10 lessons I’ve learned working in the Software industry
Learn the tricks of the trade.
It has been almost 10 years since I started working in the software industry as a software developer. I have seen many phases in these years, where I have experienced and learned so much, which has helped in shaping me what I am today.
I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned, which might help someone new or planning to join this industry. It may help anyone working in any other industry as well.
An Effective Communicator
When I started working for my first company, I was shy and hardly used to speak to my teammates. I was doing and completing my work, but somewhere I knew something is wrong. I was not able to put my ideas and thoughts across to my team and others. I started feeling, I am being left alone and gradually I was losing confidence. I wanted to change that. Hence I decided to work on my communication skills.
Communication skills are as important as your primary skill is. In your day to day work, you will have to communicate your thoughts, ideas, or any question you may have either via mail or orally many times. Having good communication skills makes you more productive and efficient. On the other hand, ineffective communication may lead to:
- Missing deadlines.
- Conflict between team members.
- Poorly planned projects.
- Developing a product that a customer had never asked for.
Communication skill is not only about speaking and writing, but it is also about listening. You have to train yourself to become a good listener too.
Join a toastmaster club if there is one in your office or city you live in and regularly attend it. It is a very effective way to work and improve your communication skills. Not only you’ll improve your communication skills but also it will boost your confidence.
You’re worth is only as much as your skills
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
When I started working, I learned a lot along the way. I learned about almost all the processes followed in developing a product and along with that, I learned only the skills that were required to produce the output. But soon I realized that it was not sufficient if I wanted to excel in my career.
It is very much required to take time out of our day to day work and spend some time sharpening your skills. Work recognition and career growth come from how well you use your skills and experience and implement it in your work. Hence it is very much required to sharpen one’s skills continuously.
Try to master at least two skills and focus on improving those by working on projects which utilize those skills. Having in-depth knowledge in an area is more respected and required than being a jack of all trades.
Maintaining a journal
Switching to a new task or resuming an old task is not easy for human beings as one has to switch his/her focus. We get disconnected if we do not work on a task for a certain period of time and one has to recollect from his memory where he/she has last left.
It was hard for me as well. I used to switch tasks (either forcefully by others or on my own) and it was hard for my mind to do the switch easily and seamlessly.
Before switching to a different task, note down in your journal what you have been working on till now and what you will be working on once you resume working on it again. Write it a manner that is easy for you to comprehend, when you read it later. Before you resume back to working on an old task, revisit the journal and you will find how fast you’re able to switch focus to it.
Do not take shortcuts
Project deadlines are a frequently occurring thing in a project life cycle. There will be times when you will not have enough time to complete a task required for that release. To accomplish that, sometimes you might do a quick hack and complete the task which may not be reliable and robust. Later if it doesn’t work well, that would be embarrassing and will put a bad image for you.
I have been in that situation and truly speaking I have faced some hard time dealing with it. It had put a minor dent on my image which I was very ashamed of.
Speak the truth and communicate it clearly on your current situation and provide an estimate you feel comfortable with when you can complete it at the earliest. Not only this will make you look honest, but also it will show how well you understand the given work and your responsibilities.
Never give up
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” ―Thomas Edison
“Oh yes!, I’ve finally found it”, These were the words that came out once when I was successfully able to trace down an issue which was bugging me from the past few days.
You will encounter many challenges every day, like a hard to trace bug or a complex design issue. Sometimes you’ll be frustrated and might feel giving up. Most of the time, the issue would be us doing something wrong.
Persistence is the key, you always have to keep trying if you want to succeed in life. An issue may initially seem to be untraceable and hard to debug, but be determined and work hard to trace it down.
Find your interest
I was fortunate, that I almost always got work which I found to be interesting to work on and the times when I had to work on something out of interest area, it became difficult for me to focus on it and I always wanted to get out of it as soon as possible.
If your work doesn't interest you, then maybe it is time to introspect and find out what will. An uninteresting work will never bring the best out of you. You will find it boring, dull and you will struggle with your work. After some point in time, you will feel you’re doing it just for the sake of earning.
This needs to be done as early as possible as it gets harder to switch as we get old. Few questions to you can ponder upon:
- What is the work you do, in which you feel time just flew away?
- What work you can do it for free?
Network with people
Networking is one of the keys to career growth, especially when you want to do a switch. You will at some point in time, need people to help you and that can only happen when you develop good relationships with people. It takes time to build a strong network with good people. So start doing that as early as possible!
Some tips to expand your network:
- Start interacting with people you do not know in your office.
- Have an updated LinkedIn profile and grow your network gradually.
- Be in contact with people from your Alma matter.
- Attend conferences and seminars of your interest.
Smart Work
As competition is getting fierce and with aggressive targets, you may sometimes feel the burn. Many a time you will have multiple tasks at hand and you will be put under a lot of pressure to complete the task within a stipulated time.
It is best to stay calm and plan ahead so that you do not feel the burden later.
It is best to prioritize your tasks and focus on completing the task with the highest priority first with full focus. Do not work any other task and avoid checking emails and notifications every now and then. Once you’re finished with the task, that will give you a big relieve and you will feel less anxious.
Automate repetitive tasks
Many times it happens, when repetitively you’re doing a task to accomplish either the same task or maybe a different task but following the same process to achieve it. Not only that can become monotonous and boring but also is inefficient.
Once you see that a task is getting repeating, try to come up with a solution to automate the process. Depending upon the task, you either create a tool or a script to achieve the desired result. Not only this will help you, but also anyone else working on similar activities.
Avoid office gossip
Gossiping during a coffee break may seem harmless and fun, but it can kill a big part of office time unknowingly which eventually will lead to less productivity. Also, gossiping brings down the work culture and have a negative impact on people when rumors are spread.
I realized this bit late in my career and found out soon how much happier I became once I got rid of all the negativity which was there because of it.
Instead of that, if a coffee break is utilized to do a meaningful discussion on a topic, which can benefit everyone is worth taking. Another good option is to take your coffee/tea to your desk.
