People who code for a living introduce themselves as software developers. They don’t call themselves software coders. They know software development is much more than just coding.

However, most of the developers put all their focus on learning how to code. Within a few years of their career, they get bored doing the same stuff repeatedly. They get frustrated and demotivated as their growth stagnates.

“But neither job switch nor frequently changing the tech stack can help software developers achieve any significant growth in the long term.”

Instead of trying to find out the root cause of their frustration, developers try to switch to a new company thinking it will increase their job satisfaction level. Many try to learn trendy new technologies expecting it to alleviate their problems.

But neither job switch nor frequently changing the tech stack can help software developers achieve any significant growth in the long term.

I am a software developer with more than fifteen years of experience. In this decade and a half years of my journey, I have not only survived but also thrived through multiple recessions. With my experience, I have learned valuable lessons about the key traits that are needed for a software developer to have outstanding growth in their career.

1. Stick to one tech stack.

Coding is the primary requirement to become a developer. It is alright to experiment with various technologies in the initial days of a developer’s career. But as you gain experience, it is prudent to stick to one technology stack and gain in-depth knowledge of it.

The trend in the technological world keeps changing with time. A lot of technologies came and left in the last decade. Many of them were good, but something better came to replace them fast.

Excellent software developers do not fall into the trap of trend-driven development. They don’t try to swing their learning curve based on what gets hyped in the job market. They focus on increasing their expertise in one specific technology stack.

2. Fix defects.

Fixing defects in existing code is a great way to learn any product. Reading documentation or getting a knowledge transfer from senior developers can get you started on understanding the functionalities. But it will help you learn much more when you get your hands dirty by fixing bugs in the existing codebase.

Most skilled developers know they cannot code everything in a project. Hence they help other team members to resolve their issues. Helping others makes them learn about the features in different areas of the product.

I attribute most of my knowledge in our application to fixing defects and helping others resolve issues in their code.

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