Being a developer is a particularly sought-after role. But how do you make yourself stand out from the crowd and become the expert everyone wants to hire? Here’s a list of qualities that good developers should have – the more of them you have, the more successful you can expert your career to be.

1 – Passionate:

Passion is a vital quality for a developer. When you leave school, you shouldn’t expect to go through the “code all day long” stage, thinking that this is vital to secure a big salary. Being a developer is primarily about programming and finding solutions to the various challenges you face. If your priority is money rather than creativity, you may end up feeling tired and disappointed. Being passionate about your job is the key to becoming an excellent web developer.

 

2 – Curious:

In the world of IT, curiosity is a highly-valued quality. Being curious, enjoying discovering new things and testing things again and again are the key to success as a developer. Keeping up to date with the latest technical changes will make you a better developer, and will significantly expand your base of references, inspiration and ideas for your projects.

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3 – Autonomous:

Independence and resourcefulness are essential qualities for this job. If you ever encounter a problem and find yourself stuck, try to find a solution on your own. Finding alternatives and testing them is part of a developer’s everyday life. The path you take to finding the solution will also help you know what to do if a similar problem arises in the future.

 

4 – Bilingual:

English is widely used in all IT jobs. If you have solid English skills, you will be able to communicate with a wide range of people, both to find work and solutions to your problems and to learn. Improving your English doesn’t have to ruin your budget – there are a large number of affordable, or even free online resources such as Memrise, which offers an English course created especially for programmers.

 

5 – Good at monitoring:

Being able to monitor situations is as important as being curious, and will allow you to stay on top of all the latest advances, problems, leaks, security breaches and more. Take your information from the source to then form your own ideas about a subject. Taking an interest in current events and moving out of your comfort zone are the key to efficiency.

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6 – Skill in design and UX:

Knowing how to code is good, but creating an entire project with design and a user interface is even better. Remember, simple is effective! An intuitive, unfussy user interface is always more pleasant than a complicated interface with too many features. Design a solution that you yourself will find enjoyable and easy to navigate and use.

 

7 – Open-mindedness:

Technology is constantly evolving, so you need to be able to adapt accordingly in order to master new tools and techniques. Don’t just stick to one language or method; keep up to date and accept that what you once knew is now different, and that it will be useful to create new knowledge bases.

 

8 – Having personal projects:

The best way to ensure constant progress without losing interest in your job is to have a personal project. Having a project that is close to your heart will allow you not to get sucked into a routine and to lose sight of what drives you. If you enjoy and have fun with your project, you will also progress in your mastery of a language or method without feeling like you’re working.

In conclusion, the profession of developer is an exciting one that’s constantly evolving. It is also complex, and therefore requires a lot of personal investment, but it opens up many professional perspectives. By cultivating qualities like curiosity, autonomy and open-mindedness, you will become a real point of reference in your field, putting you in a strong position for your future career choices.

 

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