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5 Fantastic Ways of Using JavaScript

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JavaScript is becoming increasingly used with the progression of modern technology!

If you were a writing code for the web over 10 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine that JavaScript (JS) would ever be used outside of the browser. The journey started when Node.js was first released in 2009, allowing JavaScript to be run on the server-side. Intentionally or not, Node.js opened up JavaScript to all new purposes, such as building robots, controlling drones, and even writing native mobile apps.

Learn about five surprising and creative ways that software developers are using JavaScript to think outside the box.

 

  1. JavaScript and robots 

Recently, more and more developers have been playing around with hardware, using parts such as Arduino boards to build custom robots. Turns out there are groups within the JavaScript community that are really interested in robotics, and they put in a lot of effort into building custom robots with the programming language. One such community is Nodebots. They hold meetups all over the world, where developers can get together, learn more, and hack on robots using JavaScript.

 

  1. Flying drones 

If building robots from scratch isn’t your thing but you’re still interested in controlling stuff in the real world using JavaScript, then why not explore the booming world of Drone Flying? If you’re interested in making your own drone take off using JavaScript, you should know that it doesn’t take much effort. Download the ar-drone NPM package, type a few lines of code, and your drone will be flying in no time!

 

  1. Virtual Reality 

Another technology gaining traction is virtual reality (VR) headsets such as the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear and Google Cardboard. And while writing 3D maps for VR headsets sounds really hard, it doesn’t have to be. There is an open source framework called A-Frame that allows developers to write VR experiences using JavaScript and HTML.  Imagine creating 3D scenes using HTML markup that works across desktop, mobile devices and VR headsets.

 

  1. Native Mobile Apps 

There’s nothing new about writing mobile apps within webviews, but let’s face it, it’s not really native. That’s why projects such as NativeScript and React Native were created. Developers who are already familiar with JS can now write actual native mobile applications for iOS, Android and Windows Phones. This allows apps written in JavaScript to stay blazing fast and able to access all of the native APIs.

If you’ve been considering writing native mobile apps but have been weary of learning a new programming language, fear no more! JS is here to save the day once again.

 

  1. Operating systems 

NodeOS is an operating system written entirely in Javascript (JS). Yes, you read that correctly; somebody wrote an entire operating system using JS. Now, if that hasn’t blown your mind, wait until you find out that the only way to install packages into this operating system is through NPM. The project’s aim is to run on real hardware such as desktops and laptops, as well as cloud providers like Amazon Web Services. What started out as a fun proof-of-concept project has grown into something real.

 

While these five uses  might seem difficult at first, one of the amazing things about JS is that it is still a beginner-friendly language, with an active and helpful community. This is readily apparent on JavaScript.com, a free resource that helps both beginners learn JS and keeps advanced developers up to date with the latest news in the community.

Do you have knowledge in working with Javascript? Check out our latest Software Development Role by following this link. It might be right up your alley!

 

– Sergio Cruz 

ERP Feature: How much does a typical implementation cost?

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The use of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is becoming increasingly common in a variety of businesses of all sizes. But what costs are involved in implementing this sort of software?

Whenever a company considers implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, one of the first questions they typically ask is, “How much will this cost?”

This is a fair question. Implementing an enterprise-wide integrated accounting and business system is a significant investment, and although there are many variables to take into consideration along the way, it can help to have a general idea of what to expect.

The following guidelines apply to most small- to medium-sized companies looking to implement any ERP system.

 

Type of company and number of users – Not all companies have the same requirements of their ERP system.  Generally, a moderately-sized manufacturing company will require more complexity than a similarly sized professional services company. Since most ERP systems are priced according to the number of concurrent users and the level of access each of these users will require from the system, companies should expect to pay around $4,000 per concurrent user for a manufacturing or complex distribution company and around $2,000 per concurrent user for a professional services or light distribution company. Additional licenses for “light” users (users only requiring limited access to the system) are usually priced at a few hundred dollars per named user.

Third-party software – Third-party software products are often available to extend the ERP software or enhance it with applications tailored for a specific industry or specific business process needs. Third-party add-ons typically account for 10% to 35% of the overall software cost.

