I am writing this article for my fellow friends who want to build a career in Software or Web Application development. I am not a HR manager or someone who is appropriate to give advice on your career growth. But been a programmer myself, and after observing mistakes my colleague does during the interview for new job or in their office environment, I got an idea to share them with you.

To start with, I go to basic of any job: Your physical presentation. I often seen that developers in India doesn’t give any weight-age to how they look and what they wear. Since software development is done in closed A/C room and developer has low chance of meeting their clients doesn’t mean you don’t wear formal dress or you can groom yourself. For any work environment it is the most important thing you will ever do. With bright clothes your willingness to work increase. Don’t believe me? Just try this, buy a new shirt and wear it to office and see the difference in your productivity. We often forget the comfort we can get from remaining fresh face.

Second most important thing comes to my mind for good productivity is to remain positive and improve their body language. I often interview candidates that are searching a job from few months and are so mentally tired that they start looking dull. I cannot say why they didn’t get job in first few week of their search, but definitely with a tired face you never get a job in years. Whenever meet someone just remain active, forgot your pains every moment is important in your life.

Third thing is your skill set. I often read resume that mention that candidate knows C++, Java, PHP and few other language. But when we ask question about those skills they promptly respond we study them in college and doesn’t know much about it. Now, let give an answer on it from a HR manager. He/She probably say to you,”You mean you forget what you learn in your college. So what is the need of your study if you cannot remember what you have highlight in your resume?”. Do you have any answer of it now? Are you showing those skills just to tell that see we did learn something and forgot it now? Your resume should always shows your positive skill set. Not something you don’t know. I personally can work in 10 programming language. But when I used to search job, I never mention the programming language I am not willing to work at. Like if I go for ASP.NET job I never mention I know PHP, and do the vice versa for PHP jobs.  I work several years to learn those 10 different things, but if you are starter look to learn one thing. Can you guess what is that One thing ? Let me answer as fourth point.

Fourth thing, I see most software/web developer miss is “How to make a Application?”. They are good at writing codes but they are bad in understanding logic,  worst they are even bad in understanding Business Needs. My staff often ask me, Is this button looking good? What message shall I send to user on his successful registration? What should I show in Order report? Yes, people often ask these question from their seniors. Do you really should ask those questions from a senior? Even if you are just 1 day old in development, you might have used some website in past or some software or even you should have that much common sense to know answer of these questions. If you are asking those questions, then seriously think again and answer yourself  for this question, “Am I really a Software Developer?” Software developer make a Intelligence that only God has done before this professional. Engineers, Doctors invent what is already there in deep science, but we make a Intelligence and tell computers to behave in a manner. Always think in two way, what is the Final Application is all about, and what your current module or web page is all about. Does it solve it’s purpose? does it any good for user? Does it looks good? More important, will I use the same application after I build it, if someone else has make that application for me?

My last point is, that you should learn the different between different Ranks of a software development. Why a Team leader is there? Why we have Senior Developers? Why we have System Analyst separate? What were my senior do when they are at my Stage and how they get prompted to new post? If you answer those questions you will find some mistakes that your seniors have done and some mistake that you are doing. they can be same they can different, but if your mistake is bigger than your seniors it means you will never get a promotion. If you cover your senior’s mistake today you will become his/her senior in rank someday.

These are not anything you have practice or you have to do daily. You just have to answer yourself, when you feel why and what should I do to get myself better and richer. I did some mistake when I was starting my career, but that is the best I do, because I learn from those mistake. Some of my mistakes are not even told to me, but I discover them with time, and help myself to improve it. Today, I am at that stage that I can say those things to others which I used to hear from my senior. Everyone thing I am lucky, but I believe my luck change because I start learning what I am doing wrong and I try to improve those. There is always a lot to learn, but those learning is not limited to programming language, but those are limited to how good learner you are.

Best of luck and be a good programmer.