New Delhi: The job of a software developer offers a great perspective of growth in the coming decade, according to the report published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite recent news regarding layoffs in enterprise software companies, the general trend for growth persists in the US and globally.
The overall employment of software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers is projected to grow 25% from 2022 to 2032. Alongside decent wages, it makes the field attractive for many young professionals. However, with the industry being highly competitive and new technologies emerging in the last couple of years, building a career may be harder than it seems.
An experienced software developer, Nikhil Badwaik, with more than 10 years of experience in companies such as Prokarma and Nice Inc., has garnered a deep understanding of the current state of the industry and its most prominent trends.
“The IT industry is indeed lucrative, but one must be prepared to work hard to build a successful career,” says Badwaik. He emphasizes that young professionals should expect to start small and steadily build their skills by learning new programming languages, methodologies, and approaches. Badwaik began his career in 2008 as a QA Engineer at Sunil Hi-Tech, shortly after earning a BS degree in Information Technology from Amravati University in India. Over the years, he has worked in various positions, constantly expanding his skill set and keeping pace with the rapidly evolving industry.
From his experience, Badwaik believes that the core principles of professional development remain consistent, even amid significant industry changes. “One should not overestimate the impact of novel technologies such as AI and machine learning,” he emphasizes.
“While they introduce new methodologies and approaches, they cannot replace human input, and the demand for professional skills remains as strong as ever.” Although certain tasks can be automated using AI-based tools, human oversight is still necessary to ensure the quality of AI-generated content, requiring deep technological knowledge.
While a software developer can focus on a narrower area of expertise, to be truly successful in the industry, one will need to establish a solid understanding of various topics and skills. “Flexibility and the ability to adapt to fulfilling various tasks is one of the keys to building a successful career,” explains Nikhil Badwaik. “The professional who possesses a wider array of tools and understands his company’s operation demonstrates better abilities to find optimal solutions.”
He gives an example of his current position at Nike Inc. There, as a Senior Software Engineer, he has to deal with a wide range of tasks, planning the team’s work on short and long-term timescales, building and maintaining test environments, and working under the DevOps model. Similarly, in his previous role as a Technical Product Manager, he leveraged his technical knowledge to efficiently manage team resources and implement data capture analytics and attribution for informed decision-making.
He emphasizes that working in such a position requires a broad grasp of processes and technologies to be valuable to their company regardless of their role.
A natural consequence of the above principle is the need for lifelong learning and professional improvement, which Nikhil Badwaik implements throughout his career. “While higher education provided a solid foundation for my career path,” he comments, “a software developer needs to constantly work on enhancing their skill through self-education and staying on top of the newest developments.”
One of the ways to stay updated on industry trends is to actively participate in various events, from hackathons to professional conferences and contests. Badwaik notes that these activities significantly helped him establish his career, providing opportunities to showcase skills, exchange ideas, network, and find unexpected solutions. They help to hone one’s technical knowledge along with developing soft skills, such as teamwork and collaboration.
For instance, while at Nike Inc., Badwaik won a hackathon among several development teams and was also selected as a kickoff speaker for the Nike Engineering Forum. He adds that inspiring others and learning from them always remains his focus in such events.
Currently, Nikhil Badwaik is working on a monograph, “Integration of DevOps into Development Processes: Practical Experience and Benefits,” which sums up more than a decade of his experience in software development.
The monograph covers theoretical and practical aspects of the DevOps methodology and its integration into development processes, with special attention paid to the automation tools and technologies, advanced practices, and future trends the developers need to account for. With numerous practical examples and a wide coverage of related topics, the book aims to provide valuable insights for both seasoned developers and those just beginning their careers.
In conclusion, here are the main takeaways that will help aspiring developers build their careers: start from a narrower field and learn continuously to broaden your skills, participate in professional events of various scales, and keep up with new advancements in your industry while maintaining high professional standards.
The overall employment of software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers is projected to grow 25% from 2022 to 2032. Alongside decent wages, it makes the field attractive for many young professionals. However, with the industry being highly competitive and new technologies emerging in the last couple of years, building a career may be harder than it seems.
An experienced software developer, Nikhil Badwaik, with more than 10 years of experience in companies such as Prokarma and Nice Inc., has garnered a deep understanding of the current state of the industry and its most prominent trends.
“The IT industry is indeed lucrative, but one must be prepared to work hard to build a successful career,” says Badwaik. He emphasizes that young professionals should expect to start small and steadily build their skills by learning new programming languages, methodologies, and approaches. Badwaik began his career in 2008 as a QA Engineer at Sunil Hi-Tech, shortly after earning a BS degree in Information Technology from Amravati University in India. Over the years, he has worked in various positions, constantly expanding his skill set and keeping pace with the rapidly evolving industry.
From his experience, Badwaik believes that the core principles of professional development remain consistent, even amid significant industry changes. “One should not overestimate the impact of novel technologies such as AI and machine learning,” he emphasizes.
“While they introduce new methodologies and approaches, they cannot replace human input, and the demand for professional skills remains as strong as ever.” Although certain tasks can be automated using AI-based tools, human oversight is still necessary to ensure the quality of AI-generated content, requiring deep technological knowledge.
While a software developer can focus on a narrower area of expertise, to be truly successful in the industry, one will need to establish a solid understanding of various topics and skills. “Flexibility and the ability to adapt to fulfilling various tasks is one of the keys to building a successful career,” explains Nikhil Badwaik. “The professional who possesses a wider array of tools and understands his company’s operation demonstrates better abilities to find optimal solutions.”
He gives an example of his current position at Nike Inc. There, as a Senior Software Engineer, he has to deal with a wide range of tasks, planning the team’s work on short and long-term timescales, building and maintaining test environments, and working under the DevOps model. Similarly, in his previous role as a Technical Product Manager, he leveraged his technical knowledge to efficiently manage team resources and implement data capture analytics and attribution for informed decision-making.
He emphasizes that working in such a position requires a broad grasp of processes and technologies to be valuable to their company regardless of their role.
A natural consequence of the above principle is the need for lifelong learning and professional improvement, which Nikhil Badwaik implements throughout his career. “While higher education provided a solid foundation for my career path,” he comments, “a software developer needs to constantly work on enhancing their skill through self-education and staying on top of the newest developments.”
One of the ways to stay updated on industry trends is to actively participate in various events, from hackathons to professional conferences and contests. Badwaik notes that these activities significantly helped him establish his career, providing opportunities to showcase skills, exchange ideas, network, and find unexpected solutions. They help to hone one’s technical knowledge along with developing soft skills, such as teamwork and collaboration.
For instance, while at Nike Inc., Badwaik won a hackathon among several development teams and was also selected as a kickoff speaker for the Nike Engineering Forum. He adds that inspiring others and learning from them always remains his focus in such events.
Currently, Nikhil Badwaik is working on a monograph, “Integration of DevOps into Development Processes: Practical Experience and Benefits,” which sums up more than a decade of his experience in software development.
The monograph covers theoretical and practical aspects of the DevOps methodology and its integration into development processes, with special attention paid to the automation tools and technologies, advanced practices, and future trends the developers need to account for. With numerous practical examples and a wide coverage of related topics, the book aims to provide valuable insights for both seasoned developers and those just beginning their careers.
In conclusion, here are the main takeaways that will help aspiring developers build their careers: start from a narrower field and learn continuously to broaden your skills, participate in professional events of various scales, and keep up with new advancements in your industry while maintaining high professional standards.