 Implementation costs – There are many factors that influence the actual cost of implementation: the company’s industry, the size of the company, the anticipated transaction volume, scope and complexity of the implementation, and the number of third-party integrations, to name a few. Most implementation costs are calculated based on a ratio of software to services. The more the company implementing the ERP system can handle on its own without relying on external vendors, the closer the software-to-services ratio can get to 1 to 1. For most companies of average size and complexity, however, it is more common to see software to services ratios of 1 to 1.5 or 1 to 2.5.

Customization – Very few ERP systems can be installed and used “out-of-the-box.” Therefore, most companies will require some amount of customization to integrate the ERP software into their workflow. The amount of programming, testing, and training is directly related to the size and scope of the effort.

 The bottom line – For a typical mid-sized company, the total software and services cost will range between £100,000 and £560,000. Hardware and infrastructure costs are usually addressed separately, and typically these estimates assume an on-premise implementation rather than a hosted or subscription-based solution.

Admittedly, this analysis yields a wide range in price, but it should assist companies who are just starting the evaluation process to understand the factors that influence the cost of their proposed ERP implementation. Moreover, it should prompt companies to carefully evaluate estimates that fall significantly below or above the ranges discussed here to ensure there are no hidden costs and that the company is receiving the best business value while they seek to minimize cost and risk.

 

Do you possess experience in ERP Maintenance and Administration? If the answer is yes, our new ERP Business Support Analyst job role may be just right for you. Check it out by clicking here!

– Greg Kaupp

Software Development Feature: 12 Major Advantages of ASP.NET

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ASP.NET stands for Active Server Pages .NET and is developed by Microsoft. ASP.NET is used to create web pages and web technologies and is an integral part of Microsoft’s .NET framework vision. As a member of the .NET framework, ASP.NET is a very valuable tool for software programmers and software developers as it allows them to build dynamic, rich web sites and web applications using compiled languages like VB and C#.

ASP.NET is not limited to script languages, it allows you to make use of .NET languages like C#, J#, VB, etc. It allows software developers to build very compelling applications by making use of Visual Studio, the development tool provided by Microsoft. ASP.NET is purely server-side technology. It is built on a common language runtime that can be used on any Windows server to host powerful ASP.NET web sites and technologies.

In the early days of the Web i.e. before the release of Internet Information Services (IIS) in 1997, the contents of web pages were largely static. These web pages needed to be constantly, and manually, modified. There was an urgent need to create web sites that were dynamic and would update automatically.

Microsoft’s Active Server Pages (ASP) was brought to the market to meet this need. ASP executed on the server side, with its output sent to the user’s web browser, thus allowing the server to generate dynamic web pages based on the actions of the user.

These server-side technologies are important contributions to the development of the Web. Amazon.com, eBay.com, and many other popular web sites use ASP.NET as the framework for their site; without ASP.NET it would not be possible.

 

12 important advantages ASP.NET offers over other Web development models:
  1. ASP.NET drastically reduces the amount of code required to build large applications.
  2. With built-in Windows authentication and per-application configuration, your applications are safe and secured.
  3. It provides better performance by taking advantage of early binding, just-in-time compilation, native optimization, and caching services right out of the box.
  4. The ASP.NET framework is complemented by a rich toolbox and designer in the Visual Studio integrated development environment. WYSIWYG editing, drag-and-drop server controls, and automatic deployment are just a few of the features this powerful tool provides.
  5. Provides simplicity as ASP.NET makes it easy to perform common tasks, from simple form submission and client authentication to deployment and site configuration.
  6. The source code and HTML are together therefore ASP.NET pages are easy to maintain and write. Also the source code is executed on the server. This provides a lot of power and flexibility to the web pages.
  7. All the processes are closely monitored and managed by the ASP.NET runtime, so that if process is dead, a new process can be created in its place, which helps keep your application constantly available to handle requests.
  8. It is purely server-side technology so, ASP.NET code executes on the server before it is sent to the browser.
  9. Being language-independent, it allows you to choose the language that best applies to your application or partition your application across many languages.
  10. ASP.NET makes for easy deployment. There is no need to register components because the configuration information is built-in.
  11. The Web server continuously monitors the pages, components and applications running on it. If it notices any memory leaks, infinite loops, other illegal activities, it immediately destroys those activities and restarts itself.
  12. Easily works with ADO.NET using data-binding and page formatting features. It is an application which runs faster and counters large volumes of users without having performance problems

In short ASP.NET, the next generation version of Microsoft’s ASP, is a programming framework used to create enterprise-class web sites, web applications, and technologies. ASP.NET developed applications are accessible on a global basis leading to efficient information management. Whether you are building a small business web site or a large corporate web application distributed across multiple networks, ASP.NET will provide you all the features you could possibly need…and at an affordable cost: FREE!

