Making software is not just about language and testing
Some people believe that software work is just programming, testing but this is a very limited concept. Some people think that if you want to have a software job, you only need to learn programming languages such as Java, C ++, C #, Python, Ruby, etc. to build software that can be run on computers. They believe that if the company hires them to write programs in Java, they must know something about Java; If the company wants C ++, they need to know C ++ and that's all they have to learn.
If only such a simple concept, no one needs to spend four years in college just to learn programming languages. If university training only teaches programming, but nothing else, what is different from vocational schools?
There are "basic" software knowledge taught in universities that people must know as knowledge of Software Process (Software Processes), setting requirements specification (Requirements Development) , computer architecture, (Computer architecture) design interface between hardware and software (Hardware / Software Interface), implementation and testing that the implementation meets the requirements (Verification and Validation) and belongs to Qualirty Attributes etc.
Software engineers must have a broad view of software development and the relevance of business software and business effects instead of focusing on programming languages. Today, it is easier to find people with programming skills (Programmer / Coder) in every country, but finding a Software Engineer to lead the project to success is much more difficult. There are already many programmers in the world, so programmers' salaries do not increase as before. Most US and European companies do not hire programmers anymore because it is easy to outsource software outsourcing (Outsource) programming to India, where programmers work with lower wages than programmers in America and Europe. What software industry needs today is the skill "Software Engineer".
Many people think that because outsourcing (Outsourcing), programming is good but this is short-term thinking. If you just follow this trend, you just follow others and never catch up with technology changes. If your business competes with outsourcing work with India because they are willing to receive lower prices, they will have to compete with South America and Africa where they also have programming skills with much lower wages. . I urge you to follow the changes in technology, to catch up with the trends, not to follow what others have done.
To succeed, you have to develop skills that have a high demand in software business-related positions such as system analysts, (System Analyst) required engineers (Requirements Engineer), project managers. Project Management, or System Engineer, to prepare for future trends. So you have to choose which college has specialized training in these skills. Education training is an important investment that requires effort, money and time so you need to spend time carefully researching to choose the right school and the right training. By having both programming skills and software engineering, you put yourself in the advantage of future trends instead of just following others.
Of course, the programmer (Programmer / Coder) cannot become a Software Engineer immediately. The transition takes time and experience to succeed so you will need more training. If you have worked in industry as a programmer, you can learn more about design, architecture or management. You can learn about software project management and business analysis by learning short subjects and applying this knowledge to your project. Nothing is better than real experience. The more you know, the more you will realize that you need more training because learning is continuous and never stops.
The key to success in outsourcing (Outsourcing) is to understand customers' needs and be able to solve problems. I recommend that you take training in required engineers (Requirements Engineer – System Analyst) to work directly with customers and develop the ability to identify and solve problems effectively. The more you work with customers, the more you learn about their business. The more you know about their business, the better you will improve your skills. As the required engineer, you work with project managers, project architects, and customers to identify the functions that must be implemented in time, cost constraints.
If you do not like to work with customers who are technically interested, then you can take software architecture training. This is a technical position involving key decisions that address how the new system fits into the organization's overall infrastructure. To be successful, the architect needs to understand and control the integration and integration elements of the Componens in the information system, the cost (cost) and Risks of Recommended solution. The system architect must make decisions about the different components that will be needed, how to fit these components into the existing infrastructure, and to implement each component in any order.
Other skills that are in high demand are Software project manager. This person is responsible for hiring staff, scheduling, and tracking progress through every development phase. This person is also responsible for dividing the work, solving everyday problems, and making sure employees are performing their own tasks. Project managers must both work with technical staff and customers to succeed in their goals.
Today, to advance in your professional career you need to understand how businesses organize and operate and apply technology to do better. I advise you to have a continuous learning attitude to improve your skills, to acquire new knowledge such as communication and leadership. Everyone can learn a foreign language but exchange skills need more time to develop. Exchange needs experience to be effective. Many customers do not understand the technique to describe their requirements in detail and many technical people do not understand business processes because they cannot communicate with customers. Learning to exchange, there is a need to be patient "listen", which many people do not have.
Leadership skills are not what you can learn through some training, it takes time. You must actively learn from mistakes, learn from the experience of others, and create your own position. The best way to advance in your career at every company is for managers to know what you are capable of. Being able to answer customer questions, solve problems, accept more responsibilities, and share solutions is a way to distinguish you from others.
ITZone via sonnguyen