The demand for developers is high; employment of software engineers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. But this high demand shouldn’t allow for low expectation in the quality of hires. Don’t get me wrong, as someone who can’t code, to me developers are sort of magicians. But like in any profession, sometimes you need to make sure that your skills are polished and that you are offering the best service to a company. Tech.Co reached out to developers and educators to find out the clear signs a developer needs to improve their skills. There are five obvious signs that it’s time to brush up on your skills:

  1. Your Code is Sloppy Sloppy coding is used to describe a piece of code that isn’t very expandable or versatile. So if someone else tries to add or subtract something to the code, it breaks the whole thing. Poorly constructed code is usually easier upfront, but you end up paying much more in long-term costs when the code is unreliable, difficult to understand, and expensive to debug. So spend extra time making sure that the code looks good.
  2. You’re Afraid of Someone Else’s Code You shouldn’t be intimated by other developers’ code. By feeling intimated, you send a message that you are insecure about your own skills. Collaboration is key to developing coding skills, so poke around other people’s code and figure out what it does. Open source projects can be a great way to start looking at code that you have not written as a developer.
  3. You’re Taking Too Long To Come Up With a Solution If you’re struggling to build a code, you have to ask yourself why. Asking for help is okay, and with so many platforms for coders to share information, your best bet is to learn from others.
  4. You’re Not Interested in Learning New Languages General knowledge of languages and systems are more important than specific knowledge of just one language. A good developer knows and is interested in learning different programming languages, especially if languages are constantly changing.
  5. You’re Not a Team Player Communication that flows from the developer to their employers is critical for the relationship and growth of the company. A good developer knows how to explain technical concepts to the non-technical people. Being part of a team also means communicating your struggles and concerns. Tech.Co wants to hear from you, how do you know it is time to polish your coding skills?