Do you possess skills in ASP.NET? Check out our latest Software Development job role which is focuses mainly on C#/ASP.NET by following this link!

– Steve Kozyk

Top 10 Most In-Demand Software Programming Languages

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The tech sector is booming! As a result, software coding skills are in high demand, with programming jobs paying significantly more than the average position. Even beyond the tech world, an understanding of at least one programming language makes an impressive addition to any CV.

The in-vogue languages vary by employment sector. Financial and enterprise systems need to perform complicated functions and remain highly organized, requiring languages like Java and C#. Media- and design-related webpages and software will require dynamic, versatile and functional languages with minimal code, such as Ruby, PHP, JavaScript and Objective-C..

So what are the top 10 in-demand programming languages to date?

 

  1. SQL

It’s no surprise SQL (pronounced ‘sequel’) tops the job list since it can be found far and wide in various flavors. Database technologies such as MySQL, PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server power big businesses, small businesses, hospitals, banks, universities. Indeed, just about every computer and person with access to technology eventually touches something SQL. For instance, all Android phones and iPhones have access to a SQL database called SQLite and many mobile apps developed Google, Skype and DropBox use it directly.

  1. Java

The tech community recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of Java. It’s one of the most widely adopted programming languages, used by some 9 million developers and running on 7 billion devices worldwide. It’s also the programming language used to develop all native Android apps. Java’s popularity with developers is due to the fact that the language is grounded in readability and simplicity. Java has staying power since it has long-term compatibility, which makes sure older applications continue to work now into the future. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon and is used to power company websites like LinkedIn.com, Netflix.com and Amazon.com.

  1. JavaScript

JavaScript – not to be confused with Java – is another one of the world’s most popular and powerful programming languages, and is used to spice up web pages by making them interactive. For example, JavaScript can be used to add effects to web pages, display pop-up messages or to create games with basic functionality. It’s also worth noting that JavaScript is the scripting language of the World Wide Web and is built right into all major web browsers including Internet Explorer, FireFox and Safari. Almost every website incorporates some element of JavaScript to add to the user experience, adding to the demand for JavaScript developers. In recent years JavaScript has also gained use as the foundation of Node.js, a server technology that among other things enables real-time communication.  

  1. C#

Dating from 2000, C# (pronounced C-sharp) is a relatively new programming language designed by Microsoft for a wide range of enterprise applications that run on the .NET Framework. An evolution of C and  C++, the C# language is simple, modern, type safe and object oriented.

  1. C++

C++ (pronounced C-plus-plus) is a general purpose object-oriented programming language based on the earlier ‘C’ language. Developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs, C++ was first released in 1983. Stroustrup keeps an extensive list of applications written in C++. The list includes Adobe and Microsoft applications, MongoDB databases, large portions of Mac OS/X and is the best language to learn for performance-critical applications such as “twitch” game development or audio/video processing.

  1. Python

Python is a general purpose programming language that was named after the Monty Python (so you know it’s fun to work with)! Python is simple and incredibly readable since closely resembles the English language. It’s a great language for beginners, all the way up to seasoned professionals. Python recently bumped Java as the language of choice in introductory programming courses with eight of the top 10 computer science departments now using Python to teach coding, as well as 27 of the top 39 schools. Because of Python’s use in the educational realm, there are a lot of libraries created for Python related to mathematics, physics and natural processing. PBS, NASA and Reddit use Python for their websites.

  1.     PHP

Created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994, PHP was never actually intended to be a new programming language. Instead, it was created to be a set of tools to help Rasmus maintain his Personal Home Page (PHP). Today, PHP (Hypertext Pre-Processor) is a scripting language, running on the server, which can be used to create web pages written in HTML. PHP tends to be a popular language since its easy-to use by new programmers, but also offers tons of advanced features for more experienced programmers.

