Most software developers want to be as effective as possible, but not all of them can reach that point. Some develop bad habits along the way. These habits can be hurting their career and they might not even realize it.
In the post, I am going to be talking about 5 bad habits that developers might pick up, which can be career breaking.
Lack of Passion
Having passion is important to software development because it allows you to enjoy what you do. Over time, software developers may lose that passion. In the worst case scenario, it starts to rub off to those around them.
When a developer lacks passion, it can lead to laziness. With laziness, it can lead to mistakes.
Dislike Testing Code
Some software developers don’t think they need to test their code. They feel that they can develop something then throw it over the wall to QA (quality assurance). They also have the tendency to think that they write bug-free code. In today’s world of development, that type of mentality no longer works.
Although no one individual can identify every single test case and outcome, it is important to QA early. The earlier a bug is found the better because it won’t have time to manifest into something bigger. Ineffective software developers don’t embrace the benefits of testing and as a result, ends up with a gigantic mess at the end to clean up.
Don’t Care About Usability
Ineffective developers don’t care about helping the user get their job done by using the software that they are creating. They only care about getting their own job done. To them, the users are not customers, but a source of aggravation and problems because they always manage to break something.
Not caring about usability usually indicates a bigger issue and that is not caring about the business need. Most business need comes from what their customers need and if a developer doesn’t care about it then it is difficult to solve the actual problem. Without having empathy a developer can’t deliver suitable solutions for their users.
Dislike to Learn
Ineffective developers don’t like changes. Something could be better but if it means learning new things, they would rather stick with their current ways. They are reluctant to welcome new ideas. They don’t keep up to date with what is going on in the fast pace development world.
Not embracing the idea of life-long learning is detrimental to a software developer’s career. In a few years, what they know can be completely obsolete.
Not a Team Player
Software projects nowadays are becoming more complex. Gone are the days where you can be a lone wolf and create a full-blown project by yourself. This means one must be an effective communicator and be welcoming to other people’s ideas.
Ineffective developers tend to let their pride get in the way of being a team player. They either refuse to listen to others or ask for help from others.
Poor communication skills is also a trait that ineffective developers exhibit. They don’t know how to communicate with non-technical people. Even with technical people, they don’t really understand who they are talking to — they just throw as many technical jargons as they can.
Poor communication skills have nothing to do with introversion because it is about understanding your audience. You don’t need to talk a lot to get a point across. What you need to do is deliver the information in a way that your audience will understand.
I hope this post was helpful to you. If you found this post helpful, share it with others so they can benefit too.
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