Thinking of Pursuing A Career in Software Development?

Software development has become a fashionable career choice for many young adults and it’s no longer stereotypical to just males. Girls are joining online hackathons to improve their coding skills and keep up to date with the latest trends, technologies and frameworks. Schools and academies are teaching 8 year olds advanced technical coding skills. It’s no longer a curriculum based on just learning basic MS Office tools, creating colourful bar charts in Excel and learning how to cut, edit and paste. Who knows what potential this future talent that is being nurtured possesses and the endless inventions our youngsters will revolutionise in 2040 and beyond.

Software development is the driving force behind the future of a modern technological world. Companies require bespoke software to operate well with their systems, offering their clients extra-ordinary experiences. The world of Information Technology is forever changing how we live, already with a new competition of robots by Amazon and Google, programmed to listen and respond to our voices. Software development will soon enable us to control holographic touch screens in our own living spaces, similar to those seen in sci-fi movies. It was only two decades ago, mobile video calls seemed beyond the bounds of possibility.

The World of Software Developers

A progressive career based on skills and experience can see a developer earning between £45,000 to £80,000. The world of developers has seen a large transformation over the years; no longer a geek sitting in the corner developing repetitive applications, but more perks including travelling to various clients branches across the city. The balance of working with a computer screen 9-5 holds the excitement of working in a new environment every day.

Software developers either specialise in applications or systems. The former responsible for the design of databases or games for online gaming, whilst the latter designs and develops client-friendly operating systems and interfaces.

The Duties Required

Software developers form key members of the project planning boards. After all it’s the develop’s skills that determine the overall success of any new application and it’s their duty to design it. Contributing expert ideas and decisions at the planning stage is valued by stakeholders and project managers. Analysing the stakeholder’s needs before designing, testing and developing software to meet those requirements, is a summary of the main duties of a developer. Not to forget, long hours are typically common with any software developer role, due to the nature of the work.

Working closely with programmers, developers usually create a variety of models and diagrams through flowcharts to instruct the programmers how to write software code. Fixing problems, improving software and maintenance are also key roles of a developer.

The Skills Required by Software Developers

For many, the language of coding is complete jargon, but for a software developer, a considerable chunk of their knowledge is obtained through thick paper-backed books whilst studying on an intensive Computer Science degree course at their chosen university.

Anyone considering a career in this field, should have in depth experience of setting up frameworks on various platforms including web, mobile and desktop. The skills required for any particular software developer role depends on the systems used by the company, however a typical skill set would require experience of:

SQL

JSON

XML

GIT

API

Agile testing

REST

WebAPI

Specflow

Gherkin tools

Test scenarios

Acceptance testing

Web Services testing

Automation testing

Top 3 Qualities of a Good Software Developer

There are many qualities required by a software developer, including attention to detail, problem solving and excellent teamwork. The following qualities have been narrowed down as being vital to succeed in a leading software developer role. These qualities can help you stand out against other competing developers within the organisation and aid you to advance in your career to senior roles, which usually involves managing a team of several developers working on the same or different projects.

1. Analytical skills: Being able to understand the stakeholders needs and interpret these into an end piece of software is vital. Delivering the product the first time means the project does not go over budget and is on schedule.

2. Communication: Excellent interpersonal skills mean that the developer can discuss ideas and answer queries within the project team. Being approachable whilst a master of development in an IT environment can ensure the project stays on track.

3. Innovation: Thinking out of the box and creating new systems makes a software developer a vital asset within the company. Creating a solution that beats all the competition within the industry can be down to the skills of one talented developer who over time will be headhunted.

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