Last week I was talking to one of my company’s recruiters and he told me that they received over 25,000 applications for a single job opening in 2 days.
And out of those 25,000 applications, only **drum rolls** 1 person got hired. This is the reality of the software industry right now. There are too many developers and not enough jobs.
So how do you stand out from the crowd? How do you make sure that you're not just another average developer? The answer is pretty simple - You have to go above and beyond.
Programming is no longer about knowing how to write code. In fact, it was never about that in the first place. And now that we have so many people who can write bad code and even more AI chatbots who can write slightly better code, you have to do more than just write code.
Here's what you can do to stand out as a software developer in 2023.
1. Go Beyond Code
A lot of people fail to understand that even in your software development job you’ll not be writing code for more than 40% of the time. The rest of the time you’ll be doing other things like -
- Writing documentation, tests, emails, design docs, proposals, etc.
- Attending meetings, standups, and other team events.
- Helping your teammates with their work.
- Reviewing code.
And a lot of other things that are not related to writing code. So being a good developer is not just about writing good code. It’s about being a good team player and being able to communicate your ideas effectively.
But how many of us actually work on these skills? Yes! Coding is super important but it’s not the only thing that matters. You have to start seeing beyond the lines of code.
What you can do is start working on your communication skills. Start writing more. Start talking to people. Start helping others. Document your work. Write about your experiences. Write about your failures. Write about your successes. Write about your learnings.
Writing is the best way to learn and it’s also the best way to share your knowledge with others.
2. Be more efficient
I’ve seen a lot of developers who spend hours and hours trying to solve a problem that can be solved in minutes simply because it has already been solved by someone else.
What’s the point of reinventing the wheel? (unless you’re trying to learn how to make a wheel or someone is paying you shit ton amount of money to do so)
What this means basically is that it’s almost always a better idea to do your research and look for existing projects that you can modify and create something that you want instead of starting from scratch.
This advice comes with a lot of terms and conditions.*
The easiest example of an efficient workflow would be to use templates for your projects. Things like authentication, connecting to DB, etc. aren’t new. Everyone does that and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel here.
Go ahead and do a simple Google search and find a template that is most relatable to your use case. Another example of better efficiency is how much time you’re spending on solving a problem.
Do you really think there’s no better — nonprogramming — solution for it?
Next time when you’re working on your new project, Keep these things/questions in your mind -
- Am I really solving a new problem here or am I just reinventing the wheel?
- Can I reduce the effort required to solve this problem? Can I write less code?
- Can I use a template or a boilerplate to get started?
- Can I use a library or a framework to solve this problem?
- Can I use a no-code solution to solve this problem? etc. etc.
3. Create useless things
Wooaaahh! What? Why would I create something that’s useless? Didn’t you just tell me to be more efficient? How is creating useless things efficient?
Well, Yeah! I did tell you to be more efficient but remember you’re not a robot.
You’re a human being and you need to have some fun in your life. And for me, the best way to have fun is by creating useless things using my programming skills. Not only does it help me learn new things but it also helps me relax and have fun.
Software development is a journey and you have to enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying it then you’re doing it wrong and when you’re doing it wrong, you’re not being efficient.
So technically creating useless things is efficient.
What I’m trying to say here is that you should not be afraid to try new things. You should not be afraid to fail. You should not be afraid to create something that’s useless.
One of my favorite examples of this from my personal experience is this stupid website that I created called findingLoveForRohan. It’s just a simple website that shows a typeform and asks you to fill it out if you’re interested in dating my friend Rohan. Nothing fancy. Nothing special. Just a simple website.
During my Adobe Intern Interview, my interviewer asked me about this website and I told him that I created it just for fun and he was very impressed by it. He told me that he liked the fact that I am passionate about programming and I like to have fun with it.
TL;DR — Don’t be afraid to create useless things. It’s fun and it’s a great way to learn new things. And you never know when it might help you land your dream job.
4. Touch Grass
This is the most important advice that I can give you.
Touch Grass — Go outside and do something that’s not related to programming.
I know it’s hard to believe but there’s a world outside of programming and it’s beautiful. You should go out and explore it. Who knows you might find something that you’re passionate about. No kidding!
There are a lot of things that you can do outside of programming. You can go out and play sports. You can go out and meet new people. You can go out and travel. You can go out and do whatever you want (as long as it’s legal). So go out and touch some grass.
It’s good for your mental health and it’s also good for your career.
Conclusion
Alright! That’s it for this one. I hope you found this article helpful. If you did then please consider sharing it with your friends and family. And if you wanna reach out to me then feel free to do so here.
