Tag: software development

5 essential habits of highly successful programmers

Posted on by seoteam

Software engineers are part of a highly dynamic industry. Millions of people are passionate about software development but often struggle to find the pathway to becoming part of the industry. Developer, programmer, coder, software developer, and software engineer are often used interchangeably but differ a bit. Anyone can be a coder or developer, but you need more than just familiarity with a programming language or syntax to be a good programmer. Being a programmer requires teaching habits that put you on a track to becoming a highly successful software professional.

Here we list the critical programmer habits that can help you develop your skills as a programmer.

1. Be on a path to lifelong learning  

Even most experienced programmers never stop learning. As a successful programmer, you must try to learn and be the best you can be. Computer science is a vast field with limitless scope for innovation and creativity. Many new technologies, concepts, and principles appear in the industry every day, and to be at the top of the trade, you have to keep learning. For instance, JavaScript has seen fast-paced development over the last two decades. A JavaScript developer must keep learning the new frameworks like Reach, Angular, Vue, Node, and more to benefit from the new features and capabilities these frameworks offer.

As a successful programmer, you won’t just write code but will also be tasked with helping others through online communities like Stack Overflow and GitHub. You must select some reliable resources that provide news and updates on your chosen tech to keep ahead.

2. Learning and mastering multiple programming languages 

As a beginner, a developer can start with a single programming language and work their way up. To be a successful programmer, you must learn and master several programming languages. Programming languages always have different areas for which they are best suited. As an experienced programmer, you will have to use multiple languages within a project to solve various challenges. 

For example, Java can be your choice for cross-platform development, and C/C++ may be used for developing much faster systems. For writing a web application, you will have to use PHP, Ajax, ASP, or JavaScript, and for the server-side of things, Perl, Python, or Ruby are best suited. One of the essential programmer tips we want to share is that you must keep exploring more technologies to broaden your horizon. The more familiar you are with multiple programming languages, then your approach will be more holistic.

3. Avoid restricting yourself to a single development environment

Every programmer has their own favorite tools and technologies to be more productive and write better code. Some programmers prefer veteran IEDs like Vi and Notepad, while others go for Emacs and Gedits. Most new-age programmers prefer GUI code editors like VS Code and VC++. There is much debate about what tools a programmer must use to be productive, but successful programmers know that tools don’t matter as long as they provide the ability to write clean and concise code faster. 

This is why experienced programmers never limit themselves to a particular development environment. They explore and optimize several environments that allow them to compare several tools and learn which one is best suited for the job. It also helps them develop attention to detail. Being a skillful developer involves learning tools faster and sometimes on the go.

4. Be a good team player

Successful programmers have more than just technical attributes; they are also skilled team players. For programmers, soft skills are as necessary as technical skills. There is hardly any software you can write alone, and if you cannot bring your abilities to a team, it is doubtful that you will ever be a successful programmer.

Team play is a vital habit that separates good software engineers from great programmers. Answer the following honestly:

  • Do you have the correct manner of communicating with other team members?
  • Do you communicate regularly to anticipate and welcome their ideas?
  • Do others enjoy discussing projects with you?
  • Think outside the work. Are you a great team player in activities?

These are a few questions that will help you understand whether you are a team player or not. Apart from this, there are other mandatory soft skills that developers should have.

5. Turn your work into documentation

A clean and maintainable code has comments. But a well-documented code is the tell-tale sign of an expert programmer. When documentation is available, it helps other developers and team members understand your code. It also makes it much easier to transfer knowledge and conserve the thought process around the code. Make it a habit to always document your code to make it readable and maintainable.

Inculcating these programmer habits will ensure you are successful in your career. To explore better job opportunities as a successful programmer, join Talent500.

 

4 major bad habits you should avoid as a developer

Posted on by seoteam

A career in software development is promising not only because of the versatility of the field but also when taking into account the growth prospects. According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the demand for software developers is expected to grow by 25% between 2021 and 2031. It’s much faster than the average growth rate of all other professions. Unfortunately, the industry is struggling with a shortage of talented software engineers. In a market study, Indeed.com found that frontend developers, backend developers, full stack developers, and mobile developers rank in the top 10 most challenging to fill technical jobs.

If you plan to become a successful software developer, there are some critical mistakes that you must proactively avoid.

Here we list the bad habits that you must avoid as a developer.

1. Blindly copying and pasting codes

Software reusability is a practice that’s encouraged in the industry, but you must not blindly include other developers’ code in your projects. Copying and pasting code snippets can be devastating until you understand it’s working. When you work on large software development projects, you will use code created by other developers but being mindful of the logic of the code is mandatory.

Junior developers often use code from other sources, but as you gain experience and move to a senior developer position, you will have to get your hands dirty. The problem with blindly copying and pasting codes is that not every character is displayed in Unicode, which is why it might not be the same as visible on the screen. 

For instance, “е ẹ ė é è” all these characters are not alphabetical E in Unicode but appear to be. Some characters might not even be visible on the screen. Such characters are known as non-printing characters. Error arising from such character copy/paste can keep you stuck for a long time.

2. Assuming the product or its requirement from the end user’s perspective 

Humans are innately poor at predictions. A software developer is susceptible to predicting the end-use of a product or how users will react to it after its release. But it’s one of the worst habits a developer can nurture. Overconfidence in your assumption of a project requirement will only result in difficulties.

You might have a unique and brilliant tech idea, but you must work on every possible product’s functional specification scenario. If you fail to do so, the product will underperform. Most of the time, you will work on projects that others envision; they know what they want but don’t have the technical expertise to get there. As a software developer, you must understand and anticipate customers’ needs. You need skills other than programming, such as communication and researching, among other essential software developer soft skills.

