Necessary skills for a software developer

Software developers are more than just ‘computer geeks’ – they need great teamwork and communication, as well as top time management, attention to detail and knowledge of latest trends. Find out here the 7 key skills needed for a software developer

Time to get the skills needed for a software developer

The world is facing a global shortage of software developers and companies are constantly on the hunt for professionals who have the skills they need.

Few expected the digital transformation to unfold at such lightning speed, accelerated by a global pandemic and increasing reliance on digital interactions.

While some still view software developers as ‘computer geeks’ skilled only at coding and other aspects of digital product design and development, the reality is that today’s software specialists are proficient across multiple areas.

At Ceiba, we pride ourselves on our commitment to nurturing talent and utilizing environments, frameworks and philosophies that ensure our people excel.

Here we outline the top software developer skills, all of which contribute to our rapid development of digital products that continue to improve over time.

7 Essential skills needed for a software developer

1. Strong attention to detail:

Computers are a wonderful invention but, as intelligent as this ubiquitous technology appears, our devices can only do what we tell them to do.

That’s why it’s essential that Ceiba’s software developers focus on the details.

Clean code is integral to our software development best practices and a key aspect of our mandatory training for all software engineers.

Developers with a laser-focus on clean code make fewer mistakes and ensure the software development process is faster and more likely to succeed.

You may also be interested in: Testing times: How to keep a step ahead in the digital transformation

2. Brilliant problem-solver:

Agile development is intrinsic at Ceiba – a specific philosophy with specific principles that are deeply ingrained in our culture.

Often a product’s needs only reveal themselves when the product is in testing, because it’s impossible to predict everything in advance.

Strong problem-solving skills are therefore one of the essential skills needed for a software developer. Agile prompts incremental development and the flexibility to respond quickly to any issues that arise.

If something is not working there is no need for us to destroy it or start again but determine what does work and build and correct from there.

3. Attuned to rapidly changing trends:

Few industries evolve as quickly as the tech industry and skilled developers need to keep abreast of daily trends and innovations.

At Ceiba, we encourage our developers to monitor useful resources, including websites, books and podcasts, attend events and stay attuned to industry developments.

4. Self-organizing with excellent time management:

We believe that agile teams work best when software developers are self-starting and self-organizing, preferring to determine their own tasks.

Self-sufficiency is the secret to consistent performance and excellent results, and our managers support our teams in their independence.

Excellent time management is therefore one of the top skills needed for a software developer.

It gives our specialists the breathing space they need to solve problems, absorb new information and exercise their creative flair – without being in a rush.

5. Positive and committed teamwork skills:

Agile teams are at the heart of everything we do at Ceiba.

Digital projects cannot be passed from one team to the next, in an old-fashioned ‘waterfall’ approach. Everything must be connected.

Our success stems from working with fully collaborative and interwoven teams, rather than individual, isolated pieces.

We provide digestible deliverables, which means collaboration is a top priority, especially between teams that don’t usually work together.

6. Unafraid to ask questions or offer feedback:

Bidirectional communication is the future. Our developers at Ceiba are confident and content to speak directly to our clients, sharing progress and seeking information.

Daily meetings ensure everyone in our teams is up to date. Our developers are comfortable with sharing which aspects of a project are complete and which face specific challenges.

Effective communication skills for software developers include the confidence to offer an opinion, especially when some aspects of a project need to be improved.

7. Highly-skilled at programming:

It goes without saying that software developers must be brilliant programmers, well-drilled in programming logic, fundamentals and languages.

Ceiba’s mandatory software developer training includes CSD certification, object-oriented programming, clean code, best practices, solid principles and continuous integration (Gradle, Jenkins, Sonar, coverage and technical debt).

It also covers unit testing (JUnit, MockMvc), infrastructure testing (JMeter), functional testing (Protractor), clean architecture (hexagonal architecture), front-end architecture (Angular), web service and database connection (Spring Boot).

Our front-end, back-end and full-stack developers excel at multiple programming languages and platforms including .NET (C#), Xamarin, Java, Kotlin, Android, JavaScript, Vue.js, React, React Native, Node.js and Go, as well as Cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, and Microsoft Azure.