Top 20 Things I Learned: Day in the Life of a Software Developer
From discussions on the same at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, software developers conceive of, design, and build computer programs. Some develop new applications for mobile or desktop use, while others build underlying operating systems. If you have ever wondered what it is like to be a software developer, then this post is for you as it will look to cover that topic.
Coding is a daily task
If you are considering this career path, you must note that software developers code daily. According to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, the bulk of a day’s work for a software developer is to sit quietly at their multiple screens and mechanical keyboard and read/write code.
Teamwork
Software developers are required to be team players as they hardly work alone. If you are a software developer, you will be working as part of an agile development team that will include roughly five or more people and reaches anything up to ten.
Working in “sprints”
In addition to working in a team, software developers also generally work in what are referred to as “sprints”. As per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, the idea is that rather than working on a large project in a single run, it is broken down into two-week sprints. Everyone on the team will take a task suited to them.
Sessions to assess progress
Once everyone has been assigned a task as far as the “sprints” are concerned, there will be a shorter session every morning to assess progress. These meetings would typically involve standup meetings of 10-15 minutes where everyone says what they have achieved, and what they are struggling or blocked with.
Checking emails
At the start of the workday, most software developers kick off their duties by checking their emails. Catching up with emails, which could be from team members offering updates on ongoing projects, or from team leaders. It is important to start the day by ensuring you are up-to-date with your email correspondence.
To-do lists
For most of us, having a solid to-do list at the start of the workday is crucial as it ensures the day is planned, and software developers are no exception. As articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, software developers usually arrange short, medium, and long-term to-do lists at the start of the day.
Organizing meetings
Before they get started, a software developer is likely to be engaged in meetings with team members and team leaders to articulate the agenda for the day. Organizing meetings is something that you will find forms part of your morning duties as a software developer.
Attending meetings
Once you have meetings organized, the next logical step is to attend said meetings as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Attending standup meetings will form part of your mornings where you get to coordinate the day with team members and organize collaboration if required.
Interacting with team members
Once everything is set, it is time to get into project work. This involves carrying out coding, problem-solving, and development. At various points, you will be asked for advice, or ask for advice. Depending on the environment, you might chat or send a message via Slack or IRC (a form of chat popular among software developers).
Whiteboard time
Speaking of interacting with team members, if members of your team are free, you might go to a whiteboard together or sit together and then diagram and work out a solution. As a software developer, spending time in front of a whiteboard with team members is a key part of the day.
Change request
If you are lucky and you do find some inspiration allowing you to find solutions in front of the whiteboard, you will create a “change request” or “pull request” summarizing changes proposed depending on the company, which someone else would review as covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. They might have ideas or solutions of their own.
Afternoon projects
Once you have grabbed some lunch, then you should be ready for the afternoon, when meetings are normally held and longer-term projects are discussed. Companies normally have huge projects going on and discussions on them are normally done in the afternoon, something worth noting as a software developer.
Afternoon and project launches
When launching a new project, software developers are given a list of requirements, and then they would have to create a design document as described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. That is usually a 2-3-page document describing the problem and proposed solution.
Project meetings
Usually, project managers say how they are approaching the issue described in the previous point and would discuss other alternatives they have considered and why they rejected them. The software developer will then pitch it to their manager and the rest of the team. For those bigger issues or projects, one would get the go-ahead before they start.
Deploying the project to production
Depending on the company, after the software developer changes their features, then they would usually (alone or with a colleague) deploy the project for production. At this stage, even assuming they have tested it rigorously, it is important to ensure that it runs on your work computer beforehand.
Customer tickets
Even as you work on projects, it is important to remember that software developers usually have customer tickets to get through as discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. One will go through each ticket to try and understand the issue and then try and fix it.
Fixing of issues
Once you get a more detailed report on the problem as far as the ticket is concerned, you will load up the company’s Development version of the application to fix the issue, either in the Library Code or front-end. If the problem is in the front-end then the issue can be solved straight away, otherwise, it will have to be an evening release of the core library.
Coding and breaks
As already mentioned, coding is a big part of the workday for a software developer. As revealed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, coding can be draining, however. This is why developers generally take breaks during the day to prevent oversaturation, then get back to coding once the break is over.
Multi-day problems
It is important to note that sometimes, the task that you pick can quickly prove to be more difficult to implement than you and/or your team had anticipated. Many software developers will attest to having experienced this many times which is why it is important to scope tasks before they make it to the team’s task list.
End of day
Finally, how and when your working day ends as a software developer depends on your employer. It is usually after the traditional 8 hours have elapsed, but at “crunch time” for projects, you might be required to stay until you have finished a specific task.
As always, if you are looking for more on this and other related topics, then look no further than the top-rated RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.