Now that you’ve come close to clearing your educational course, perhaps you have also been through internships and mini-projects that were curated by your university or training institute. At this point, your priority would be to land the best possible software development jobs in Nepal.
While it’s unrealistic to compare salaries across different parts of the world, it’s also important to stay in touch with global emoluments. In 2019, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pay for software developers was in the range of $107,510. The industry is poised for a quantum leap in volume and salary and could grow by more than 20% by 2029.
However, it’s also good to be aware that salaries can vary according to region, educational qualifications, experience, specialty, industry, and employer. Certain industries can also be more lucrative than others. You can also set up as an independent, self-employed developer and take on projects that interest you.
What Do Software Developers Do?
Software development is the process of ideating, designing, specifying, putting in the right program, testing, documentation, and fixing bugs in applications, frameworks, or other software products. Developers have to create and maintain source codes and ensure a well-planned, structured process that can be replicated when required.
Research, prototyping, modification, exploring new technology, re-using and re-engineering, and maintaining systems and products from other areas of software development.
These tasks are undertaken either to meet a specific need demanded by a client or a potential/perceived need observed in the market or purely for the developer’s personal use.
Typically, the stages of software development include:
- Identifying and analyzing the problem
- Exploring the market and conducting some market research on the product need
- Evaluating the elements required
- Creating the plan and structure
- Coding
- Testing
- Debugging
- Deployment and hand-holding
- Maintenance and fixing bugs
The work of software developers can range from developing internal programs to increasing the efficiency of a business or producing systems that can be sold in the open market. As they progress in the job, they can oversee teams of junior developers, quality analysts, and testers.
Some traits and innate skills required would include critical thinking, keen attention to detail, problem-solving, ability to document accurately, and interest in creating complex databases.
They will have to face-to-face with clients, talk through the specs and requirements, evaluate the current software, if any, and assess migration possibilities, produce efficient codes within the time frame, be a part of the tech design team and finally ensure deployment. Maintenance and bug-fixing would be an ongoing process.
How To Get A Software Development Job In Nepal?
Once you complete your training and education, your dream would be to work for one of the world’s leading software or IT giants. One of the issues that a fresher would face is that companies generally prefer to hire candidates with experience. This becomes a chicken-and-egg problem because how does one gain experience unless one gets a job?!
The reality is that many companies are now coming round to the idea that appropriate skill-sets, good work ethics, consistency, and commitment are as equally important as experience.
Inexperienced candidates must:
Gain proficiency in a programming language: Developers need to be proficient in coding and programming. This helps you to design the software better and prevent basic mistakes. Today, languages such as Python, Java, Swift, etc. you can self-study and learn online. There are plenty of resources such as videos, webinars, books, and tutorials available to supplement their studies and make them more proficient.
Data structure and algorithms: The biggest software giants such as Apple and Google and companies such as Amazon or Uber prefer candidates with a solid foundation in data structure and algorithm concepts. You can learn these from various online resources, both paid and free. Ensure that you pick courses that incorporate the latest learnings.
Build and Participate:
- Build your own mini-projects and create a good portfolio of the work you’ve done. You can put your projects online on certain websites.
- Ensure that you work on a diverse variety of projects that use different skill-sets so that your portfolio is as comprehensive as possible.
- Take part in coding challenges and win badges and certifications to add to your portfolio.
These activities enhance your critical thinking and logical abilities.
Network: Connect as much and as often as possible with industry professionals at all levels. Many companies have regular meet-ups, seminars, conferences, etc. Staying in touch would give you a first-mover advantage if and when jobs open up. This helps your resume to stand out from among the heap of applications. Hiring managers and recruiters would find it difficult to pick yours out of the crowd and get a signal from the melee. Ultimately, it’s the resume of someone with diverse interests, a love of challenges, good EQ, and rich experience that gets a foot in the door. Another tip is to attend events organized by the big names in the business.
Prepare: While preparing for the interview, get your documents in order first off. Compose an elegant, easy-to-read, logical, clear, and honest CV that tells your story exactly the way it is. Companies shortlist candidates initially based on their educational qualifications. From here on, with all things being equal, recruiters know that there are things beyond technical skills that must also be assessed accurately. Do mock interviews with your friends and family, ask the toughest questions, identify the gaps in knowledge or time and be prepared to be grilled on these. Read up as much as possible about the company and show your excitement about being able to meet them. However, back it up with hard facts and figures so that the company gets a glimpse of your interest and passion for working with them rather than anyone else.
In Nepal, you can choose to work remotely for an outside firm if they don’t have a presence in the country. Another option is to set yourself up as a freelancer or launch your own boutique developer service. This is a great choice if you prefer to specialize in a very niche area that doesn’t have too many people in the line.
