The Top Secrets to Become a Successful Remote Software Developer

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” -Winston Churchill.

The remote working model has seen a significant rise during the pandemic years and is still being continued worldwide. A recent survey states that 77% of developers find themselves more productive while working remotely. This hype has brought tremendous opportunities for remote developers in the global market. 

Companies are hiring engineers beyond their territories to acquire the best human resources for their organizations. This remote working model allows software developers to work with the top global companies regardless of their location.  It also saves time and establishes a well-suited working schedule for the developers as per their preferences. 

However, as an aspiring software developer, you may possess strong coding skills and knowledge, but remote work needs more efficiency. There are certain practices that make developers efficient and successful in their careers. This blog highlights the suggestions and ways to transform yourself into a successful remote software developer.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Top Tips to Become a Successful Remote Software Developer

1. Always Take Your Job Seriously

While working remotely, concentration becomes a challenge as there is a different environment at your place. No doubt that working remotely gives you a free environment with no external interference, but it doesn’t mean you made it. This independent working model also comes with a responsibility, where you work dedicatedly to deliver the best possible results.

Being a dedicated and hard-working employee will let the organization know your skills and mindset for the job. They will show more confidence in you and ensure a long-term relationship.

The job and responsibilities remain the same, whether you are working remotely or doing in-office work. It’s your sole responsibility to take your job seriously and get it done timely.

Always mind the work details even if nobody is breathing closely behind your neck. When working on the bugs, try to find their origin first and then solve the problem rather than the immediate issue. It will give you a better idea and solve future problems too.

2. Take Feedback Positively to Learn Better

Receiving important information about your performance is the key to improving as a professional. It will improve your programming skills plus the way you communicate with others. Suggestions are always vital for career development. When you become open to the team’s criticism, you gain a clear insight into the project, your performance, and team members.

So, build a friendly environment with both rooms for appreciation and criticism. Just try to be proactive in giving and receiving feedback. While giving feedback to others, remember that the motive is to encourage your peers to perform better, not to offend them deliberately. 

3. Share Your Views & Interest With Management

While working, we often seek the freedom to share views and interests with seniors. It is something that a software developer has to take the initiative on its own. Yes, to grow further, you have to be open about your views, no matter whether these points are outside of your job’s role. For example, if your organization needs a JavaScript developer for its website, you can tell them about your JavaScript knowledge and help organizations in the project. It will make them think of you.

To grow as a developer, you have to add value to yourself to convert yourself into a valuable asset for your career and your team. Your upfront nature will also strengthen the rapport with your employer. They will consult you as an in-house expert of their organization to make the right decisions.

4. Encourage Code Reviews for Quality Check

Opening yourself to your peers’ criticism can be an integral part of learning the intricacies of programming. While working on a code base, share it with other developers for review and establish the project’s guidelines that dictate the overall project’s structure. The team’s code quality gets maintained automatically by establishing formal code reviews.

When Reviewing Code:

• First, understand what problem the code aims to solve.

• Ensures that the code has a reasonable and justifiable solution to the problem.

• Validate the initially established code guidelines and find out whether the solution abides by the project guidelines. The solution is considered valid if it matches the guidelines.

• Analyze whether the code provides easy collaboration or not. A code’s block is more easily readable than a technically confusing code having a single line.

• It might be possible that there will be a more favorable solution available; share the proof of why it’s justifiable and let the team decide and share their acceptance over it. This proof can be shared in any form like an authority’s blog post, article, a particular section in the technical document, a unit test, or a benchmark test between the two solutions.

After Code Review:

• Prepare yourself to prove why your solution is optimal.

• Consideration of everyone’s opinion and answer every comment.

• If the reviewer presents a different solution, share your suggestions by keeping the original problem in mind. 

• If you find a difference between your and the reviewer’s solution, consult other an unbiased developer for a different opinion. It’ll help you better understand the solution and reviewers’ points as well. 

The only tool you need here is a solid version control system with an easy-to-use interface.

Consider Github as it’s the most popular online code hosting site that makes code reviews more conversational.

5. Collect Knowledge From Industry Experts 

Many important decisions are being made during software development. This includes tech stack selection, development methodologies, and more, where only experts can guide you better. New technologies keep popping up regularly in the market where decision-making becomes critical and expert guidance is required to know the possible outcomes.

So, connect with the industry leaders via social media and popular online communities. They keep on sharing their views on new technologies here. Being the top industry-vetted leaders, they share their knowledge that can help others to make the right decisions. Here are the top industry leaders you can follow and know their tech insights.

• Scott Hanselman, Microsoft's Developer Advocate 

• Todd Motto, Google's Expert Developer

• Dan Abramov, A key player in Facebook's React community.

Conclusion

The bottom line is to come out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself daily. As a developer, you will get immense opportunities to explore yourself and new technologies. While working remotely, you may face challenges, but the above-shared suggestions can be taken into consideration to become a successful remote software developer.

So, keep learning and seek expert guidance regularly to stay on top. Also, remember to establish an efficient work discipline to become an effective remote developer. 

Go Ahead & Good Luck!