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23 Personality Traits for the Ideal Software Developer

personality_ argeWhen hiring software developers, many recruiters pay too much attention to past experience with particular technologies. Expertise in Node, JSON, MySQL or whatever is required, but it isn’t everything. A software developer is more than the quantity of the technologies that they have worked with.

Or maybe you ever thought about whether you can consider yourself an ideal software developer? Then, you most likely also questioned what is needed to become an ideal software developer. What are the personality traits of a great software programmer? Is this only a matter of experience? Is this associated with practice and knowledge or rather with some inborn skills?

How to be an ideal software developer? Let me reveal to you the 23 personality traits for the ideal software developer.

Personality Traits of the Ideal Software Developer

Great software developers are rare. Their efficiency is three times that of a typical programmer and ten times that of a bad programmer. The most notable 1% programmers in the world do not just create great code but have significant intangible traits. These traits are given below, check them out and see if you have some of those.

1) Problem Solving

In case you have never tried to develop an application right from the start, the programming can best be compared to solving an exceptionally tough math equation. A great developer thrives on finding solutions to make something work, regardless of the odds. Otherwise, you could be hearing the words, “That cannot be done,” whenever you suggest an innovative new project.

2) Passion

Why would you like to learn to create software? To be cool? To acquire a better job? Or mainly because you love to solve problems and create applications?

Passion may come by all those, however, if it’s the latter, perhaps you are on the right track. Many developers are engineers and possess a natural wish to build, question, disassemble, problem solve and overcome complications that others are not able to. They do this as they love to, not just because they need the salary.

Passion is what can keep you up all night until you fix a problem. Passion will help keep you working weekends and nights to create or learn when others are relaxing and watching Netflix.

With no burning desire to learn, your effort to understand programming concepts will be very tough. Be honest with yourself and initiate your quest when you are really willing.

3) Creativity

There is nothing impossible; ideal software developers must be able to think outside the box and be imaginative. On the other hand, they should likewise be aware of when to utilize some answers to technical challenges and stay away from reinventing the wheel.

4) Quick Learning

Best software developers are often fantastic self-learners. They have the capacity to master new technologies by themselves and are not afraid of the latest technologies. They have the capability to get disparate bits of information and process information almost instantly.

Every developer will encounter circumstances in which he or she does not know the solution. Great developers will discover various resources, discuss with the right folks and search for the solution in any case. The ideal skill any person can have is understanding how to learn, and ideal developers have acquired the skill of self-learning.

5) Honesty

Software developers need to learn to admit their mistakes. Of course, making a mistake occurs to all of us. The most important thing to do is to make an effort to learn from them and try to avoid them later in life. This may not be as simple as it appears but required to keep growing.

And remember, don’t be fake with your clients and team leaders by telling lies and excuses. Be honest if you fail to deliver on time. Don’t point your fingers at others. Own the mistake and your bosses and colleagues will respect you for it.

6) Patience

A programmer needs to have patience. Sure, you must have the desire to learn or be financially driven. However, if you’re not patient enough to cope with the difficulty that comes when learning to code, your desire will disappear.

There might be times you’ll be banging your head against the wall trying to solve a problem. Having the patience and confidence to know you eventually will solve the problem will help you a long way.

7) Communication Skills

communicationThis one is a no-brainer, however, if you wish to be a part of a functional team, you have to communicate. If you are quiet or shy, that is okay. You can comprise of shyness by conversing properly in writing.

Like, if you are working remotely. You can use email, GitHub and Slack to assist in discussion and feedback. In these mail messages, Try to use a handful of words as possible and get to the point fast. This keeps your fellow workers focused and wanting to read and reply.

Your team should know what you are working on and if sometimes they ask for justification, they might quit asking altogether. By communicating often and for short but detailed messages, your team will look toward talking to and listening to you.

8) Open Minded

Open-mindedness is among the most significant traits a software developer must have. Plenty of people may think that becoming contentious is okay for developers due to the boring process they’re going through when carrying out their project. But, that isn’t right.

An open-minded software developer is proved to be more efficient. Although he considers himself as skilled and intelligent, he is ready to accept criticisms and suggestions from others. Furthermore, open-mindedness is essential for a software development job as it enables a developer to listen to the thoughts of his customers. This takes on as an awesome factor in reaching the right end result that a project owner is expecting.

9) Overly Helpful

Whether it is a jr. developer that’s trying to learn the basics, a client that is having problems using the program that you are accountable for or a co-worker that is wanting to know how a specific thing works, your default state must be to make someone’s day better.

Usually, everybody outside of a development team listens to “no”.

Taking each and every chance to say “yes” and help to make things better or easy for anyone is worth it. This also gives more importance to your “no” as you will be the one person who often says “yes”!

If deciding between becoming maybe too helpful and declining a request, always go on the side to be very helpful. You never know when you will have a favor to be repaid in kind.

10) Attention to detail

Programmers who pay attention to detail usually write high-quality code.

Computers just carry out whatever you tell them to perform. If a code does not compile or a program contains a bug, it isn’t really the computer’s fault. Being able to consider corner cases and writing codes which will take care of several use cases enable a way more convenient development process.

As well, detail-oriented developers can find errors in their own code along with others’ code.

11) Ability to Plan

Instead of getting started with a new project, a great addition to your development will first find out as far as possible about the required final product. Once you have done that analysis, you will be able to first design the software structure before writing the first line of code.

12) Stress Handling

It might not appear like it to the outsider, but coding is usually an incredibly tense profession. When deadlines are restricted and nothing appears to be working, it is convenient to freeze up. The ideal development candidate can deal with even the most stressful conditions comfortably and, most significantly, have the ability to continue working.

