To Code or not to Code: 5 signs to evaluate yourself

Has Everyone been talking about coding jobs around you? Has that gotten you intrigued? If you’ve landed up on this article, you’re already wondering if coding is your cup of tea. There are an innumerable number of coding courses online which assist with mastery over coding. But that’s not all there is to coding. You may be talented, but might still feel that coding doesn’t excite you, or does not fit your career path.

Coding is about creating something new. Having the right soft skills and a proper frame of mind can sometimes count more than your coding skills. Here are five signs you should look for in yourself if you want to become a coder.

1) All your life has been about problem solving

‘First solve the problem, then write the code’ – famously said by John Johnson. He wasn’t wrong. There are people who first solve the problem and then write code (which is recommended) and, there also people who are also people who directly start with the code without fully understanding the problem at hand. Are you a part of the former? Do you ask the right questions that fix issues? Do you always feel like you want to be a part of the solution to a problem, and do derive satisfaction from solving them? These are the signs you should look for.

2) You are self-driven and always want to know more

‘I already know everything’ attitude is not going to work here. You should have the desire in you to know more. It is not necessary that you will be able to solve all the problems even if you have supremacy over the coding language. When you are put in a situation about which you do not have any idea whatsoever, you should fancy learning more and get attuned to different situations.

3) You have a knack at winning arguments

‘When you’re right, be loud; when you’re wrong, be louder.’ Nope, this is not a national parliament and we aren’t passing a bill here. Argument isn’t noise, it is communication. If you like to win over your opponents frequently, you’ve got to be right with your facts and have a logical basis behind your arguments. If you are a rational man who looks at the causes and effects to win an argument, this may be a sign that you have the structured thinking needed for a coder.

4) If you want to create things you wish existed:

In the virtual world, we’re bound by viable utilities like substance, information and data. But there are no limits to creativity – the only realm where you can play around as much as you’d like. If the sense of fulfilment that you derive from creating new things is the same as the one you attain from creating something in the virtual world, this is hint that you will blossom into a good software developer.

5) You are a team player:

‘Team player’ is a commonly dropped buzzword during interviews for candidates. Unfortunately, not all who describe themselves as such are ever entirely aware of its true meaning. If you have it in you to listen to people, communicate with them and bring everyone together towards achieving a goal, you’d do well as a coder. Programmers may be stereotyped as introverts, locked away within the four walls of the cubicle. But astoundingly, there is a lot of communication involved with your clients and team mates to understand the clients’ requirements and tailor them, with your teammates, as per their needs.

It won’t be inaccurate to say that such soft skills would be appropriate requirements for many other roles. But if you are dreading to become a programmer just because you suck at math or you’re not a computer oriented person, understand that programming is less about doing what you know and more about your way of thinking. Programmers are not born, they are made.