Technology is leading the world and when I talk to IT graduates regarding their career choices, I would advise them to get involved in Software Development. This field is in high demand and more so than ever within areas outside of the UK’s major cities.
While quality developers are in high demand, If you want to win as well as earn, Software Development is something you need to enjoy and is not for everyone. Find out the top 5 reasons why people choose a career in Software Development.
1 Creative. If you ask people to name creative jobs, chances are they will say things like writer, musician or painter. But few people know that software development is also very creative. It is almost by definition creative since you create new functionality that didn’t exist before. The solutions can be expressed in many ways, both structurally and in the details. Often there are trade-offs to make (for example speed versus memory consumption). And of course, the solution has to be correct. All this requires creativity.
2 Collaborative. Another myth is that programmers sit alone at their computers and code all day. But software development is in fact almost always a team effort. You discuss programming problems and solutions with your colleagues and discuss requirements and other issues with product managers, testers and customers. It is also telling that pair-programming (two developers programming together on one computer) is a popular practice.
3 In demand. More and more businesses in the world are using, upgrading or developing software to suit their business demands and evolving markets, demand is still outpacing supply. Companies report that one of their greatest challenges is finding good developers. I regularly get contacted by businesses trying to recruit Software Developers but the realistic expectations need to be taken into account and hiring managers need to dig deeper into their pockets to hire and retain ‘Quality developers’. Hiring managers no longer choose Software Developers, Quality Software Developers choose hiring managers, company, culture & worklife balance. The tables are now turned for the employer to impress.
4 Pays well. Developing software can create a lot of value. There is no marginal cost to selling one extra copy of software you have already developed. This combined with the high demand for developers means that pay is quite good. There are of course occupations where you make more money, but compared to the general population, I think software developers are paid quite well.
5 Future proof. Many jobs disappear, often because they can be replaced by computers and software. But all those new programs still need to be developed and maintained, so the outlook for programmers is quite good.
BUT…
What about outsourcing? Won’t all software development be outsourced to countries where the salaries are much lower? This is an example of an idea that is better in theory than in practice (much like the waterfall development methodology). Software development is a discovery activity as much as a design activity. It benefits greatly from intense collaboration. Furthermore, especially when the main product is software, the knowledge gained when developing it is a competitive advantage. The easier that knowledge is shared within the whole company, the better it is.
Another way to look at it is this. Outsourcing of software development has existed for quite a while now. Yet there is still a high demand for local developers. So companies see benefits of hiring local developers that outweigh the higher costs.
HOW TO WIN
There are many reasons why I think developing software is enjoyable, but it is not for everybody. Fortunately, it is quite easy to try programming out. There are innumerable resources on the web for learning to program. For example, both Coursera and Udacity have introductory courses. If you have never programmed, try one of the free courses or tutorials to get a feel for it.
Finding something you really enjoy to do for a living has at least two benefits. First, since you do it every day, work will be much more fun than if you simply do something to make money. Second, if you really like it, you have a much better chance of getting good at it. I like the Venn diagram below (by @eskimon) on what constitutes a great job. Since programming pays well, I think that if you like it, you have a good chance of ending up in the center of the diagram! If you want to discuss your options on how to #WIN please get in contact with one of our team on hello@graffitirecruitment.co.uk or 0330 2233 047.
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