Introduction
If you’re a developer, you know how to write code and build products. But do you have these 10 soft skills?
Creativity
Creativity is the ability to think of new and original ideas. It’s a skill that can be learned, and it’s important for software developers because it helps them come up with new solutions to complex problems.
Creative thinking is not just a one-off thing; creative people are constantly coming up with new solutions or ways of doing things. These solutions may not always work out perfectly, but they’re often better than what others came up with before them!
Here are some examples of how creativity can help in software development:
- You have an idea for a product feature that no one else has thought about yet—you could use this idea to create something really cool!
- Your team has hit a wall trying to solve a problem—maybe you should try thinking about it from another angle? This may lead you somewhere new and exciting!
Communication
Communication is one of the most important skills a developer can have. It’s not just about speaking and listening, but also how you interact with other people. Communication is a skill that can be learned and improved over time, so don’t worry if you’re not great at communicating right now!
You’ll need to communicate with your team members, clients and customers in order to get things done effectively. If you’re working alone on an open-source project then communication won’t be as important for success (although still very helpful), but otherwise it’s essential that you learn how to communicate well in order to achieve your goals as a developer.
Collaboration
The ability to collaborate is the key to working well with a team. You will be assigned tasks and projects by your managers, but if you are not able to work with your team members effectively then any progress will be slow.
Some of the soft skills related to this skill include:
- Communicating effectively with others
- Being open-minded about changes made in the project, even if those changes are not necessarily in line with what you initially thought would work best
- Resolving conflicts within your own team
Problem Solving
It’s not just a matter of being able to solve a math problem or complete an assignment on time. The ability to solve problems is the key factor in any profession and it’s even more important for software developers. Software development is all about solving problems, whether it be in terms of requirements gathering, coding, testing or deploying.
The best way to learn problem solving skills is by doing—actually trying out your newly-learned knowledge by tackling real-world problems with your teammates and classmates. The best way to become an expert at solving problems is through practice! So get started now!
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze and evaluate information. It’s not just about thinking, it’s about thinking about your thoughts.
Critical thinkers ask questions, make inferences and assumptions, interpret data and draw conclusions. They can evaluate options and make sound decisions based on principles of logic, probability, ethics and/or aesthetics. In short: they think critically.
Listening
Listening is a skill that can be learned, improved and applied to many contexts. Listening is not the same as hearing. It’s more than just being able to hear the words that are being spoken; it’s about understanding their meaning, tone and importance in addition to their literal meaning.
In our work as developers, we interact with other people who may have different viewpoints or opinions on issues that arise at work. Being able to listen effectively will help you learn more about these different perspectives while also providing you with a means of expressing yourself in a way that shows respect for others’ ideas and opinions.
Time Management
When you’re first starting out, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. There are so many new things to learn and figure out, it can feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to get anything done. You might start spending hours learning one new technology or tool without finishing up with something else that was already on your plate. This is where good time management comes into play: knowing what needs your attention right now, and how long each task will take you if you work at full speed.
Time management also includes prioritization; knowing when it’s worth taking a break from your current project in order to spend some time getting ready for future projects or opportunities that may come up later on down the line (which is why some people refer back here). Sometimes this means not taking on new clients or projects until everything else is finished first—but other times, this could mean deciding whether or not something even fits into your current business model at all before doing any more research about it (which saves valuable time).
Time management goes hand-in-hand with task delegation as well—if someone else can do something faster than me then let them! In fact, since most jobs require multiple skillsets there may be times when I’ll delegate an entire task just because it’s easier for them than me (usually software developers). A few weeks ago I had an urgent need for someone who could code within PHP/MySQL databases but didn’t have anyone available right away so instead I delegated that job away too—someone else did it much faster while still meeting my deadline requirements which worked out well overall.”
Patience and Persistence
Developing soft skills takes time, and sometimes the process can be frustrating. Some days, it feels like you’re stuck at square one (or maybe square two), with no progress to show for your efforts. You might find yourself wondering if this is really worth it in the long term, or if it will all be worth it when you finally land that dream job at FAANG.
But take heart: it will all be worth it. And here’s why: there are few things more satisfying than knowing that you can solve problems on your own without having to ask for help from anyone else—and knowing that others view you as a self-sufficient problem solver is an important part of building a successful career as a software developer!
Flexibility and Adaptability
Flexibility is the ability to adapt in response to a changing environment. It’s important because it allows you to adjust your approach to different problems, projects, and teams.
Flexible developers are able to change their minds when they realize that their original plan wasn’t going to work out. They can also change their approach on the fly when they realize that there might be a better way of doing things than what they had originally thought of. This makes them more efficient at quickly solving problems and making decisions while also being good collaborators who don’t get frustrated when things get difficult or complicated.
Motivation and Passion for Learning
The second soft skill any developer should have is motivation and passion for learning new things. As you can tell by now, the software development industry moves very fast. New technologies, languages and frameworks emerge every day, so it’s important that you stay up-to-date with everything happening in this field.
To do that, you will need to be motivated to learn new things. You should also be motivated to learn new skills or technologies on your own time—without any pressure from your employer or managers at work (even if they are willing to pay for it).
In addition to being motivated by your passion for programming itself (which is something we all share), there are many other reasons why a developer should be driven towards self-teaching:
Any developer can learn soft skills, whether you’re a beginner or advanced.
The good news is that you don’t have to be a software engineer to master soft skills. I’ve worked with many developers who are learning the ins and outs of their craft, but they’re also learning how to build relationships with other people in the organization. No matter where you are on your career path, there’s no doubt that understanding how to communicate effectively will help you perform better in any job—and it can make all the difference when it comes to getting ahead at work.
So if you’re looking for a new position or want to stand out from your coworkers as someone who truly understands their role in the company, check out our list of 10 soft skills every developer should have below!
Conclusion
We hope that this list of essential soft skills for developers has helped you to think about your own abilities, and to recognize the areas where you can still improve. We’re certain that if you work on these skills, together with your technical expertise, you’ll stand apart from the crowd in your chosen career path.
Be the next awesome developer and take the leap to a digitally empowered society. Not sure how to get started? We’re the team to talk to!
