In the digital age, programming is becoming a full-fledged international language of a new format. Perhaps in the future, it will become as natural for an educated person as knowing how to write, read and count.
But even if you don’t dream of a career in computer science, programming skills can be helpful. The boundaries between computer science and other professions are gradually disappearing, and knowledge of one of the languages can help one to find a dream job.
We must remember the essential programming skills that will be useful in any business:
Analytical approach
Programming is a very complex process. Before writing any code, you must study the tasks and plan the work.
An experienced programmer constantly studies the client’s expectations first. Then he analyzes the structure of the future application, chooses the tools, makes a plan, and divides the project into logical blocks. Most often, all this happens before you sit at the keyboard and write the first character of code.
Dividing a project into smaller tasks allows you to organize them in terms of complexity and importance so that you can begin development with critical modules.
Teamwork
The image of the uncivilized “weird programmer” is gradually disappearing. Modern society requires the developer to be open-minded and friendly, work in a team and find a common language with colleagues. Also, there’s a need for a programmer to present and argue one’s point of view, to listen to others, to develop cooperative solutions, to correctly ask for help (and even to refuse it rightly). This is directly related to the fact that programmers primarily work in teams. Without interpersonal skills, such work is impossible.
Not everyone has the necessary qualities to work in a team. The good news: they can be developed. You can now find a lot of courses in this field, both online and offline.
Unit testing
Testing is an essential part of the entire process of creating a software product, and not only. Testing is not limited to programming: for example, designers and illustrators test their interfaces, and product managers test their assumptions. In addition, every programmer must be able to do self-testing, not only “manual,” but also to write automated tests. This is ideal when they are integrated into the solution itself.
Unit testing determines if a program can do what it is supposed to do. It is a thorough test that reveals all major and minor defects and provides the solution to a finite sample.
More often than not, online course assignments already come with exams. Students get used to code development with tests is easier and more convenient than without them. In addition, complex tasks are divided into parts in the course so that each component can be tested. The ability to separate the code in this way is precious.
Knowing how to read other people’s code
Many programmers are guilty of the misconception that “everyone but me writes lousy code.” But it would help if you read other people’s “doodles” occasionally. That’s why the ability to read code that isn’t your own is beneficial.
Yes, it can be difficult, unpleasant, and time-consuming, but it’s a part of the job you can’t do without. Also, by analyzing someone else’s code, a novice programmer learns to understand what solutions may exist outside of his own, to notice his own mistakes, and to learn something new. And most importantly, this skill allows a developer to realize which code is easier to accept from another developer and which is the opposite.
The ability to write simple working code
Writing working code is an essential programming skill. But it is also important to keep the code as simple as possible.
The more complex the code, the harder it is to read it later, even by the author himself. This makes it more difficult to find and correct errors. Sure, there’s another way to ensure that your code is written correctly or your project is done perfectly – if you need such a result, you can request a professional programmer from https://wowassignment.com/ about it.
Choosing a programming language
You can start learning to program as early as preschool age. But of course, no one will give children the opportunity to write the code. But solving simple logical tasks and developing specific skills is not a problem.
Young school children can already learn particular languages created for young developers, such as Scratch and Swift. By middle school, you can move on to the mainstream languages Python, Java, and C++,
To get students interested in the subject and not give up halfway through, lessons should focus on solving practical problems. We usually want to see the result of our work and show it to others. This will be the best motivation to continue and expand on the topic.
Of course, languages are different, but they all have a regular basis and meaning, so the first choice is not so critical. It is much more important to interest and to consolidate competence. Also, the set of popular languages may change in ten years.
Сoncentration and diligence
The solution to the task is not always obvious, and a developer must be persistent in finding the best implementation variant. It often happens that a programmer has to make several “runs” to improve the quality of the code and debug the solution, and sometimes he has to cross out most of the work and start working again. This is why it is crucial to be interested in the language you are learning. If you master one language, you can move on to another.
Indeed, the choice of a programming language depends mainly on the tasks we are passionate about. But it is even more important to choose a study and a tool to get quality feedback as soon as possible.
For example, we can work with the “smart house,” robotics – in a word. A young programmer can make a truly functional system that can be used daily. You can create a plug-in or extension for your favorite PC game (Python, Lua), upload it to a fan site with similar plug-ins, and get feedback from real users. It is not uncommon for a game or mobile project to be launched in actual app stores by very young programmers (Swift, Kotlin, C#).
Finally, you can try open source to start getting used to criticizing your work as soon as possible: you can’t learn without it. After all, the youngest Linux contributor is a four-year-old girl (not without her father’s help, of course).
Getting feedback from real users and their older peers
This way, you learn even faster, and the results will be helpful sooner or later when you apply for the first, already real job. Of course, the most important thing is “learning to learn.” A modern programmer should know several programming languages and quickly learn new ones. Language is just a tool to solve a task. Still, lessons are different: you need to be able to learn new languages, libraries, and program frameworks quickly, understand the documentation, and look at examples. You have to “get the hang of it.”
Flexible Skills
Surveys in the human resources field show that programmers need flexible skills to succeed in their careers – it is not a bonus but a mandatory requirement. Moreover, such a demand appears early while the person is still in school or on probation. However, soft skills are rarely included in the educational program. It was believed that a specialist compensated for communication problems with technical skills. But this is not the case. First, there are more and more programmers – the competition is growing. Second, developers are increasingly working closely with other specialists, and it is no longer possible to be a “closed genius.”
If a developer does not know how to work in a team and does not have time management skills, it will be difficult for him to cope with office tasks in a remote location, where communication is most important.
Another category of flexible IT skills that should be cultivated from a young age is adaptability. You need to know how to change strategy, reorganize quickly, and find a solution in a complicated situation. IT technologies are constantly evolving, suddenly and radically – yesterday, everyone was talking about the distant future of automation, but today the trend is towards no code, in which it is not necessary to write code – intelligently configure the parameters.
Be your own teacher, learn from your mistakes
We should not forget to negotiate with employers, to understand and sometimes predict the client’s needs. This is not taught in universities, and only recently has it started to be taught in universities and online courses. This is why there is a growing demand for career gas pedals: a specialist understands that they have developed solid skills but does not know where and how to apply them best.
Conclusion
This article contains a lot of clever tips that will be useful not only for programmers but for everyone interested in staying productive in their business. I hope these recommendations will help you in your work and daily life.