How Much You Should Know As A Fresh Developer
Fundamentals are most important
You study a lot of subjects in your Graduation program. How many skills do you need to get your foot inside the door as a Software Developer? There is no clear answer.
There are organizations that do not rely on your graduation course and give you technical training for months. You don’t need a lot of technical knowledge in such cases.
If your target is to get into a smaller organization or a startup, you need to know a lot more.
Programming
How much programming you should know? I don’t expect a fresher to write code like an experienced programmer. He should definitely be able to solve a problem with his code. His code may not be of the best quality.
As a fresh developer, you are expected to have coded for at least a couple of years in your academics. The style of coding can be naive, but you should be able to think clearly.
A programming language is a tool that has profound influence on our thinking habits.
— Edsger Dijkstra
You are expected to think clearly, and if you have written a lot of code you have developed the right way of thinking.
Computer Architecture
Computer architecture is understanding the underlying structure of the computer system. This includes the functioning of CPU, memory, instruction set, interrupts, external devices, etc.
Knowing the architecture on a very high level itself is good enough. This creates a good understanding of how the machine executes the code and how the memory is managed.
OS Concepts
Another similar and very important aspect of a computer system is the operating system (OS). A good programmer should have a very good understanding of how OS works.
Operating systems are like underwear — nobody wants to look at them.
— Bill Joy
Learning how the OS works helps you appreciate file, memory, and process management, input and output, and peripheral device handling.
Proficiency in Data structures
Bad programmers worry about the code. Good programmers worry about data structures and their relationships.
— Linus Torvalds
This quote from the main developer of Linux Kernel says it all. Being proficient at data structures and their usage solves a lot of problems for you.
Data structures are the building blocks on which your code stands. Being good at data structures is a very important quality of a programmer.
Experience in building projects
Learning by doing is the only way how to learn
— Tony Fadell
You can read a lot of books about various programming languages, but if you have not built things your knowledge would be shallow.
All the students who are pursuing computer science should create as many projects as possible. This brings in the experience and solidifies your learning.
Problem-solving
Life is a continuous exercise in creative problem solving.
— Michael J. Gelb
Solving a problem involves many steps:
- defining a problem
- Analyzing the cause of a problem
- Generating the alternative approaches
- Evaluating and selecting an alternative
- Implementing the solution
Problem-solving attitude is the first step to solve any problem. This is not the skill you are born with.
This skill can be learned by solving a lot of problems and by solving them well. This process takes time, so you need to create a lot of projects and solve the problems for a consistent amount of time.
Soft skills
Soft skills get little respect but can make or break your career.
— Peggy Klaus
It's an important skill to effectively communicate with people. It helps you to get through the interview process and later communicate with your peers and colleagues.
Soft skills cover a wide range of skills such as teamwork, presentation skills, delegating work, and dealing with any person at work or outside the workplace.
You can get proficient at soft skills only by practicing. A few may need a mentor to help them sail through.
Wrapping Up
What is expected from a fresh developer? It is not easy to answer this question. I have listed points based on my experience as a fresher and what I expect a developer should possess.
The industry is too wide and it is too tough to generalize. I have covered a broad perspective.
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