3. Being too rigid with your skills

Among common comments on new hires is their rigidity. It is good to master a particular programming language, framework, or type of development, but you must always be ready to adapt to changes. Software development is one of the fastest-changing industries. Hence you cannot afford to be rigid with your learnings as a software developer.

You often cannot fully utilize technology or programming language before a new one arrives. If you want to be a competitive and successful software developer, you have to be versatile. Ditch your belief system that a specific problem or challenge can be handled only a certain way. Focus on continuous learning and development of your skills. Knowing several programming languages and frameworks makes you resourceful and boosts your confidence.

4. Writing large functions

New software developers are often found to write large functions. We understand that once you are in the ‘zone,’ it is easy to get lost in writing code line after line, which results in more extensive functions.

The problem with writing large functions is that it makes your code difficult to read. Software developers seldom write code for themselves but for others too. Long functions also limit the reusability of quality code and make testing difficult. If you write larger functions, you will make it difficult for other developers on the team to collaborate. A single function must do one thing and not multiple tasks.

However, not writing larger functions doesn’t imply you cannot have long lines of code. Large software projects will have functions that run up to hundreds of lines of code. But it would help if you kept it readable for everyone such that testing code doesn’t become a nightmare.

Conclusion 

Success software developers are not led by their technical proficiency alone. A competitive software developer knows what bad habits to avoid to make their work collaborative, easy to read, and functional enough to deliver the best user experience.

Talent500 is a platform for software developers to find careers at Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups. Sign up here to join our elite talent pool.

 

 

4 key principles of test automation

Posted on by supriya

Testing is an integral part of the software development lifecycle. No software can be deployed without thorough tests. Quality Assurance or QA testing is essential in software development to ensure that the code performs the function it is supposed to.

Tests can be manual or automated in software engineering. Manual testing is a resource-intensive approach that demands QA testers to create test cases or even deliberately introduce bugs in the code to evaluate the effect. It’s similar to crash testing in the automobile industry. Manual software testing is complicated and expensive, so it is often reserved for the end of the production cycle. However, testing a product at the end of production can delay the product launch by months.

A better alternative is automated software testing that allows developers to run tests as often as they want without exerting high costs. The initial investment in automation testing is writing test automation cases. There are several benefits of test automation apart from frequent testing. It gives developers continuous feedback to spot bugs and errors early on. Automated software testing improves design, code quality, and timely launches.

Principles of test automation

Test automation can be achieved in several ways, but developers must understand a few fundamental underlying principles. Familiarity with these key test automation principles will make you a better QA tester.

Entire books have been written exclusively on the topic of test automation. It’s a skill every developer needs to master at some point, and it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.

1. Test automation improves the quality

Code quality is paramount and signifies a product that can be trusted. Several metrics measure code quality in the software industry, including code coverage, number of defects, CI error rate, readability, maintainability, and test failure. Still, none of these can completely define code test quality and only provide an idea about some aspect of the code.

Test automation must improve quality. It is the primary principle of designing automated test cases. With every iteration, tests must be able to find defects before they can reach production, inform developers of underlying loopholes, and check any deviations in the system behaviour. Successful test cases show a high-level view of a project, allowing developers to try different approaches for the same functionality to find the one that works best.

2. QA testing reduces risk

Human reviewers cannot find every error within the code, no matter how many eyes go through the same code. Code review is necessary and productive, but it must be reliable too. 

Another essential principle of test automation is that it reliably finds errors. Automate test cases and check the code from top to bottom comprehensively. By progressively running tests to find errors and bugs, find regressions, and check device and environment compatibility, you can bring down the risks and cost through test automation. QA testing is mandatory to ensure no risks or discrepancies exist in the code, even when the most proficient developers work on a project. Programmers might not make a mistake, but using third-party dependencies did not introduce any errors or pose a risk to the integrity of the application. Test automation can evaluate every line of code to ensure no risk.

3. Be mindful of subtle design changes that test scripts can miss 

When writing test case scripts, QA engineers often focus on testing the new functionality implemented in the software but overlook the design changes. For test automation, while creating test scripts, you must proactively anticipate any design changes that might result from code changes. For instance, an update of the application code can improve its functionality. However, it can introduce colour changes in the interface that test scripts might not check if you have not included a condition to review display changes. While not a critical error, it indicates that the test automation is not entirely reliable.

4. Test automation should require low maintenance

Developers are focused on writing concise code to create products that deliver excellent customer experience and perform as expected. Test automation ensures they can work on writing code rather than fretting over repeated testing. As a QA tester, you should focus on writing test scripts that are easy to execute and maintain.

Any reliable and practical test suite will require periodic maintenance to keep it in good shape for repeated use. Here are a few tips for writing and maintaining test cases:

Tests should be enough to be effective, not more. If you notice that with a small change, test cases are breaking, you might be using too many tests and need to remove a few.

Choose the proper test depending on the situation. For instance, unit tests are laser-focused and can be deployed faster, while UI tests are comprehensive and use a lot more resources. Healthy test automation follows the test pyramid approach.

Keep tests reliable and avoid flaky tests; otherwise, your test suite can waste time and create frustration. Flaky tests fail even when the code is correct or show an error for no apparent reason.

Conclusion 

Developers who think precise testing is expensive are unaware of the cost of poorly tested code. Bugs and defects in a product can quickly spiral out of control, and practical test automation is the only way to ensure it never happens. QA engineers should consider the top QA testing trends when writing test cases.

Are you looking for QA testing opportunities? Join Talent500, where you will find opportunities with fast-growing startups and Fortune 500 companies.

 

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