97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know

Chapter 83. The Three Traits of Really, Really Good Developers

Jannah Patchay

My undergraduate degree was in computer science and math, and the first few years of my career were spent working as a Java developer. I really enjoyed my time as a developer. Like many mathematicians, I had an obsession with writing clean and elegant code, and I would refactor my code for ages until it was as near to perfection as it could get. I was aware of the end users, but only to the extent that they provided the requirements that created the challenges that I would then have to solve.

Fast-forward to 20 years after I graduated, and I’m now on a completely different path, consulting on financial markets regulation and market structure, with a particular interest in financial innovation, which also keeps me in touch with my techie roots. I’ve worked with many developers over the years, from the other side of the fence as the person who provides and clarifies the requirements. And over time, I’ve developed a greater appreciation of certain traits that really, really good developers have that go beyond technical ability.

The first and most important is curiosity. The same drive that causes you to want to solve problems, to understand how things work, and to build new things, can and should be applied to your interactions with your clients and stakeholders. It’s great when developers ask lots of questions ...