Beginner – Top IT Training & Placement Company

To become a good programmer, you need some technical skills if you are studying computer science or pursuing a software engineer or developer course. The technological world is vast and there are a vast number of tools, platforms and languages being developed. A modern developer should know how to integrate the modern technologies and other technical stuff into their work to make a good product. No matter how experienced or beginner you are, you should have knowledge about how to integrate modern technologies.

If you want to be a good developer, or if you are planning to become one, you should have some essential technical skills. In Pune, Profound Edutech offers IT training and placement services. A 100% job guarantee is offered with our training courses in Software Testing, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning.

1. Data Structures and Algorithms:

In most companies, the ability to solve problems and code is checked first in order to determine if the candidate is qualified. Being a good software developer requires knowing how to organize and use data to solve real-world problems. The study of data structures and algorithms (e.g. arrays, linked lists, trees) is recommended for developers, computer science students, and self-taught programmers. Algorithms and Data Structures are at the heart of programming. Many developers do not realize it at the beginning of their careers, but once you begin developing software, you will soon discover that your code is either taking too long or taking up too much space. Hence, you will develop a better understanding of how to organize data using algorithms and data structures to solve a particular problem. GeeksforGeeks, Hackerrank, Codechef, CareerCup, LeetCode, InterviewBit, HackerEarth, etc. are some of the websites where you can learn and practice this skill.

2. Programming Languages:

You must be able to program in at least one programming language in depth in order to become a good programmer. It depends on your area of interest and what programming language you enjoy solving problems in, as well as what you are comfortable with, when deciding which language to use. In 2019, according to the Stack Overflow survey, here are the most popular programming languages…

You can pick any programming language based on the above image, the demand in the market, and your area of interest. Choosing a programming language can be determined by consulting the list of the Top 10 Programming Languages of the World.

3. Source Control:

Developers can manage and store their code using source control. Most organizations today look for developers who are capable of collaborating with other team members and are proficient in version control. The best way to become a good software developer is to be comfortable with version control concepts, tools, and techniques like Git (preferred by 70-80% of organizations), Mercurial, SVN, etc. Learn about the Git and Github source control systems in this article

4. Text Editors:

There is no difference between beginners, intermediates, and experts in programming. It is from text editors that programmers begin their programming journey. It is an integral part of every programmer’s day-to-day life. Text editors are not just used by programmers, but also by non-programmers for their own purposes. Text editors such as Notepad++, Sublime Text, Atom, Brackets, and Visual Code are among the many choices available. Programmers should spend some time in a text editor and learn some keyboard shortcuts to become smart and productive.

5. IDEs (Integrated Development Environment):

A programming IDE facilitates the writing, editing, compiling, running and debugging of your code. There are different development environments for different purposes or languages that programmers choose when choosing the best development environment. The use of an IDE should be known by every programmer who writes, compiles, runs and debugs code. There are many IDEs available for developers, and using one speeds up their work. A program like Visual Studio or Code::Blocks is most recommended for C, C++, and C# programmers. Additionally, Python developers are making use of PyCharm, Spyder, or Jupyter notebooks. Developers should choose Eclipse, NetBeans or IntelliJ IDEA when it comes to Java.

6. Databases:

A developer’s understanding of databases is an essential skill. All kinds of operations should be familiar to developers, such as storing records, creating, inserting, updating, and deleting. Databases are essential to the creation of all kinds of applications and software for any organization. The developer is also responsible for managing the entire organization’s records with proper backups when working on any serious business project. That’s why every organization expects a developer who is comfortable handling databases and managing the complete organization record. In the world of development, SQL is without a doubt the most popular classic database. The ability to write basic SQL queries is a prerequisite for becoming a good developer. Databases such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, and Redis are available.

7. Operating System:

In order to develop good software, you need to understand the fundamentals and mechanisms of the operating system. Developers face many issues related to operating systems when working on a project, such as memory usage, communicating with another machine, running a program very slowly, conflicting tools, blocking issues, etc. During production, when developers write code on one machine and it does not work on another, this can lead to serious issues. To work with an operating system effectively, you should have knowledge of its processes and mechanisms. Linux, Windows, or Mac is the preferred operating system for most programmers. Mobile and tablet operating systems such as Android and iOS are the best examples.

8. Networking Basics:

It is most common for developers to use client-server models to create their applications in which a request is sent over the network to a client that can access the application from anywhere in the world. In order to develop and support an application, developers need a basic understanding of networking. It is possible for HTTP requests to be impacted over the network if the architecture is not designed properly. The client-server architecture works by a user or client POSTing a request via the internet, which is received by the server and processed by the server. The client then receives the response. A client-server architecture is used in most modern applications, whether they are web-based, online games, business automation, or cloud computing. As a result, it cannot be denied that networking fundamentals and basics are also essential skills for developers before they enter the programming world.

