Be A Python Dev

Not all software developers are created equal. While some take time to learn and thrive, others find it pretty easy. For most people, however, it requires a lot of effort to be a software developer. It is a pretty challenging career that requires a range of qualities and entails managing thousands of lines of complex logic, which is quite tricky.

In this article, we will look at the key personality traits for software development, but first, you have to understand that mental ability is vital. It largely contributes to software development’s initial success since you cannot adequately handle all the pressure that comes with the career if you are not mentally equipped.

Only a few people become successful software developers. However, once you have the mental ability, you can grow your career and become a good software developer by having the following personality traits:

Grit

Software development comes with several challenges. You will spend a lot of your time rooted to your computer screen as you write super-complex codes. You must, therefore, have the patience to persevere through challenging situations and provide a solution. This field also involves a lot of teamwork, which might be time-consuming. You should create a room to accommodate others, however dull or discouraging they sound. You are likely going to give up on your career soon if you lack the courage and resolve.

Accountability

You have to own up to your actions as a software developer. Most people prefer to blame others for their misdeeds, which is a pretty undesirable trait. You should always be ready to face your undoing and fix whatever you may have broken. Coding is not an easy process, and most of the time, software developers tend to make mistakes. However, you always have an opportunity to revise your codes, identify the errors, and improve on the areas that have shortcomings.

As a rule of thumb, you can only improve when you identify and accept your mistakes. Therefore, ensure that you are accountable regardless of the situation. You may choose to shift the blame out of fear of your supervisors, but do not forget that you won’t be helping much. Own up and face your actions.

Future-orientation

A good software developer should be time conscious. You must, therefore, come up with creations that are not time-bound. Successful software engineers understand the exact features that their teams should work on for long term use and success. You should push back designs and features that will only serve the market for a limited time.

Remember, one of the reasons why software developers exist is to offer solutions to different sectors. A solution that will only serve for six months is not the best idea. Whatever you decide should also earn you and your team a reasonable compensation, and nothing beats a long-term project when it comes to that.

Eagerness to learn

Concepts of software development cannot be mastered all at once. Even the world’s best coders learn every day. Therefore, you must be open and eager to learn once you choose to be a software engineer. Also, keep in mind that your job as a software developer involves reading thousands of lines of your team’s software and studying tradeoffs of one design to the other. You must, therefore, be in the right shape of mind.

All in all, you will always learn a new thing when handling a different project. You should be interested and adventurous to plow this field well.

Problem-solving

Software development is all about finding solutions for several problems. Therefore, you must develop problem-solving traits if you want to stay afloat in the industry because you will meet thousands of daily challenges, each requiring a different take. Train your mind to come up with different solutions quickly, after which you can then weigh and settle on the most viable.

A notable hack is teamwork and performing extensive research on various problems. Ensure that you develop a natural interest in being a puzzle solver, or this is not the right career for you.

Self-confidence

Self-confidence is a fundamental trait of a software engineer. This field of expertise is all about creating new worlds out of imagination. You cannot, therefore, thrive if you do not trust yourself or your designs. Keep in mind that such confidence cannot be earned all at once. You will grow more confident in your job and approaches as you rise ranks in you are targeting the career way.f However, this does not mean that you are allowed to doubt yourself at the start, always remember that you are the master of your craft.

Remember, people will always question your projects and why you decided on the approaches you took. Fortunately, or unfortunately, you will always be subjected to several challenges that will teach you how to believe in yourself. You will mostly develop unwavering confidence in this career after your creations and knowledge have been battle-tested. Therefore, brace up for rough times ahead.

Humility

You should never be too full of yourself in the software development field. Remember, at one point you will have to teamwork, which is impossible if you are a proud annoying person. Humility helps you to approach your peers and find out their views of the project, which will teach you a thing or two. Humility will also help you to admit when you are wrong and take accountability for your actions. However, do not mistake humility for a lack of self-confidence. Assuming a lowly and approachable status helps you learn more from your seniors and peers alike, which you shouldn’t miss.

Readiness to offer assistance

You should be overly helpful as a software developer, a trait that is closely connected to humility. You must have realized that your work mostly involves interactions with junior developers who always in dire need of help. Therefore, always be prepared to offer assistance to people who are always looking up at you. These range from junior developers to customers having troubles with a given system and even colleagues who are clueless about relevant matters.

You will grow when you make it your responsibility to brighten up someone’s day by helping out in one way or another. However, you also need to create boundaries to prevent people from taking advantage of you or your services. Know where to offer help and bill the client.

Good memory

A good software developer must always remember past errors. Remember, everything doesn’t fall entirely in place, just like all the other fields. You should, therefore, desist from making a similar mistake twice. Most of the common mistakes witnessed in software development come when writing tests, documenting reasoning and using code tools. Unfortunately, these mistakes may appear small but call for a lot of correction time.

A notable hack would be creating a specific tool or system that will make you avoid smaller mistakes so that you divert most of your attention to the relatively larger ones. Your software development skills should, therefore, help you out before you solve other people’s problems.

Inquisitiveness

You must always strive to get a deep understating of the system you are working on if you want to build a name in this industry. You should always seek the importance of the project, whether it falls under your personal space or not. You can ask as many questions as possible, provided that you understand what you are working on in the end.

Asking questions does not necessarily mean that you disagree with a range of things, so don’t freak out. First, have in mind that you are the master, meaning that all the blames will squarely fall on you if things fail. You will also find a range of solutions by asking intricate questions. Do not, therefore, start a project before all the questions have been answered. Lastly, inquisitiveness helps you surface the problem in hand, pushing you to settle on the superior solution.

Success mentality

Lastly, you need to cultivate a success mentality. The right mindset plays a vital role in career and self-improvement, meaning that you should always believe that you can create or improve a particular system better than anyone else. A success mentality gets you on your feet, ensuring that you give your all to your career.

You will also strive to always better yourself and correct some of the mistakes that you might have made. Such a mentality also gives you the confidence that you need for a software developer’s successful experience. Therefore, ensure that you work on your mentality before developing all the other traits. This will act as a propeller to success and greatness.

There are a number of traits that you can cultivate for a successful career. Others include proper time management, good teamworking skills and even proper communication. All in all, always give your best.

Conclusion

It is true that only a few people succeed in this field. It is pretty challenging, forcing several others to quit. However, developing all the traits we discussed will increase your chances of becoming a successful software developer.