What I hope to achieve on EGabriel's BootCamp and how I hope to achieve it by Ekene Obiasogu

Many professionals set specific goals to build momentum in their careers. Successful goals are measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For software developers, setting goals like improving my soft skills or leading my team in a new project can lead to a more robust resume and career advancement.

In this article, I discuss what I aim to achieve in EGabriel’s bootcamp.

Software developers can use career goals to shape their careers. The goals I aim to achieve in EGabriel’s booting can help me in the following ways:

Establish career expectations

As a software developer, I can decide on a direction and establish where to take my career by setting goals. These goals can be different areas of my career or I can progress toward a specific end goal. Accomplishing goals can help me create a career that aligns with what I want. I can set expectations and use goals as individual steps to help me achieve those expectations. Taking the time to consider and plan my goals can help me decide what to accomplish and how.

Increase job satisfaction

Having a goal and working to complete it can improve my job satisfaction as a software developer. By establishing goals, I can create a sense of purpose in my career, improving my overall satisfaction with my job. As I achieve goals, my job and position may improve, which can also increase my satisfaction.

Improve skills

As a Software developer, I work in a field that’s constantly developing new technological advances. Setting goals that help me expand my experience can also help me improve my skills. Gaining new skills can keep me interested in the field long term and help me develop new interests that may affect my overall career trajectory. Staying updated on new technologies and techniques can also improve the career opportunities available to me as a software developer.

Learn a new technology

As a software developer I can learn a new technology to add to my resume. Learning new technologies can keep a software developer aware of recent trends in technology and increase their skill set. Different programming languages can use specific technologies, and having a broad range of knowledge on these technologies can help me widen my career opportunities as a software developer. I can also learn about computer and technology hardware to understand computers and technology that may be helpful in a future position.

Improve soft skills

As a software developer I should have strong programming and coding skills, but it’s also important to have strong soft skills to advance in the workplace. Soft skills can be things like:

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• Adaptability
• Work ethic
• Time management

Working on these skills can make me a better colleague and employee. If a developer has strong soft skills, they can be easier to work with or more productive, both of which are skills that can help them earn a promotion or a new position. By developing these skills, as a software developer, I can strengthen my skill set, ease my workload and improve my opportunities.

Increase your professional network

As a software developer, I can increase my professional network by meeting other people in their field. I can attend conferences, organize meetings and use social media to build my network. An extensive network can be beneficial to someone looking to advance their career because they can meet many people from different companies and get firsthand knowledge of exciting new projects. Networking can also help software developers find a mentor who can advise them, helping to advance their careers.

Complete a coding project

A coding project can be new software or a new section of code that improves the software developers’ understanding of their abilities. Completing a coding project can help me as a developer to practice an important skill, and it can build my repertoire of abilities, improving my resume. This can be a goal that I address at EGabriel’s or as a side project. A completed coding project may even inspire them to bring new solutions into their work.

Become an expert in a domain

Some software developers wish to work for existing companies or freelance but want to be experts in their chosen domain. This can be a specific software, a programming language, or a type of technology. As an expert, I may become a sought-after professional who may be consulted on projects or work for companies to develop interesting projects based on my expertise. Becoming an expert may involve additional schooling, practice, or certification.