How to be a successful programmer in three stages

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Every developer wants to be a successful programmer. Scratch that; many people want to be programmers.

 

Can you really blame them? Programming is a lucrative career with coveted perks and prospects.

 

The million-dollar question (pun intended) is, “How do I become a successful programmer?”

 

I believe there’re three stages one has to go through to attain success in their programming journey. These stages are:

·         The technical stage.

·         The craftsmanship stage.

·         The leadership stage.

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Most of us are familiar with this stage. If you fail to master the technical, then programming probably isn’t the right career for you.

 

The technical stage is where we’re exposed to the fundamentals of programming and computer science. This is where you’re tirelessly eating up whatever you’re being taught at college or boot camp.

 

Some concepts you’re likely to master before moving on from this stage include:

·         operating systems

·         networking

·         computer architecture

·         distributed systems

·         databases

·         data structures and algorithms.

 

The technical stage is only the first step. It doesn’t make you a successful programmer. It’s barely enough to land a good job in most cases.

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We like to think of programming as a science, of which it probably is one. That said, there’s an art to the science of programming.

 

I call this artistic flair “the craftsmanship of programming.”

 

Remember the first time you wrote a “Hello world” program, successfully ran your first loop, or your app connected to the internet without a hitch?

 

You probably patted yourself on the back and rushed to purchase some celebratory ice cream.

 

Your successes were good enough for a college/boot camp graduate back then. You are now a developer working or trying to join a company. Assembling an if statement simply won’t cut it.

 

Professionals need certain skills and abilities that can only be gained through experience working in a dev team. This stuff simply isn’t taught in college.

 

“Hang on! What’s the difference between my Introduction to Java 104 and writing code for Google?”

 

I’m glad you asked. There’re two crucial differences.

 

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Chances are good you were mostly coding alone during Introduction to Java 104. The probability of you being a lone wolf is even higher if you were teaching yourself using platforms like Code Academy and W3 Schools.

 

That was great. Doing everything on your own from beginning to end is a good way of understanding how it all works.

 

However, you won’t be working alone in most organisations. You’ll be part of a team, the size of which will depend on the company.

 

This means you now need to be comfortable working with a diverse list of people.

 

The skillset required for working in a team and coding in your basement are two different things. Professional programming requires competencies you’ll only pick up on the job.

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Writing code that actually works was probably the only goal behind your programming efforts during the technical stage.

 

“Does it run without displaying errors? Does it perform every function I want it to perform?”

 

If the answer to these questions was “yes,” you were probably satisfied. Mission accomplished. Who cared if your variable names were borderline nonsensical?

 

In organisations, writing code that runs is not the only end goal.

 

You need to consider factors such as:

·         reliability

·         scalability

·         maintainability

·         reusability.

 

Like with everything under craftsmanship, successful programmers only pick up these skills at work. Failure to master these concepts will limit your growth as a software developer.

 

If your app crashes the moment 200 people try using it, you haven’t done a good job. If the next programmer cannot make head or tail of your code three years later, you’ve messed up.

 

 

Relax. I’m not talking about leading a department of fifty people, or yelling at Joe from the database team to get his act together.

 

Everyone from a mid-level engineer to the newest intern can exhibit certain leadership characteristics. In fact, I believe it’s impossible to be a successful programmer without leadership qualities.

 

Leadership qualities can both be taught and gained with experience on the job.

 

The three leadership characteristics that differentiate a successful programmer from a mediocre one include:

·         communication

·         initiative

·         mentoring.

 

It goes without saying, but communication skills are important in any profession. Whether it’s verbal communication, writing, or presentations, you need to bring you’re a-game to the table.

 

The story of someone complaining about their superior genius not being recognised while the mediocre are praised is all too common. A major reason behind this phenomenon is a lack of communication.

 

Imagine you’ve done exceedingly well at the technical and craftsmanship stages. You are now a master in your field, and you’re brimming with all these ideas.

 

You won’t get far without the ability to properly communicate these ideas to peers, managers, and customers.

 

You’re at work and a problem has arisen. Maybe a bug has been discovered in the software.

 

If you know how to fix it, go ahead and do just that.

 

Do you have a suggestion to improve the product? Speak up.

 

People will always appreciate someone who can take initiative. It proves to everyone, especially your managers, they don’t need to babysit you.

 

Practice makes perfect. And repetition is one of the best forms of practice.

 

Believe it or not, teaching someone else is a useful repetition technique.

 

Think about it. To be able to explain an idea to someone else, you first need to grasp it yourself. And the more you explain the concept, the better you understand it.

 

In addition, seeing someone you’ve helped master the ropes succeed can be fulfilling to you as a human being.

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Knowing how to code is great. But it’s not enough.

 

Thanks to the abundance of programming tools that can be accessed for free, many people can learn to code.

 

What will set you apart is being a successful programmer. To achieve this status, you’ll go through three stages:

·         the technical stage

·         the craftsmanship stage

·         the leadership stage.