The 3 things that set apart good developers
Working as a programmer you become to release that there is quite a large variety of competence. To get a job as a developer you don’t need to amazing at it, nor do you need to be a genius. The majority of developers are simply okay at it, they get the job done. It takes a while, but they are able to contribute.
Now and then you get to work with someone that stands out. The term 10x developer is often used (even 100x?). In my experience this isn’t an exaggeration. 100x probably. But 10x no. It’s certainly possible to see devs contribute 4, 6, or even 10x the amount of other developers.
But contributing isn’t everything, the work must be of good quality.
A can-do attitude
The first thing I think that stands out is that they approach problems with a can do attitude. This probably sounds like something you’d here at a middle managers course in slough. But I mean it. Good developers pick up tickets with a willingness to learn and a pragmatic approach to solve problems. Even when the information on tickets is minimal.
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You notice quite the opposite sometimes. People ask questions that they could have asked Google. They concentrate on what is working against them. Instead of approaching things with consideration.
It’s all good fun
I think what really drives 10x developers above the pack is the fact that they simply love what they do. They didn’t just fall into a role, it’s a hobby for them. If they weren’t doing it for a day job, they’d be doing it anyway. Working on side projects just for fun.
It’s my experience at least that when you love to do something, learning it is so much easier. If you don’t love to do it, then it’s just a job, so you’ll be watching the clock hoping the day away. Instead of really enjoying what you’re doing.
They understand why they do what they do
Good developers understand why something is done the way it’s done. They don’t just blindly follow what they told. Nor do they copy and paste code just because it works. The interest in coding runs deep and so does their knowledge of it.
Good developers are able to argue their code, to defend it from scrutiny.
