Good vs Great Programmers: 7 Qualities That Make the Difference
Great programmers are rare. Their productivity is 3 times that of an average developer and 10 times that of a bad developer. Top developers don’t just write solid code but have important intangible traits. After interviewing thousands of developers and working with hundreds of them, we have been able to identify 7 qualities that set a great programmer apart from the crowd.
“The best programmers are up to 28 times better than the worst programmers”
– Robert. L. Glass
Table Of Contents
1. A Positive Attitude
A great programmer cares about your product’s success. They are positive, willing to go the distance to get the job done and bring their best every day. Although it’s important not to exhaust a developer with frequent urgent deadlines, crunch time is sometimes unavoidable. When you need to bring a product to market or need to ship a certain feature out for a deadline, a great programmer will step up and get the product released whenever possible. Because they care. A great developer doesn’t let their ego get in the way of constructive criticism. A good way to instill a positive attitude is to give them interesting projects to work on, give them a sense of ownership, and praise them for good work. Startups can give out stock options, pay employees for working overtime, provide compensated paid leave, or find other perks that ensure great programmers are retained.
How to Test a Positive Attitude
During an interview, you can test a developer’s positive attitude by asking behavioral questions that prompt them to describe challenging situations they’ve faced and how they maintained a positive outlook. You can also present hypothetical scenarios to gauge their reaction and observe if they approach challenges with optimism and resilience.
