Want to Become a Software Developer? 3 Tips for Success

This article is by Microverse student, Henry Verissimo, and was originally posted on Medium.

There are three pieces of advice I got from my mentor when I first started coding that help me become a better developer daily. They are:

1. The patience to teach others

2. The ability to communicate ideas

3. Being a team player

A year ago, if you told me that my 8 years working as a photographer would help me become a software developer, I would have laughed. But, now as I am on a journey to become a software developer, I understand how much I learned then that I apply daily now.

My past learnings and the helpful advice from my mentor have helped me immensely on my software development journey. Here's how I've applied them:

1. Make time for, and have the patience to teach others

At Microverse, we work with coding partners daily. Communication is key to becoming more patient with each other as partners. I recommend you take the time to discuss matters that are important to both of you. That might be your individual aspirations, joint plans, or problems you face. It's essential you lay issues down and asks each other’s opinions about them. You may not always agree with one’s decision but by discussing and listening to each side, you develop more patience and tolerance for your partner. This has helped me with all my coding partners.

2. Work on your communication

Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills to learn. Communication is defined as; 'transferring information to produce greater understanding'.

Communication can happen vocally, through written media (books, websites, and magazines), visually (graphs, charts, and maps), or non-verbally (body language, gestures, pitch of voice, tone). All these means of communication are essential Soft Skills to master for a successful career.

The ability to communicate my ideas well has helped me with my standup team many times. I'm able to break down coding challenges and write them in a way that my stand-up team can understand.

3. Be a team player

A teamwork-focused environment promotes an atmosphere of friendship and loyalty. Close relationships in this environment motivate people and align them to work harder and support one another.

Individuals all have diverse talents, weaknesses, communication skills, strengths, and habits. When a teamwork environment is not encouraged, it can pose many challenges for achieving goals and objectives. This creates an environment where employees focus on promoting their own achievements and compete against colleagues. Ultimately, this can lead to an unhealthy and inefficient working environment.

Do this to succeed as a software developer‍

Make sure you make time to, and have the patience to teach others. Become a better partner to fellow developers - it will go a long way for your career as a developer. Express your ideas clearly and write strong documentation to help others understand your code. Finally, always be improving your communication skills.

‍This article was written by Microverse student, Henry Verissimo, and was originally posted on Medium here. It has been edited for clarity.