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5 Qualities to look for in a software developer

 
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I was recently interviewed for this article (and quoted heavily in it):

5 Qualities Every Hiring Manager Wants in a Developer

--Mark
 
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Good article. I think having the right balance of the above qualities is the key. I have come across super intelligent professionals who did not fit in well with the team or organization due to lack of other qualities mentioned in the article.
 
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It bears noting what's not on the list - education and certification. ;)

Cheers!

Luke
 
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Luke Kolin wrote:It bears noting what's not on the list - education and certification. ;)



I kinda agree about the certification part.... But... I find it hard to have those qualities, and yet, not have the desire to finish a degree (for the education part).

Henry
 
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Henry Wong wrote:I kinda agree about the certification part.... But... I find it hard to have those qualities, and yet, not have the desire to finish a degree (for the education part).



I didn't mention anything about no degree at all, but to be fair after a few years I don't think it really matters outside of a few small areas where very specialized knowledge is needed. I've been hiring people for the past few months, and their degree (or lack of a degree) has been so immaterial that I really couldn't tell you what any of their education was. We look for someone bright, adaptable and who loves technology, with enough specific Java/JSP/HTML/JS (depending on the role) knowledge that we don't need to hold their hand. I suppose all other things being equal education or certs might make a difference, but all other things are never equal.

I've actually worked with a surprising number of really bright folks who dropped out of college. Around their third year, their skills got to the point where companies doing really interesting things were eager to hire them, and the notion of another year and a half in school doing academic exercises with nothing more than working in a BigCo cubicle to look forward to didn't appeal to them. The interesting thing about software development is that Google aside, being overly interested in your formal qualifications is usually a good anti-pattern for an employer.

Cheers!

Luke
 
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In my view, there are different ways to get to where you want to be. What is important is if you got there and not how you got there?

There are so many IT professionals, who made a successful career transition from other degrees like Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Physics, etc. It also does not matter if you got there with or without any certifications, as long as you get there and demonstrate those qualities mentioned in the article.
 
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