  1. Ruby on Rails

Like Java or the C language, Ruby is a general purpose programming language, though it is best known for its use in web programming, and Rails serves as a framework for the Ruby Language. Ruby on Rails has many positive qualities including rapid development, you don’t need as much code, and there are a wide variety of 3rd party libraries available. It’s used from companies ranging from small start-ups to large enterprises and everything in-between. Hulu, Twitter, Github and Living Social are using Ruby on Rails for at least one of their web applications.

  1.    iOS/Swift

In 2014, Apple decided to invent their own programming language. The result was Swift – a new programming language for iOS and OS X developers to create their next killer app. Developers will find that many parts of Swift are familiar from their experience of developing in C++ and Objective-C. Companies including American Airlines, LinkedIn, and Duolingo have been quick to adopt Swift, and we’ll see this language on the rise in the coming years.

  1.     Objective C

Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language used by the Apple operating system. It powers Apple’s OS X and iOS, as well as its APIs, and can be used to create iPhone apps, which has generated a huge demand for this once-outmoded programming language.

 

Any great craftsman has a belt full of tools, each a perfect choice for certain situations. Similarly, there will never be just a single programming language, and each language will evolve and improve over time to keep pace with innovation.

If you’re interested in becoming a developer, it’s important to be well-versed in a number of programming languages so you can be versatile and adaptable – and then continue to learn/master languages throughout your career.

 

If you have reasonable knowledge within any of these programming language types, our new Software Developer role may be just right for you. Check it out by clicking here!

 

Why small businesses are turning to Cloud Computing

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Small businesses are fleeing to cloud computing and mobile apps, says new study

Small businesses around the world are increasingly relying on cloud computing and apps to run their operations and solve business problems. Here’s why.

The mobile revolution has reached mom-and-pop shops. According to a newIntuit study, 64% of small businesses across the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK now run their operations in the cloud—up from just 37% in 2015. And 68% of these enterprises use mobile or web-based apps in their day-to-day business, compared to just half last year.

The growth is not a surprise, said Vinay Pai, vice president of the Intuit Developer Platform. Many small business owners, he said, are using apps such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Snapchat in their everyday lives. “That same expectation has bled over into how they’re running their business, looking to using apps for invoicing, billing, and time management,” Pai said.

The study collected responses from 2,000 small enterprise owners across the four countries, the majority of which employ one to 50 employees.

More than two in five small businesses reported their biggest challenges were controlling costs and reducing expenses. Improving cash flow, customer billing, and time management were the top factors considered among businesses looking to integrate apps.

Not surprisingly, about half of small businesses said they judge technology success on whether it will increase their revenue, the study found. “Most of these small companies are looking to grow their business, and for anything that helps with cash flow and minimizes expenses,” Pai said.

For example, in the US, federal compliance regulations require tracking employee overtime hours and ensuring they are paid. Paying for an app that tracks hourly employees can cost far less than the penalty a business would incur for not doing so, said Pai.

Apps for invoicing are also popular because they cut down on the time it takes for a business owner to get paid, Pai added. With paper invoices, it usually takes about 30 days to receive a check. With an app, businesses can get their money wired within 8 days, with half receiving payment the same day.

For small business app adopters, 68% reported using an average of 4 apps, the study found. And 66% of all small businesses surveyed said they use mobile to run their business.

Benefits and drawbacks

Many small business leaders were reluctant to move systems to the cloud, but did so because of all the available software, said Gene Marks, owner of the Marks Group PC, a small business consulting firm specializing in CRM applications.

Cloud-based apps allow the software vendor to offer easier support and updates in real time, Marks said. But, it’s important to note that monthly or yearly subscription models cost business owners more over time than the pay-once models of the past.

Marks said that his clients have reported quicker updates and increased accessibility and mobility with cloud-based apps. Using cloud-based apps can also attract millennial business and workers, who grew up using the web and mobile devices, Marks said.

The Marks Group, a 10-person firm, moved to the cloud-based Zoho CRM earlier this year, due in large part to the ability to integrate cloud-based applications. It can now use many third-party apps such as the Google suite in their system, Marks said.

App priorities for small business owners included gains in privacy, security, and cost, the Intuit study found. For Marks however, the biggest issue is the price, in terms of both longer-term costs and control. Most app services ask for a monthly fee, rather than a single payment for the system, and do not protect small business users if that fee rises over time, he said.

Tips for small business leaders

The largest barrier for small businesses considering app adoption is the sheer number available: 41% of owners said they feel there are too many to choose from, and that they are unsure which apps will be best for their business needs. Other barriers were cost (39%) and complexity (23%).

