This is a guest post from Allie Cooper. Enjoy.
It’s one thing to be able to write good code, but professional written communication is something else entirely. The ability to efficiently and authentically communicate using written language is an often ironically underrated skill in software development.
This is something that new developers need to get over very quickly. “Obsessions with patterns and algorithms don’t serve anyone’s mission by themselves,” explains engineer and career coach Minh Pham. “While coding might be your latest skill set, it is by no means an engineer’s only skillset. Remember that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if your code is ugly, fancy, verbose or concise – the value you create matters. Strive to be an excellent communicator, a quality teammate, and an outstanding human.” In today’s increasingly digitized workplace, achieving these qualities means honing your professional written communication skills.
Writing is Essential to Software Development
Any veteran developer can tell you that non coding-related writing is part and parcel of the daily grind, which includes writing tons of bug reports, notes for yourself, documentation for co-workers, and other technical discussions over chat or e-mail. You might also be tasked with explaining technicalities in ways that can be easily understood by clients. And as Inc points out, all of this generates a permanent record of any and all significant ideas, incidents, and other facts pertinent to how you’ve handled the job. In software development, the way you write and communicate over work platforms defines a great majority of your work history.
While writing code defines your raw ability as a software developer, your written professional correspondence tells the story of your ability to work with others in an inherently collaborative and complex field. Today, the sudden digital migration brought on by the global health crisis has only made professional writing a more integral skill for thriving in the new and increasingly web-based workplace. This is as true for experienced developers as it is for those who are looking to pick up the skills necessary for the job, which brings us to our next point.
The Future of Coding Education is Written and Online
From basic coding courses to advanced degree programs, more and more future developers are learning essential skills through online means. And the pandemic has only increased their numbers. For instance, Code Platoon Coding Bootcamp online basic coding courses have allowed the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to continue offering software development skills training for veterans as well as their spouses. And for safety reasons, all classes have been moved online.
Meanwhile top universities have also made this switch to training software specialists online. Maryville University’s online masters in software development is an advanced degree program that’s 100% web-based as well, with the perspective of producing future software consultants, UX designers, web developers, and DevOps engineers. And while these programs do include video conferencing classes, the majority of the work is through written communication. As natives to online work, the developers trained in these online programs are already developing the writing skills necessary to thriving amid the current digital migration.
In short, the field of software development is only getting more competitive and web-based. And while there’s no shortage of genius code writers for companies to cherry-pick from online universities and coding courses, the combination of a great coder and a great online communicator remains rare.
Practice Makes Perfect
Whether you’re already coding for a living or still learning the skill, you already have plenty of opportunities to hone your professional writing skills. Strive to be succinct and straightforward with every chat message or e-mail before hitting send. Put yourself in other people’s shoes – think about how the message you wrote will affect you if you were the one to receive it. Remember that every unnecessary word only muddles already complex conversations about technical specifications. Grammar is important, but so is writing with the perspective of being as empathic and as concise as possible – which can also allow you to develop a writing style that won’t require grammatical gymnastics. Never play to your emotions and always write with a collaborative mindset. The better you can communicate with the written word, the more value you can bring to any software development effort.
Allie Cooper is a freelance tech writer who specializes in I.T. and software development. Her mission is to help software developers further their careers. In her free time she plays online chess and sails.
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