Competitive Coding enough for jobs in Tech?

With rapid advancements in technology and innovations, there is more inclination towards jobs in tech. But there is a lack of awareness about the multiple paths that lead to a job/internship or freelance work in the software industry. There won’t ever be a single way to do so.

Lately, there’s been a lott of hype around CP and you may have come across “ CP krlo, placement ho jaayega” or “do CP, it will be enough to crack interviews”. 

Disclaimer: Competitive Programming is a sport that deals with one’s aptitude, problem solving skills and approach to real-life problems, we do not intend to demean it in any way. We are just making people aware about different opportunities out there and to diminish the wrong hype/ myth about CP that has been created all around. 

While DSA is important to build a good foundation and CP helps with your problem solving skills, these are not enough to become a good Software developer. Once you join a company, you won’t be working solely on DSA or CP, you’ll be working on developing projects and DSA might or might not be a small part of it. Therefore, if you want to land better job/internship opportunities in software industry, you should build your developer skills as well by working on projects.

In this article, we will discuss various different ways through which we can land a job/internship in the software development field. Please note that firm hold on Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) is an identity of a good Software Developer. 

So, let’s get started folks !! 

1. Web Development

In our industry, there are different type of careers in this domain, some of them are as follows: 

1.1. Web Designer

This role majorly deals with the art, design, theme, prototype and light coding for web development. One should have a good understanding of how to  make the website sober, smooth and appealing. In a nutshell, to be responsible for providing seamless user experience and user interface. 

1.2. Content Developer

A web content developer creates, curates and enhances the content that a user sees on the website. This may include blogs, posts, articles, product descriptions, images and videos, and news stories. Content developers may require skills like HTML, CSS, markdown, SEM (search engine marketing) and search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure their websites are best positioned in search engine’s results. 

1.3. Full Stack Web Developer 

Full Stack Web Developer is responsible for handling the front end (client side), back end (server side), databases (SQL, MongoDB) and testing & debugging of web applications.

2. Mobile Development

Mobile developers are required to have a good understanding of design and programming. 

Skills Required: 

Should be familiar with different development modes such as Android, iOS, Windows, Flutter (cross-platform) etc. 

Exceptional knowledge in mobile app development tools and languages such as Dart, Java, Objective-C, C++, Kotlin etc is required. One should also possess knowledge of mobile user interface design, cross-platform app development and understand back-end computing such as security, hardware interaction, database management, etc.  

3. Open Source Contributions: 

Open Source Contributions made either in open source programs or made independently for any organization can prove to be helpful in getting offers from companies and it also gives exposure to solve real-world bugs or issues in industry ready softwares. 

Skills Required:

Knowledge about Git & Github. 

4. Modern Tech-Buzz & Other Related Areas

Data Scientist/Data Engineer/Data Analyst: 

People working for these roles write different algorithms, analyse data modeling and visualisation. They demonstrate high-level programming expertise and multi-dimensional problem-solving capabilities. 

Skills Required: 

• Statistics and Linear Algebra 
• Machine Learning Algorithms ( Regression, Clustering, Classification)
• Databases (SQL) & Advanced Excel 
• Data Wrangling and Data Exploration 
• Data Visualization Tools like PowerBI, Tableau etc. 
• Programming languages such as R/ Python 
• Big Data Processing Frameworks like Hadoop, Spark etc.
• Data Extraction, Transformation, and Loading. 
• Advanced Machine Learning 

DevOps Developer: 

DevOps professionals deal with system-level backed software development. They take care of deployment, management, and monitoring of applications. The primary tools they use are Kubernetes, Docker, Apache Mesos, Jenkins, HashiCorp Stack, etc.

Skills Required: 

• Software Security 
• Knowledge of automation technologies and tools such as continuous testing, infrastructure setting, and configuration, CI/CD, app performance monitoring. 
• Well versed with frameworks/languages like PHP, Javascript, Node.js etc 
• Knowledge of Cloud Platforms like GCP, AWS, Microsoft Azure etc. 

Cyber Security Enthusiast: 

Cybersecurity is a popular, fast-growing field with a need for qualified employees. They are offering high median salaries and job opportunities in a variety of sectors, along with a challenging, fast-paced work environment.

Skills Required: 

• Problem solving skills to address complex information security challenges across a variety of different digital environments. 
• Knowledge of security layers across various platforms like different operating systems, mobile devices, cloud and wireless networks, computer systems etc. 
• Should be detail oriented in order to detect high vulnerabilities and risks. 

There are many other roles like Business Analyst, Technology Analyst, Game Developer, SDET, Product Management, Product Analyst etc to which one can apply and grab opportunities. 

5. Community – Oriented Contributions: 

Community oriented contributions include your will to empower community, guide & mentor students with the skills you possess. Moreover, you can lead a community, make connections and work for social good with the help of sponsorship and partnering companies. These contributions give you experience and knowledge about what is real – industry demand & how you can work on it which may fortunately turn into a startup idea. 

Don’t get overwhelmed by the multiple opportunities listed above!! Cuvette has your back as it will keep bringing such internships opportunities (part-time/ full-time) in software development throughout the year.