Business owners should look at reviews and search for apps that solve a particular business problem, Pai recommends. Many apps have a 2 to 4 week free trial period, so don’t be afraid to try them out, he said.

While apps can solve for certain challenges, small business employees often do not know how to fully leverage these tools, Marks said. He estimates that his typical client only uses 20% of a cloud CRM system’s full capabilities. He recommends finding a partner or outside expert who knows the app well, and offering training to employees. Some 66% of app users said they would pay for training, the study found.

Small businesses that have success with cloud app initiatives often assign someone internally to own the system, Marks said. That person becomes the go-to support system for the app, and should have training and resources on using it. “If you create an expert inside your company, it will expand the use of the application for everybody,” Marks said.

 

Are you looking for an excellent career opportunity within the IT Industry? Follow this link and check out our latest job roles!

– Alison DeNisco

15 Steps on how to get into Software Development

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Considering a career in Software Development? Read these 15 Steps which could help send you on your way to an exciting new career!

More people than ever before are entering Software Development from non-traditional backgrounds. The number of coding bootcamps is increasing, and there’s a broad push from the industry to attract more diverse developers. Many companies are no longer solely focused on hiring senior developers, and have realised that it may be smarter to train and upskill the next generation of senior developers instead.

Software Development pays well, the industry is booming, and compared to many other careers, software developers get treated very well. But the thing that draws most career-changers to software development, is the search for more rewarding work.

The career transition stage can be a big, scary, but exciting place to be. It can be one of the most challenging life-changes a person could make however, the finishing result could be a more fulfilling career.

If you’re considering a career change, there’s one question that you should ask yourself, above all others: if you make the switch to software development, will you like it? Getting to a level of skill where you are hireable is a lot of work, and you may be leaving behind a promising career in the process. The stakes are high.

If you don’t know whether you’re going to like it, build things with code. Create a Tic Tac Toe game. Start a small online business and do the development yourself. Contribute to open source. Make games. Complete programming challenges. Build a personal website and do all the design and development yourself. If you enjoy any of these things, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy working as a software developer.

Switching careers can be an epic, challenging journey – but it could just be one of the best things you’ve ever done.

There are a thousand ways to learn to program; the route you take will depend on how you learn best. You can take online courses, find a teacher or mentor, watch YouTube videos, read books, get a Computer Science degree, watch screencasts, or simply jump onto the command line and start experimenting, hitting up Stack Overflow as you go.

 

Here are 15 tips which could help you start your journey to becoming a Software Developer!

1. Have something you (passionately) want to make: Whether it’s a blog, a game, a website, a SaaS startup, an online dating website, or an app to manage your family’s finances, having a project that you’re motivated to build, will push you through the tough times when learning to program. A real-world use-case for your skills will accelerate your learning.

 

2. Attend a coding Bootcamp to get a taster and see if you feel it will work for you: A good coding bootcamp will give you a focused environment, help when you need it, and support when the journey gets tough. When you’re first learning to code, it can be really hard to know what you should focus on.

A good coding bootcamp will also assume no prior programming knowledge, and teach you the skills you need from the ground up, unlike many programming articles and videos, which will be written with professional programmers in mind.

 

3. Connect with other people learning to program: Learning to code can be difficult at times. Having a network of other people going through the same challenges can be hugely important. If you don’t know anyone making the transition, attend local meetups and talk to people there, especially if you’re focused on languages popular among junior developers (Ruby and JavaScript in particular). If you’re lucky, your local programming meetup may even host a ‘Newbies’ night now and again. Make sure to go!

 

4. Find a mentor who works in the industry: A friendship or mentorship with a working software developer can also be immensely helpful in your journey. They will know what the interview culture is in your local industry, will be able to give you advice when you get stuck, help you focus on the most important skills to learn, and give feedback on your code. If you’re lucky enough to find a software developer generous with their time in this way, make sure to give back somehow, even if it’s just buying lunch when you meet. Once again, meetups are a great way to meet potential mentors.

 

5. Focus your learning:If you’re hoping to do backend programming primarily (the engine of most apps, not the visual presentation), focus on learning one language and one web framework as well as you can. Also aim to be somewhat familiar with JavaScript, HTML and CSS, as many roles will have you working with both the frontend and backend of an application. If you’re aiming for a front-end role, focus on JavaScript, HTML and CSS. You might also focus on a popular JavaScript MVC framework like React or AngularJS.

