What Type of Person Thrives in Software Industry According to a Freelance Engineer
Software engineers who thrive genuinely enjoy coding, "get obsessed with being in the weeds of it," and often pursue coding outside of work. Adaptability is also key, as the ability to "flow and adapt and multitask" is crucial given the industry's ever-changing nature and the need to work with pre-existing systems.
Coding, Problem-Solving, Adaptability, Resilience, Self-Motivation
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ryan Yost
Software Engineer
Freelance/Contractor
University of Michigan
None
Spanish & Other Languages, Economics
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. People who genuinely enjoy coding and can get obsessed with it tend to thrive, often coding in their spare time on personal projects.
2. Adaptability and flexibility are crucial, as things rarely go as planned and you need to be able to roll with changes and decisions made previously.
3. The best coders are those who continuously learn and are passionate about building things on their own, going above and beyond assigned tasks
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
I think first and foremost, and this is probably hard to quantify, but people who genuinely enjoy coding and can get obsessed with being in the weeds of it, the actual act of coding, they definitely thrive more. It's going to be draining to do it 40 hours a week or more.
I've known folks who wouldn't code in their spare time, but the best coders I find are ones who are building things on their own. They're going to learn things on their own, getting obsessed with some new fun project they're doing.
Another important quality is not being too stubborn or set in your ways. You need to be able to flow, adapt, and multitask, because things are never working the way you want.
Somebody may have made a decision two years ago that you just have to roll with now to get something done. If you insist on doing things your way, it's never going to happen unless you're working alone. You need to be flexible and understand that not everything will be thrilling and smooth. You've got to be able to roll with it.