Find out the top 10 core skills you need to master as a programmer and what hard skills you need to know to succeed in this job.

A programmer is a professional who is hired by a company or an individual to code or write computer based program applications. They will largely ensure that what they code and write meets their clients? needs and requirements. It is his or her role to ensure that all source code written can be understood by any computer end-user.

Besides that major role, he or she will have the following responsibilities; debug and troubleshoot all computer based problems, write and maintain all sources codes, perform customization of computer programs purchased from the vendor to meet the end user needs and undertaking tests to ensure the applications are working seamlessly,

Core Skills Required to be a Programmer

Core skills describe a set of non-technical abilities, knowledge, and understanding that form the basis for successful participation in the workplace. Core skills enable employees to efficiently and professionally navigate the world of work and interact with others, as well as adapt and think critically to solve problems.

Core skills are often tagged onto job descriptions to find or attract employees with specific essential core values that enable the company to remain competitive, build relationships, and improve productivity.

A programmer should master the following 10 core skills to fulfill her job properly.

Customer Oriented:

Customer Oriented is a skill that focuses primarily on the client as the King offering quality services that meet the customer's expectations with an aim to inspire people rather than just try to sell their product.

A Programmer needs to be customer oriented to boost the image of their company, stand out from the rest of the people and devise innovations of tomorrow that focus its sights on a new target ? satisfying the customer expectations.

Verbal Communication:

Verbal Communication is the use of tones and language to relay a message; it aids as a vehicle for expressing ideas, concepts and it, is critical to the daily running of the business.

A Programmer portrays his/her image and that of the company by the way he/she communicates; strong verbal communication skills are vital for business development and forging lasting relationships with customers, suppliers, and colleagues.

Developing Others:

Developing others is an unremitting process that focuses on the broader, longer-term growth of individuals to nurture them to their potential and promote future development.

A Programmer needs to support, coach, positively impacts and effectively aid in developing talents of their staff by motivating them to become outstanding in their behavioral change and performance improvement that opens up development opportunities in the organization.

Physical Abilities:

Physical Abilities is the ability of one's strengths and limitations that are also known as the individual resources to perform well at the tasks given.

A Programmer must understand that his employees are very different types of people who vary in what they can or cannot do and treat each one with respect while supporting them to become the best in what they do.

Evaluating Others:

Evaluating others is the capacity to see the individuality in others and recognize a person's unique point of view.

A Programmer must master the skills of evaluating others to help his staff members to identify their talents and match those talents to the proper job without trying to judge them by their actions that can create a misinterpretation of who they are.

Personal Commitment:

Personal Commitment is an obligation that you have voluntarily agreed to fulfill without being cajoled or threatened and are willing to be held accountable for the results.

A Programmer ought to understand that though adopting new policies and procedures will be met with resistance, the approach by which safety standards are implemented and enforced influences employee's attitudes and commitment towards the organization.

Self-Discipline and Sense of Duty:

Self-Discipline and Sense of Duty is an active effort which helps in developing set ways for your thoughts, actions, and habits empowering your to stick to your decisions.

A Programmer needs to learn the secret of fostering the development of self-discipline amongst the employees by clearly defining the expectations, staying in sync with the work related events and propagate result yielding ideas that employees suggest.

Technology Savvy:

Technology Savvy is the introduction of the digital technology in the workplace as a strategy to make tasks run swiftly against doing them manually.

A Programmer must ensure that the technology he introduces to the workplace integrated seamlessly with the workflow and empowers the users rather than complicates and damages the workflow making sure the employees are well prepared and not overwhelmed with the technology.

Analytical Skills:

Analytical Skills is the ability to collect and analyze information, solve problems and make decisions according to the policies and regulations of the business.

A Programmer should hire employees who use clear, logical steps and excellent judgment to understand an issue from all angles before executing an action depending on the objective and the methodical approaches to benefit a company's productivity.

Programming Skills:

Programming Skills is the ability to use technical languages, tools, and operating systems professionally in the workplace.

A Programmer ought to value digital competencies in the workplace, being the third core subject and treated with the same respect as numeracy and literacy because they are the future of the company and very vital to the growth and productivity of the business.

Hard Skills Required to be a Programmer

Hard skills are job-specific skill sets, or expertise, that are teachable and whose presence can be tested through exams. While core skills are more difficult to quantify and less tangible, hard skills are quantifiable and more defined.

Hard skills are usually listed on an applicant's resume to help recruiters know the applicant's qualifications for the applied position. A recruiter, therefore, needs to review the applicant's resume and education to find out if he/she has the knowledge necessary to get the job done.

A programmer should have a good command of the following hard skills to succeed in her job.

Programmer: Hard skills list

Algorithms
Analysis
Analytical
Analytics
Analyze Data
Applications
Application Development
Application Development Methodologies
Application Development Techniques
Application Development Tools
Application Programming Interfaces
Architecture
AROS
Ars Based Programming
Aspect Oriented Programming
Best Practices
Browsers
Build data-driven applications
CASE Tools
Code
Coding
Collaboration
Communication
Components
Computer Platforms
Concurrent Programming
Computer Science
Computer Systems Design & Analysis
Constraint-based Programming
Customer Service
Database Management Systems (DBMS)
Database Techniques
Databases
Data
Data Analytics
Data Structures
Debugging
Design
Development
Development Tools
Documentation
Embedded Hardware
Emerging Technologies
Fourth Generation Languages
Hardware
HTML Authoring Tools
HTML Conversion Tools
Industry Systems
iOS
Information Systems
Implementation
Interface with Clients
Interface with Vendors
Internet
Languages
Linux
Logic
MacOS
Math
Mobile
Multimedia
Multi-Tasking
Operating Systems
Optimizing
Organizational
OS Programming
Parallel Processing
Personal
Physics
Planning
Post Object Programming
Problem Solving
Programming Languages
Programming Methodologies
Quality Control
Relational Databases
Relational Programming
Reporting
Revision Control
Self-Motivation
Software
Structured Query Language (SQL)
Symbolic Programming
Systems Analysis
System Architecture
System Development
System Design
System Programming
System Testing
Teamwork
Technical
Technology Design
Testing
Third Generation Languages
Troubleshooting
UNIX
Use Logical Reasoning
Visual Basic
Web
Web Applications
Web Platforms
Web Programming
Web Services
Windowing Systems
Windows
Workstations

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