Hello, buddies! Great programmers are rare. Their productivity is 3 times that of an average developer and 10 times that of a bad developer. They don't just write solid code. They have many qualities and here are they.
“The best programmers are up to 28 times better than the worst programmers” – Robert. L. Glass
1. Curiosity
Great software developers are great problem solvers. To solve problems that matter, you have to have some curiosity — and the more the better. What makes life hard for people? What makes it fun? How can people get access to what they need? What is missing that would make life easier and better for people? You can start by being curious about the answers to these kinds of questions. This will lead you to interesting problems — the ones that, once solved, will make a significant difference.
Being curious about why something isn’t working the way you expect when you are developing a project, and about other ways to do what you are trying to accomplish, is important. Being curious instead of being judgmental and critical can mean the difference between the success and failure of a project.
2. Positive Attitude
A great programmer cares about your product’s success. They are positive, willing to go the distance to get the job done and bring their best every day. Although it’s important not to exhaust a developer with frequent urgent deadlines, crunch time is sometimes unavoidable. When you need to bring a product to market or need to ship a certain feature out for a deadline, the great programmer will step up and get the product released whenever possible. Because they care. A great developer doesn’t let their ego get in the way of constructive criticism. A good way to instill a positive attitude is to give them interesting projects to work on, give them a sense of ownership, and praise them for good work. Startups can give out stock options, pay employees for working overtime, provide compensated paid leave or find other perks that ensure great programmers are retained.
3. Great Task & Time Management
A great programmer is highly reliable. They have a strong work ethic and show up at meetings on time. An important skill is the ability to estimate the amount of time needed to complete a task, communicating this, and delivering on it. Exceptional developers are great at managing their clients or leaders instead of you managing them.
Recommended reading - Time Management Tips for Developer's Productivity. by Olanrewaju Alaba
Master These Three Skills to Improve Time Management 🚀 by Anastasia
4. A Good Team Player
Another superb quality of premium developers is their ability to help other developers get better. They offer teammates help when they are stuck, teach new skills to others and write documentation that would help teammates not only in their organization but the developer community in general. They also should be able to navigate the interpersonal nuances of working in a diverse team and be able to navigate conflict gracefully should it arise. Corina Ferencz wrote an interesting article about Characteristics of a Great Team Player. Highly recommended 😉
5. Big Focus
A great programmer doesn’t simply complete tasks that are assigned to them, but rather they take into account the broader impact on the system and user experience as a whole. They want to know the feature they’re building is of high value and they are willing to speak up when a change request may compromise some other aspect or use-case of the software.
So buddies, that's what I've picked up for today and happy coding!