Top 10 Essential Skills Software Developers should Learn

If you have been doing software development for some time and thinking what makes a good programmer? What should a programmer learn  to become a better developer? What should computer science graduates can learn in advance for a career in software development and programming? What are the skills expected of a junior developer are some of the common questions I receive from many students on Facebook and Emails who follows me. 

Without further ado, here is a list of skills which I personally believe, every programmer should know, irrespective of the job he is doing. These are essential skills and will serve you for a long time. Any investment made into this in terms of time, money, and effort will help you to reap the rewards throughout your career.

1 . Cloud Platform (AWS, GCP, or Azure)

I think every Software developer and Data Scientist should learn Cloud Platforms in 2020. Companies of all sizes and domains are now shifting their environments into Cloud for cost-saving and better scalability, which means sooner or later, you need to work with cloud-native applications.

They are also essential for all the sunrise development in the field of Data Science, Machine Learning, and Artificial intelligence because the only cloud can provide the computing power needed by those resource-hungry models.

Learning Cloud platforms like Amazon Web Service (AWS) , Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Microsoft Azure  will take you one step ahead of your competitors not only in your current job but also in the next post. You don't need to learn all of them, and in fact, learning one means you will have a fair idea about others.

To start with, I suggest you learn AWS as it is the most popular and most mature cloud platform and there is a strong demand of developers and system admins with AWS knowledge if you need a resource then I recommend the ↗AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate 2020 course by Ryna Kroonenberg, the Cloud Guru. It will not only help you learn AWS in-depth but also prepare you for AWS certification.

2 . Data Structure and Algorithm

If you want to become a programmer, then you ought to know Data Structure and Algorithms well; there is no escape. This is one of the important topics of any programming job interview, and without you knowing basic data structures, like an array, linked list, map, set, it's not possible to write a real-world application.

That's why every programmer should put a serious effort into learning the Data structure and Algorithm during their computer science course.

If you are a self-taught programmer, then also you must know Data structure and algorithm; in fact, many programming bootcamp will teach you Data structure and algorithm as the first thing.

If you want to learn it from yourself, then ↗Data Structures and Algorithms: Deep Dive Using Java is the right place to start with.

 3 . A Version Control Tool (Git)

Source control is used to store code, and if you want to become a coder or software developer, you must know version control tools like Git and SVN.

Thankfully Git and Github have streamlined the market, and now more than 70% organization uses Git; hence you can get away by just learning Git.

Btw, you should put some effort into learning Git well, like you should be comfortable with advanced version control concepts like branching and merging as well as the tool itself, e.g. both on the command line and using GUI. For beginners,  ↗ The GitHub Ultimate: Master Git and GitHub is the right place to start with.

4 . An OOP Programming language (C++, Java or Python)

As a programmer, you must know a programming language like C++ or Java or maybe Python or JavaScript. You can choose whatever you want to, but my personal suggestion is that you should at least know Java.

It's straightforward to start with, and that's why the right choice for beginners. It's also immensely powerful and allows you to virtually anything.

It has got libraries from doing basic stuff, like web development to Big Data and so on. If you decide to learn Java, then ↗The Complete Java MasterClass is probably the best place to start with.

5 . Database and SQL

SQL is a classic, it's been around for more than 30 years, and I think it will be around for another 30 years. Given the omnipresence of the database, it's expected from a programmer that he is familiar with essential database concepts like normalization and table design along with SQL.

There are many databases, like Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, etc. but knowing just one is enough. The critical point is that you should be familiar with the database. You should know how to insert/update/delete data and write SQL queries to retrieve it.

Knowledge of advanced concepts like join an aggregate function is a big bonus, and if you want to get that, then ↗The Complete SQL BootCamp is a great place to start with.

6 . Networking basics

Today's world is an interconnected world, and anywhere you go, you will find computer networks, starting from home where you are using WIFI across many devices to school, college, and offices, which uses Local Area Network (LAN) to the Internet.

Most of the applications you will write will also not be standalone, but the client-server kind of use where the request will go through the network to a server. Clients will access your application from anywhere in the world.

The bottom line is that you must understand the networking basics to understand, develop, and support your application. If you want to learn more, then I suggest you join ↗The Complete Networking Fundamentals course on Udemy. A good starting point for beginners.

7 . Containers (Docker and Kubernetes)

In 2020, I believe every programmer, software engineer, data scientist, and even project manager should know about containers and tools like Docker and Kubernetes.

It's proven now that containers like Docker not only help developers to test their application in a unified environment but also they simplify the deployment process.

With the help of Docker, you can quickly deploy your application with all of its dependency in one shot, it also provides you process isolation. Similarly, Kubernetes, which is a container orchestration tool, takes it to the next level and can manage containers for you.

This means you no need to worry about the Scalability of your application, and Kubernetes or K8s can do that for you automatically. If you want to learn a new skill in 2020, I suggest you learn Docker and Kubernetes, it will not only help in your current job but also in the next post as they are also the most sought after skill by companies on all sizes.

And, if you have already realized the importance of containers and looking for a resource to learn Docker and Kubernetes, I suggest you join ↗Stephen Grider's best selling course - Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide, one of the best course to learn these two essential skills.

8.IDEs (VSCode or IntelliJIDEA)

The modern IDES like Eclipse or Visual Studio Code is the most critical tool for any programmers. For C, C++, and C# programmer, the choice is clear, the Visual Studio and for Python developers, Jupiter Notebook is getting better and better every day.

For Java Programmers, there are three primary IDE to choose, like Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ, while Eclipse is my favorite, IntelliJIDEA is not bad at all.

9.One Scripting language

In point # 4, I have asked you to learn a Programming language, and here I am asking you to learn a scripting language? Why? Can the same programming language not be used as a scripting language?

Well, there is undoubtedly some language which is suitable for both OOP coding and scripting like Python, and that's why I asked you to learn it at least, but if you happen to learn C/C++ or Java, then you can't whip out something as quickly as a Python or Perl developer can do.

If you want to learn Python and need a course, ↗The Complete Python Bootcamp is a great course to start with.

The scripting language makes it easy to create tools and scripts to solve common problems in the programming world. If you have a good command over a scripting language, e.g. Python, then you can automate mundane stuff easily.

Once again, I suggest you to learn Python to kill two birds in one stone, and if you need some more resources Comment below.

10.One Text Editor

There is not a single day when I have not used a text editor while working as programmers. It's one of the essential tools even for non-programmers and anyone who works with computers.

I have mostly used NotePad on Windows and VIM in Linux, but nowadays, you have a lot of choices available in terms of advanced editors like Sublime and NotePad++, which provides IDE like functionalities.

I suggest you to spend some time learning your favorite Editor and keyboard shortcuts, productivity tips are something you can learn. If you like VIM, then  ↗VIM MasterClass by Jason Cannon is an excellent course to learn such skills.

That's all about 10 skills every Programmer should learn. Computer science graduates and people who aspire to become programmers can use this list to find out about things like tools and skills to become a successful programmer.

😊😊 Thanks for reading this article so far. 😇😇

 If you find this article useful, then please share it with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a comment.

Baca Juga