This of course does not take away any credits to those who can seriously code, matter of fact, you guys rock and it takes a great amount of knowledge and dedication to learn how to code.
Then again, the mindset of a developer is different than the coder's one.
Being a developer is way more than just coding. It's about mapping a huge tangled ball of wires and pre-process on how to get those tangled sections into a free flowing highway with endless possibilities of side roads and expansions that your client or employer can't even start to imagine that all of that is even possible... and all this thought happens as soon as your client or employer gives the slightest idea of the project while you are both having a coffee during early hours of morning!
There are also other things that can help you evaluate whether you are a developer or not. We suggest you have a closer look to the signs below before choosing the developer career!
You are doing this to earn lots of money and you want it fast!
For me, this must be the biggest failure signature of all. That is why it's first in the list.
Of course, you can earn loads of cash being a developer and the sky would be your limit, only if it was 1990 though!
Being the next Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook Inventor) is not as easy as one might think. Guys like these possess exceptional talent, not only in coding but marketing, management and business wise.
However, not all is lost. If you are ready to work hard, dedicate countless hours and have a will to succeed, you too can make it to the top.
Be prepared for ups and downs and constant disappointments during your journey. If you are not ready for all of this, then I suggest you change your targets.
Are you good at solving puzzles?
And by puzzles I don't mean cardboard pieces but small to huge and complex logic puzzles.
Being a developer is all about finding solutions to problems. During the implementation of any kind of solution, most probably, there will be the need to solve one or multiple logic situations. You, being the developer, should be able to handle these kind of logic problems in the most efficient way.
Implementing nasty hack is not an option here, although sometimes it might be required for a quick fix in an urgent situation. One thing that comes to mind when talking about nasty hacks is when you hard code variables or any other type of logic in your code that eventually will come down to haunt you one day or another. So, if you are that kind of developer, then you might think about refactoring your code or get a new job?
Can you deal with clients saying, “It’s just a small feature” ?
Sometimes dealing with clients is a nightmare and I am pretty sure that most of you had that “special” moment with some clients during project planning or even worse, after project completion.
For those who didn’t, imagine this.
You have agreed terms with your client to develop, what was meant to be, an easy to develop website or system. You also agreed on all major requirements including all features and logic. Fair enough, all good to go!
First deliverable is ready and live on testing server. You meet up with your client to showcase your impeccable skills and to “WOW” your client with your product and the professionalism shown during this project.
Heart pounding as soon as you type in the testing URL, hoping that the website comes up as it should, even though no one touched it!! …. can you believe that?! Jeees, happens all the time!
Anyhow, sites up and by the time the website is loading you are already looking directly to the client’s face for any possible sign of body language or indication of happiness from a confused looking face.
That’s right, a confused looking face! And you say to yourself… WTF?! (google WTF if you don’t know what it means)
First thing that comes out of the client’s mouth … “I think we should add a feature here like this one. Should be easy, just copy and paste that here and change it to make it work the way I want it.”
Your next reaction will distinguish you as a developer. If you go mental about it and refuse whatever the extra cost might be for doing the extra feature for the client, then you are less likely to make any progress in your development career.
On the other hand, if while your client is explaining the feature, you are already thinking about a way of doing it for him, then you are on the right track of making a successful development career. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you are not allowed to go mental or anything as that is 100% justifiable.
