryption software and methodologies.
A developer should be aware of two concepts in cryptography: symmetric encryption, which uses one key to access data, and asymmetric encryption, which uses two keys to unlock the original data.
Operating Systems
When developing software, the developer must be aware of the platform and the challenges that may arise when the software is launched, such as memory issues, tool clashing issues, sluggish performance, and so on, which may interrupt the project performance.
Adequate understanding of operating systems will aid software developers in creating software that can run on any platform without lag.
The following are the operating systems that software developers prefer to use:
- Windows
- macOS
- Android
- IOS
Versed in Spreadsheet Software
Spreadsheet software knowledge will assist developers in performing data analysis, tracking progress, and performing necessary computations. Though it is not a mandatory skill, expertise with spreadsheets can assist developers in executing tasks like sorting, filtering, merging, and so on.
Cloud-Based Software
Developers can use cloud-based software to store their software on the cloud rather than on physical media. The popularity of cloud storage is growing by the day, and businesses are opting to store databases and software on the cloud rather than building their data warehouses. So, having some knowledge of cloud-based technologies is a wise choice for software developers.
Non-Technical skills
While it’s obvious that you must know how to programme to become a software developer, non-technical skills are hugely important. Employers appreciate career changers for various reasons. Firstly, they appreciate the dedication and time it takes to change careers, which says a lot about the candidate. Likewise, they like the extra skills that a career changer can take with them.
Because software development is now a part of every industry, employers like it when their software developers have other skills too. For example:
- Communication skills
- Management skills
- Marketing skills
- Social Media skills
- Sales skills
- Storytelling skills
If you possess these skills, your resumé must show them. Often, career changers don’t realise the importance of their previous skills when applying for software developer roles.
Start Coding
As one of the highest-paying professions, the competition for software developer roles is becoming increasingly intense. As a result, aspirants should have diverse skills to be considered for the position. But what if you’re brand new to software development? Well, the first step is to learn some of the basics and Code Institute’s free 5 Day Coding Challenge can help with that. All it takes is one hour a day over five days, and on it, you will learn basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Register now through the form below.
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