13) Laziness

Larry Wall, the original creator of, The Perl Programming Languages, details 3 great qualities in a great programmer: laziness, hubris, and impatience. Laziness might appear to be a negative trait for any worker to have, but IT professionals have stated that if you intend to find a very good way to do something, ask a lazy person. It’s likely, that individual will have discovered the fastest, most effective way to do it. A company’s developing team members can often discover a way to automate operations, saving money and time.

14) Flexibility

flexibleHave you ever handled a development project that completed with the same specifications it began with? Neither have I, and I am adding short tasks that held up not more than a day!

Developers who usually do not deal with change well will most likely not be very successful, except on long-term, Waterfall-type projects that remain for years, often within government agreement. That’s not to denigrate all those types of programmers or projects, obviously. Yet many projects are only incompatible with a insufficient adaptability.

It is quite clear especially during interviews when applicants are not flexible or deal with change terribly, especially if anyone asks questions like, “Did the requirements change sometimes?” Individuals who say something such as, “Sure, but that happens on all projects and it is a truth of life” are those who win.

People who roll their eyes and reply with, “Yeah, that is the reason why I could never get anything done!” will definitely not be a great match for the majority of environments.

15) Well organized

Good developers are really organized. They have a solid work ethic and appear at meetings in a timely manner. A major skill is the capability to calculate the amount of time required to do a task, communicating this and delivering on it. Excellent developers are good at handling their leaders or clients rather than you managing them.

16) Open for criticism

Something you should agree on is that you shouldn’t make it personal. As the study shows, quoting a Microsoft manager:

“You can have a really open and heated talk. However, it is all truly professional; none of this is ever taken personally.”

It does not mean someone can say anything simply because it is for the company’s greater good. It is simply a general understanding that if you find a problem, it must be said. For the common good. I feel that ideal software developers must be egoless and set their company’s interests prior to their own.

17) Likes to create

You will get a similar sense of satisfaction by building something in the digital world as you can inside the physical world. In fact, inside the virtual world, you are not restricted by practicalities like space and materials, hence imagination is your only limit. Possessing a natural interest in how things work, and the way to make them more effective is a great sign of an ideal software developer.

18) Handling Failures

Programmers don’t usually get everything right on the first try. Actually, failure is actually an assurance. It is essential to find development staff that considers bugs and errors like a challenge instead of a sign of defeat. A determination is necessary, and also the capacity to start over if required, even after hours of work.

19) Embrace Trends

In the wonderful world of the 24 HOUR tech hype machine, a little bit of doubt is beneficial. A few coding languages, tools, frameworks, and various technologies can end up to become more of a passing trend than a career catalyst. However, you do not want to pass up the trends that forever affect the software industry.

If you can recognize and take advantage of the real opportunities amongst the buzz, your big picture will probably get, well, bigger. Think of Agile. The idea is definitely not new, but there is a cause it keeps showing up. Turns out that Agile’s demonstrable features are growing further than development and operations. So, don’t miss the chance to embrace the latest trends in the technological era.

20) Technical Mindset

Developers’ primary tool for the job is their pc, therefore it is just logical that they understand how to browse through their tools from the technological perspective. Right? But, what sets ideal software developers aside from typical ones when it comes to this is that they can not just understand computers (and various related tools), but in fact get pleasure from finding out the logic behind them.

It’s simple, really—a software developer should have got superb technical capabilities and, moreover, they have to be capable of describing the technical parts to non-tech customers they end up working with.

21) Business Perspective

businessIt’s not always enough to be experienced. You can be a great developer and produce top quality code, but if you cannot fulfill or match the clients’ demands, then you are still not suitable. So getting a specific level of business understanding, as much as software development goes, positions you at the top. I say you have a business-oriented software development trait when:

  • You are able to figure out software from a business perception.
  • Enjoy working with the demands of the clients.
  • Able to understand people from a non-technical perspective.
  • You are able to convert business challenges into technical solutions.

22) Self Confidence

Let’s be straight, as software developers we are making new worlds with our own imaginations. In order to start this effort without running away worried needs a right amount of self-confidence. To get this done for a huge part of a system that other people depend on needs significant courage.

For this small virtual world, you are a god, master of all your research, and you will be governed by consistent wondering as to why everything is the way they are. If you are a good-hearted god, why cannot users store their favorite flavor of donut? Undoubtedly a wise and just god will allow for such things?!

Such self-confidence is normally hard earned from the quest from junior developer to lead developer. Each step in the process somebody more senior should challenge your every decision, certainly not like they believe it is wrong, but to let you discover why you think it is right.

23) Love with Technology

This can be pretty clear, but it is worth reiterating that if you desire to work in software engineering, you must have an understanding of the astonishing possibilities that technology gives to the world. Staying enthusiastic about ways to use the potential of technology, for whatever organization you would like to work in, will surely get you in great stead, and it is a definite hint you are on the right career track to be successful in development.

Conclusion

Personality describes us and just how we connect to the world. Even though you will find several theories about what personality actually is and how our primary personality traits are initially developed, the normal general opinion is that personality is formed by early life experiences and often stay consistent with time. That is why it is not very easy to change your personality.

However some people seem to be natural born with some of the above skills, but the truth is that a lot of software development traits can be learned and sharpened with time and practice. In order to become effective, efficient, and motivated toward success, it is vital that you start focusing on the above personality traits. As they can not only help you in the software industry but also in personal life.

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