 

6. Be prepared to invest in your career change:You can spend a lot on the transition; books, courses, classes, and screencast subscriptions can add up to hundreds of pounds a month, and many boot camps are over £6,000. Despite the hype around programmer salaries, you can expect to make between £20k and £30k as a junior developer. At first, it might seem like you’ve invested a lot in this career change without much financial reward. Over the long term though, this investment should pay off as you rise to a senior developer level with the potential to earn between £50K and £70K.

 

7. Don’t worry if your journey isn’t linear:Learning to program is tough; it takes time. If you’re juggling a pre-existing career and other commitments, it may be difficult to focus on it for more than a few hours a week. You may have doubts, you may get distracted, and you may stop progressing for days, weeks, or months. Trust that if software development is truly what you want to do you’ll find your way eventually, even if you end up taking the scenic route.

 

8. Create an account on GitHub, build your profile, be selective about what you show: GitHub is an online hosting service for git repositories, best described as version-controlled programming projects. When a repository is public on GitHub, anyone can read through your code. Many hiring managers will check the GitHub profile of applicants, to get an idea of how they write code when nobody is watching. When evaluating junior applicants, the hiring managers may not be looking for amazing code, but instead looking for enthusiasm, work done on multiple projects, willingness to try out new things, and a sense of play. Your GitHub profile is a great way to show this, but keep in mind that hiring managers may only have a few spare minutes to review your profile. For this reason, it’s a good idea to make only substantial or interesting projects public. For projects which you were just using to learn, it might be worth making them private to give your best stuff the limelight.

 

9. It’s hard sometimes:Self-doubt is a common trap for junior developers, especially those from groups who are underrepresented in the software industry. If something feels hard, it’s not necessarily because you’re not cut out for this. It might be because you have more to learn, or perhaps, because the thing you’re working on is actually hard. You may also be concerned when something you find challenging seems easy to someone else, especially when that someone else has a similar level of experience. But stick with that person long enough and you’ll likely encounter something they struggle with, that you find really easy. We’re all different, we bring different pre-existing skills to the table, and we all practice differently. Programming is like any skill: you can become good at it if you persist long enough and care about getting better. Avi Flombaum, co-founder of the Flatiron School, says “I absolutely believe that anybody can learn how to program in the same way that we know anyone can learn how to read and write.”

 

10. Be aware of your blind spots:By all accounts, career-changers have been making waves in the development community. They’re self-starters who’ve sacrificed an existing career, and sometimes a higher salary, in order to become software developers. However, we do have blind spots. The inner-workings of computers and the internet are mind-bendingly complex, especially to anyone from a non-technical background. Mastering one programming language, one web framework, JavaScript, HTML and CSS might take up all your available time. However, when you’re starting out as a junior developer, you probably won’t realize that these things are just a small slice of the technologies you work with every day.

Think about the answers to some of the following questions:
How does your code get run?
How does your language’s interpreter or compiler know when it encounters a syntax error?
How does typing a URL into your browser toolbar result in a web page being rendered on your screen?
How does a web server work?
How do you stay logged into websites even after you close and reopen your browser?
How does your app run on a web server?
Your project is hosted on Heroku or AWS, but what do they use under the hood?
When people say an object is ‘in memory’, what does that mean?
How do you SSH onto a server?
How do you set up and use a build pipeline?
How does your operating system run on your computer?

Of course, this list could be much longer. There’s so much to learn that it can feel overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t need to know the answers to all these questions in order to be hired as a junior software developer, but you should try to learn them as you go further in your career. You can’t get really good at software development unless you have a working understanding of the tools that you work with every day. Increasing your understanding will empower you to make better choices, become better at debugging, and make better design decisions.

 

11. When you’re struggling, take time to appreciate the unique skills you have that computer science graduates may not have yet:If you’ve attended or scheduled a work meeting, been given tricky feedback at work, been through a performance review, or led a team, you already have valuable skills that recent computer science graduates may not have. You may be more at ease talking with stakeholders, better at meetings, planning and organization, simply through having more experience. Most importantly, you may have better perspective. After all, if you’ve previously worked as a nurse in an operating theatre, a bug in production might not seem so overwhelming. After all, nobody is going to get (physically) hurt!

