Posted by Abhishek on October 19, 2017
Are you a Software Developer who feels stagnant? OR Are you a Technical Recruiter not getting quality candidates in Software Development? Then, I believe this blog is for you to read.
Many a times you will come across people (whom we call as a Techie) in life. The fact is there are many such characters in the world who show attitude, who pretend they are someone great, who are very down to earth, who are scared to face people & challenges, who talk lots of technology but don’t know how to use it, who are extreme coders, etc.
Well, from my experience, I have interacted with such characters a lot. My stats would say that around 95% of the techie’s you see are not of industry standards and instead they just pretend to be. They just show the years of experience & big brands they have worked for in their resume. The fact is that if you ask them about basic concepts of OOPS, they will start shivering and explain but will clearly miss the point.
My suggestion to you is to focus to be on that 5% who actually drive the industry forward. Don’t pretend that you know something, it will cause side effects in your career. Don’t ever show the attitude because their are better and smarter people than you. Don’t keep talking because noise pollution is dangerous. The world wants doers and not orators. Nobody cares about your attitude, your years of experience, length of your resume, which college did you study at. If you are a developer who can create some of the best tools and apps, then you are the one.
I am damn sure that by now, most of you would be wondering what to do next to raise ourselves to industry standards.
Understand the fundamentals very well – Be it OOPS, Development Models, Architecture & Design, UML, Database, Algorithms, Project Management, etc. You cannot make mistakes in fundamentals.
Understand that time is resource & resources cost – Never get in to meetings/engagements that doesn’t have any agenda. Never waste your time on useless innovations without prior research. The time spent is wasted forever. Time wasted is Money wasted for the organization.
Know to demonstrate fundamentals – Be it programming, designing, testing, project management, you should exactly know how to code, how to draw diagrams, how to convey your strategies & plans to your team & the management. You will not be considered valuable if you keep talking about it and doesn’t generate any artifact.
Talk Less & Do More – Invest each and every second of your working hours for the project that you are involved in OR invest that time to study more about a specialty that is necessary for that project or for your career.
Converse with Mentors around you – There would be lots of people who are very strong in fundamentals and exhibit the winner characteristics. Mingle with them during your tea/coffee time and talk about great things that they are doing and what you are doing. Exchange great thoughts and try to put it into practice.
Job Interviews needs to be Thought Provoking Discussions & not Q&A session – When you are strong in your fundamentals and you have a strong hands-on exposure in your field, you are naturally prepared for any kind of job interviews. Otherwise, you will be answering the questions asked by your interviewer and wouldn’t be discussing about improvements on current techniques. Such candidates who talk and share value in conversations will definitely be the industry transformers.
Don’t hunt for Jobs. Jobs will hunt you – A person who showcases extreme calibre in their field of expertise probably need not hunt for better job opportunities. People & Companies will find you.
Don’t be desperate for promotions & hikes. It will be rewarded based on how valuable you are – There are some people who try to show themselves as someone great (putting false masks) to impress the management for promotions and hikes. You might succeed in those few attempts. But in long term, you will definitely hit a dead end soon.
Any such person who doesn’t exhibit the above characteristics is probably someone who wasted their years of experience and is trying to boss us. As said earlier, the world doesn’t care about such people. So, try not be that person in your life.
Look at great people like Steve Wozniak, Sundar Pichai, Steve Jobs, Satya Nadella. They are not known for their attitude, their age, their country, their education, their schooling, years of experience. They are known for what they have created for this world and they don’t boast for doing that. Success is always yours if you are determined to grab it.
I wish all software professionals good times ahead & I believe you have gained some insights from this blog. Do feel free to share your thoughts and comments.