Recipe for a Programmer: The Top 7 Traits You Need to Work in IT

A degree in mathematics, computer science, or automation and robotics engineering — is that the profile of today's programmer? Definitely not. If not a technical education, then what traits are enough to join one of the fastest-growing industries in the world?

For many young people, being a programmer is a dream come true. More and more often, people dissatisfied with their current job or studies decide to change careers. Demand for specialists is enormous, but that doesn't mean recruiters take just anyone. It's true that some skills you have to have in your blood, while others can be developed. Which 7 traits do you need to have or acquire?

Desire to grow

The IT industry is dynamic. New developments appear literally every month, and technologies from a few years ago are considered unworthy of attention in new projects. Despite this, there are still a large number of programmers on the market who code in exactly the same way as when they started learning programming. Meanwhile, it's the people who keep up with new technologies and are open to new ways of learning who have a clear advantage.

The ideal programmer not only wants to solve the problem but is passionate about solving it in the best possible way, e.g. using a ready-made method that came onto the market a few months ago. That's why in the IT industry you have to stay up to date. It's the desire to grow that makes it possible to quickly fill gaps in the knowledge you need. Even if a programmer is a beginner and has no commercial experience, if they prove to the employer that they want to learn, they are a very good candidate for the job and will be taken into consideration in the recruitment process.

Laziness

This is no joke! A programmer should above all look for the simplest solutions. Their working time is relatively expensive, so it often pays off more to look into libraries of ready-made programs and use them (even for a fee) than to spend hours writing everything from scratch.

Automating work is also very welcome. - There's a story circulating online about a programmer who automated his entire work environment, including the coffee machine and sending his wife a message about having to stay late at the office. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but for example, graduates of our courses can write their programs so that they find bugs in their own code themselves. This allows a programmer's efficiency to be significantly increased and saves them frustration - says Marcin Kosedowski from the online programming school Kodilla.

Ability to learn from others

Anyone who has programmed even a little knows that coding very often comes down to finding a ready-made solution that has been tested many times in other projects. If a programmer is ready to overcome themselves and admit that someone else has solved the problem well enough before them, they will work much more efficiently than someone who is convinced that everything must be done their own way.

The same trait comes in handy when working with the rest of the team - asking other programmers to suggest a solution is often the fastest way to complete a task. Here too, it's worth overcoming yourself and simply asking, instead of struggling with the problem alone for hours.

Knowledge of English

Passive written knowledge of English is useful for understanding documentation you read or for using programs. It's worth knowing, however, that when programming you use industry jargon that even English-speaking programmers pick up naturally on the job.

At the same time, you have to remember that if your goal is to work at large international companies where communication takes place in English, this language is simply essential, regardless of whether you're applying for a job as a programmer or an accountant.

Motivation

Relatively high salaries, nice offices, relaxation rooms, extra perks. These aren't figments of HR departments' imaginations but additional motivators for work that, contrary to appearances, is demanding. A programmer must be determined to solve problems, and motivated - both at the start of their career, when they constantly run into obstacles they find hard to overcome on their own, and after a few years of work, when they have to deepen their knowledge to stay on top.

- A programmer who succeeds in the IT industry is someone who shows enormous motivation to learn. We see this in the graduates of programming bootcamps, who are often people from outside the industry, e.g. a physical education teacher, a Chinese translator, or an excavator operator. None of them would have found a job within 3 months of finishing the course if it weren't for motivation, intensive learning, and, of course, mentorship support, which is especially useful for people just starting their careers in this industry - argues Marcin Kosedowski.

Analytical thinking

Analytical skills, reading comprehension, and the ability to think logically are important for almost every programmer, who should be able to identify the components of a given problem and find the relationships between them. The ability to think abstractly is also useful, as it helps discover optimal solutions and develop toward more advanced technologies, e.g. JavaScript or Java. Conversely, knowledge of mathematics at a level higher than what you learned in primary school is practically only useful when programming computer games. Free aptitude tests that can be found online (e.g. kodilla.com/pl/test) can help you decide whether programming is for you and which traits are worth working on further so that working in IT is easier and more enjoyable.

Passion

The last and most important trait. It's hard to be good at something you don't like. When programming becomes a pleasure, the desire to grow, learn, and acquire knowledge naturally appears, and patience, satisfaction, and contentment are born too. In fact, that's exactly where you have to start.

It's obvious that we won't find out whether we like something we've never tried. That's why, before deciding to change careers, you should check what programming actually is. To start with, courses in HTML or CSS are recommended, as they show the idea of coding (e.g. free ones at kodilla.com/pl/courses). During such a workshop you can build a simple website yourself or work on its elements. If solving practical coding tasks brings you pleasure, you can consciously choose the right field of study or a fast IT bootcamp, i.e. learning online.

Although in Poland programming may still seem like a complicated field, even unattainable for some, the situation is changing dynamically. All thanks to the development of education and the increasingly wide availability of training, including online, that allows you to acquire the necessary competencies to start a career in IT.