9. Basics of Testing:

Software or applications must pass so many tests before they can be released to the market. It is important to test software before handing it over to the customer so we can find out if there are any bugs. Developers need to know three important software testing methods out of the many available. As a first step, you can do Unit Testing for each and every module or class separately. Embunit for C or C++, JUnit for Java, NUnit for C# are some of the unit testing frameworks available. An integration test is another testing method where different blocks or modules are tested to see how they interact with one another. In this way, errors in data processing can be excluded. Lastly, the system test involves testing the integrated software as a whole. Using this technique, no internal code knowledge is required because it is a black box testing method.

10. Cross-Platform Software:

When designing or developing a product, multiple platforms, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, are expected to be supported. By writing code once, you can be reused across different platforms in a simple language. In today’s world, most users prefer to use mobile devices or smartphones to access products and services, so it is crucial for developers to make products that can be used by a wide range of systems. Once a software application is adapted to a wide range of devices, the number of customers can be increased. To make the most of your career opportunities and growth in software development, no matter what level of experience you have in programming, you should know how to work with cross-platform software.

11. Encryption and Cryptography:

In order to prevent all kinds of attacks, a developer should implement a secure and encrypted key when making a web application or software that uses sensitive information of a user. When it comes to making a product or software, every organization is concerned about the security of users’ sensitive information and the prevention of hacking. Cryptography algorithms, authentication methods, and encryption algorithms are all expected of developers. In general, two methods are used to encrypt data. A private key and a public key are both involved. A public key encryption algorithm such as RSA or ECDSA is used to establish a key, and the choice depends on the developer in terms of network security. As a result of cryptography, developers can create secure systems, databases, and transmit secure output over networks. Also, it allows third party libraries to be used without worrying about security issues due to its secure error handling.

12. SDLC (Software development life cycle):

A Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) ensures the quality and correctness of a software by following a systematic process step by step. Software developers should have a thorough knowledge of the software life cycle, from requirements analysis to product maintenance. SDLC consists of seven phases.

Analyzing and gathering requirements
Study of feasibility
Study of feasibility
Developing the code and implementing it
Performing tests
The deployment process
Inspecting and maintaining

Every phase of software or application development is important when you enter programming. In order to make a good product, a developer must use his brain at every stage of SDLC. Furthermore, it allows the developer to take precautions at an early stage before dealing with any issue at a later stage.

13. Microsoft Excel:

Although developers do not use Excel for coding or implementing software, it is an essential skill for them because it can be used to track progress, analyze data, check data quality, maintain data, and plan projects. Excel is a powerful tool that should not be underestimated. The developer can use it for more than spreadsheet functions, including searching, sorting, filtering, and performing any mathematical operation. It helps make their work easier and faster. In addition to inserting bulk data into databases, Microsoft Excel is also widely used. Regardless of whether you are a junior developer or a manager, this tool is an integral part of any project. Taking the time to learn Excel’s basics is a good idea.

Counting starts from zero in programming, not one. In the event that you are not in programming and you point out a mistake made by a programmer, prepare yourself for an angry young man looking sarcastic throwing a stone or paper at you. Aside from being incredibly funny (we have already mentioned an example), programming is also one of the hardest (if you don’t enjoy coding) and easiest things you can do.

Coding is about a lot more than just a semicolon, a bracket, a loop, and you might have made some silly mistakes, especially during the initial phase.

Coders make mistakes a lot, especially when they are just starting out, but that’s how they learn and become good programmers. As a beginning programmer, you are likely to make some mistakes during the coding process, but these are not limited to these. While learning to code, it’s important to be aware of these mistakes and not make the same mistake. A IT Training Institute in Nashik described common programming mistakes to avoid as follows.

1. Learning Too Many Programming Languages, Frameworks, and Technology

Beginners usually make this mistake when they are first learning to code. If they don’t know Java, C++, Python or a lot of other languages, frameworks, or technologies well enough to show someone or to include on their resume, then that’s foolishness, not an indication of intelligence if you do not know them well or have command of them.

You will eventually become quite confused if you spend 15 days learning Java and then switch to Ruby because Java is difficult or for some other reason. Although it’s beneficial to be able to speak several languages, we strongly advise you to start out by concentrating on only one. Once you gain experience, moving to another language won’t be a problem. If you make this error, you will eventually find that you are not a fluent speaker of any one language.

2. Comparison, Self Doubt, And Fear

As humans, we are naturally inclined to compare ourselves to others all the time, and the same is true in programming. A talented programmer solves problems fast and makes things work too smoothly, and you begin to doubt your capability, which is not good. Depending on your interest in coding, you may be quick to pick up the concept or you may take a while to do so. Slow learning is completely fine if you are motivated to learn it.