 

12. Get experience with pairing:Pairing is the practice of having two developers share one computer and work on the code together. One developer will write code, while the other watches and does some of the following things: makes suggestions, asks questions, catches errors, and thinks more broadly about how the code being written, fits into the larger program. Since both roles are fatiguing, they will usually swap anywhere from 15 minutes to every few hours.

Pairing is a common practice in the industry and even more common in the coding interview process. You don’t need to be an expert, but pairing for the first time can be a little intimidating, especially when pairing with a senior developer. Despite this, pairing can actually be really fun, and is a fantastic way to learn. If you can, get some practice with pairing before you begin doing coding interviews. If you have a mentor, pair with them. Otherwise, you can find opportunities to pair at hackathons and hack nights in your local area.

 

13. Set up a mock programming interview:Programming interviews are likely to be quite different to the interviews you took to get a job in your current career. They often involve coding challenges, writing pseudocode on a whiteboard, pair programming, and feedback on your code. Learn as much as possible about coding interviews by researching them online. Then practice them with a friend. Find a whiteboard and solve simple problems by writing your code on it. Get your friend to ask you common programming interview questions. It doesn’t matter if your friend is non-technical. The experience will really help when it is time for your real coding interview, as they can be a little intimidating at first!

 

14. Before test-driven development, practice error-driven development:Errors will be your constant companion when learning to code. You’ll be breaking stuff all the time, and will be face a lot of error messages. As once non-technical people, error messages can be scary. Before learning to code, they may have meant that you wrecked your computer while installing a game, or bricked a phone while trying to unlock it. An important mindset when programming, however, is to see error messages as helpful.

When many developers encounter an error message, they react a little like they’ve been slapped on the hand, quickly navigating away from the browser or shell window and peering at the code they  just wrote, trying to figure out what might have made the computer so angry. In most cases, the computer is already telling us, via the error message it just printed, but we need to slow down and read it before we can reap the benefits.

Jeff Cohen, an instructor at my coding bootcamp, encouraged us to practise error-driven development. This method goes beyond slowing down to read error messages, and instead, lets a succession of errors guide you forward in your development. Call a method that doesn’t exist, see a ‘no method’ error, and then write the code to bring that method into existence. Reference a view that doesn’t exist, see a ‘no view’ error, and then create the view. Errors are not to be feared, in fact, they can guide you and help you build your skill as a software developer. Just try to avoid errors in the final product!

 

15. Learn about and practice test-driven development (at least a little bit): Once you’re comfortable with error-driven development, test-driven development is the next step in your learning. Test-driven development is a sought after skill in the industry, and familiarity with it is a requirement to get hired at some software companies. It’s the practice of writing code to ‘test’ how your program behaves, and to drive out a better design for your program. If you’ve ever added some functionality to a program, only to have it break something else that was previously working, this is one of the things that test-driven development (often abbreviated as TDD) can help with!

Few programming resources for beginners focus on TDD, mainly because it can be a difficult concept to teach. When you aren’t sure how to write good tests, it can feel more difficult than writing code. You may encounter a situation where you know exactly how to write the code that will solve a problem, but designing a test around it takes an hour because you’re not sure of the appropriate way to exercise the code with a test. Learning TDD will slow you down at first, but you’ll be repaid with confidence – confidence that your programs work, and confidence that if you break something, you’ll know immediately. Tests are an incredibly useful safety net for junior developers.

You don’t need to be an expert at testing, but some familiarity with TDD will put you ahead of many other junior applicants, especially those coming from traditional Computer Science backgrounds where test-driven development is still not always taught. Bonus points if you can eventually articulate the difference between a mock and a stub.

We hope you have found these tips useful and will have hopefully broadened your knowledge on ways of becoming a software developer. Apply yourself! You don’t need to be a genius to get into software development. Just make sure you remain consistent with your practice and studies. Remember that you will hit barriers and most importantly remember to push through them and never give up. As previously mentioned, becoming a software developer is a challenging career path, but the resulting future prospects can be outstanding. You could find choosing to become a software developer might end up being one of the best decisions of your life. Good Luck!

If you considering a career in Software Development and would like to know more, be sure to get in contact with us here!

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-Natasha Postolovski

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