Heiser Coding Club

Computer Programmer Skills & Competencies

Aside from knowledge of computer languages and familiarity with relevant commercial products, there are several soft skills computer programmers should have to be successful.

Analytical thinking: Computer programmers need to understand, manipulate, and repair complex computer code. This sometimes entails trying to isolate a problem that could be buried somewhere in thousands of lines of code, so they need to be able to think through the problem and narrow down where to look.

Attention to detail: Computer programmers need to pay attention to every line of code written. One wrong command and the entire program could malfunction.

Collaboration: Computer programmers may need help from another department or colleague to fix a software issue. It is important they have a collaborative mindset. The work programmers do often involves writing software to streamline work or solve a workflow problem, and they must collaborate with those who will be using the software.

Focus: Writing computer programs involves long hours writing code or troubleshooting problems. To be successful, programmers need to be able to keep their attention zeroed in on the work they are doing.