Beginners often encounter a phase when a voice inside their heads says ‘I’m not smart enough’, ‘I have the wrong type of brain’, and many other things that make them feel insecure and make them realize they can’t code. Programming can be scary sometimes, and beginners go through the phase when this voice keeps saying ‘I’m not smart enough to solve the problem’. Remember to face self-doubt with courage and to be fearless when you are facing self-doubt. Do yourself a favor and take care of yourself first before you take on the challenge of programming and help others solve their problems.

Is there anything I can do to improve my programming skills? Is there anything I need to improve on?. By taking help from others, watching tutorials or joining a programming community, figure out your strength, be grateful for it, and work on your weakness.

3. Writing Messy Code And Ignoring Code Quality

The format of a code can easily indicate if the programmer is a beginner or an experienced one. In formatting code, beginners commonly make the following mistakes:

The code is not indented properly
The use of white space and new lines are inconsistent or everything is put on a single line.
It is not a good idea to write a large function or put all of the information into a single line, function, or file.
The name of variables and functions shouldn’t make sense (for example, AbshdhhDdhjdjdXyshdb is not a good name). Variable names are randomly assigned to small case and large case.
Coding without comments or overcommenting

There are many other errors that beginners make when writing the code, in addition to those mentioned above. The fact that your code is running and producing the desired results is exciting and encouraging as a beginner, but what if you hand it over to another person and they need to maintain or continue the code? There is a likelihood that he/she would not be able to understand the code you wrote, the loops in it, or the conditionals in it. Writing well-structured code isn’t just about writing code and making sure it works; you should also make sure that the code is clean, readable, and maintainable.

4. Writing Code Without Plan

In the excitement of starting a project, many beginners skip the thinking, researching, and planning stages and start writing code immediately. The problem requirements are not understood, there are limitations, and they are not thinking about all possible scenarios (what inputs exist and what should be the outputs). You may later regret it if you create a big issue. Every beginner should consider before they begin writing code the same way you should think before you say anything to someone, so you don’t regret it later. A developer spends only 10% of their time writing code when it comes to programming. The rest of the time is spent thinking, planning, researching, and discussing the entire project.

During the thinking, researching, planning, writing, validating, and modifying phases, beginners should follow some basic principles to avoid any failures or disasters during production.

Get a better understanding of the problem requirements and limitations.
Find a data structure that solves the problem by doing some research and experimenting. Decide which one is best.
A rough working draft should be made of the program.
You need to choose a data structure that fits your problem.
Think of all the corners that need to be tested and note them down.
Identify solvable pieces of the problem.

5. Thinking You Know It All

For beginners, starting to run their code without any bugs is a genuinely exciting and amazing experience. Their efforts have finally yielded a program that actually works after they have put so much effort into learning to code. Getting the hang of coding makes you confident and you start teaching other people what you know. There’s nothing more satisfying than learning new things, but what if you took a look at some more complex projects that top-notch programmers have created on Github, or even your own code that you created a couple of months ago. There will still be some modifications to be made, and your code can also be refactored. Even experienced programmers encounter this problem.

You should always remember that programming is a marathon that has no finish line. In the world of coding, there are always new technologies, frameworks, and a lot of stuff to learn. Make sure you do not undervalue your abilities, but also do not overestimate them. Make sure you stay grounded, explore more complex programming topics, and keep learning. It is common for experienced programmers to have a ‘I know everything attitude’, even after they have spent years in programming, they keep learning and exploring.

6. No Backup For Work

Any programmer, especially a beginner, can make this blunder mistake. You have spent months working on a project, and then two weeks after you have failed to save all your files on your computer, you have lost all your work. It doesn’t matter if you lost X amounts of work because your system or part of it crashed, no one is going to listen to you. In this case, you cannot give any excuses, which is why every beginner and programmer should keep regular backups of their work.

To save all of your work in a timely manner, learn the use of source control (SVN or Git), Github, or Dropbox.

7. Laziness in Doing Practice

There’s little point in reading thousands of lines of code unless you have some experience programming. Practicing coding is very different from reading about it in theory. Code practice is the most important thing a programmer can do. It’s very likely that you are going to make a lot of mistakes when you begin writing code. Initially, you might think that you understand everything you read. However, as soon as you start coding, you will discover that you don’t understand everything.

It will be difficult to write a loop at first because you’ll miss a semicolon, braces, and you’ll have difficulty writing a loop, but all you need to do is get your hands dirty with code, practice it, catch some errors, debug them, and then figure out how the small pieces work together.

Tag: Beginner

13 Technical Skills You Should Have As A Developer