With plenty of tech professionals now relying on AI to handle the struggle of specific tasks, it’s understandable that some are saying advanced coding skills won’t be essential in the coming years. However, skills development isn’t a one-and-done thing – you must constantly challenge yourself.
Here at Exclaim IT, we recently polled our audience with the question, ‘What is the most critical skill for tech professionals in your company right now?’. Respondents voted overwhelmingly in favour of ‘problem-solving ability’ at 59%, followed by ‘soft skills’ at 29%, while ‘advanced coding skills’ trailed in at 5%.
These findings suggest the true value tech professionals bring to their roles lies in their ability to think critically and address complex challenges. With AI handling more routine coding tasks, companies are looking for tech talent who not only understand the basics but also have the mastery to solve unexpected issues and innovate.
Sure, AI can solve coding problems, but human ingenuity remains indispensable. We’d argue that it’s important not to rely entirely on AI as a developer, particularly if you’re still in the earlier stages of your career. One of the most crucial coding skills for AI is problem-solving.
Developing your problem-solving skills for programming can set you apart in a competitive job market and is the key step towards moving into more senior positions.
Regardless of the stage in your programming career, working on your problem-solving skills will keep you engaged and sharpen your horizons for developer jobs. Here is how you can do it.
1. Break It All Down
As key advice for rookie developers and experienced programmers alike, breaking problems down into bite-sized chunks is the first order of things. Whatever challenge is in front of you, start by ensuring you truly understand the problem; if you can’t explain it, there’s more to learn.
Once you grasp the problem, break the problem down into smaller, manageable parts. Finally, take the time to map out a solution with steps first, rather than tackling it like a football.
2. Practice Regularly with Coding Challenges
Testing yourself with fresh challenges is foundational to strengthening your problem-solving skills for programming. Daily practice improves your ability to break down problems into manageable parts and come up with efficient solutions.
Platforms like CodeWars, LeetCode, HackerRank, and CodeSignal offer a range of coding challenges and help you practice various problem-solving techniques, such as algorithms, data structures, and optimisation.
Bonus tip: Aim for a variety of problem types and use more than one platform so you can avoid falling into a rut and relying too much on similar techniques.
3. Work on Real-World Projects
Having a small personal project on the burner is a great way to engage your problem-solving abilities, especially if it’s not tied to your day job. (That way, you can relax and feel free to experiment as much as you like!)
Creating apps based on your interests, such as web development, mobile apps, or game development, will expose you to a variety of coding scenarios.
Another way to work on real-world projects is to contribute to open-source software. This gives you instant practical experience – requiring you to think through complex problems, debug issues, and implement features.
4. Learn Different Programming Paradigms
Understanding different paradigms, like object-oriented programming (OOP), functional programming, and procedural programming, can expand your problem-solving toolkit.
Each paradigm offers a different approach to structuring code and solving tasks, which is handy for tackling any task that requires problem-solving.
To expand your paradigm knowledge, try coding in multiple languages to see how different paradigms are implemented in various languages.
5. Study Code Written by Others
Exploring open-source projects on GitHub is a nifty way to see how experienced developers solve problems and structure their code.
To get involved in a more hands-on way, participate in code reviews to learn from the feedback provided on other people’s code and offer your cordially worded suggestions.
6. Pair Programming and Coding Competitions
Pair programming is like having a co-pilot; two heads are better than one when it comes to solving problems and spotting errors. Teaming up with someone else can accelerate your problem-solving quickly, as you can pick up different approaches by watching how your pair buddy solves problems. It also improves your communication skills, which is key in explaining your thought process – a key soft skill for any coder.
Some of us work better when our competitive nature is fired up, and we’re running against the clock. If this is you, taking part in multi-player coding and hackathons can sharpen your skills.
7. Learn to Debug Effectively
Debugging is a crucial part of programming. As one survey found, more than half of developers are using AI to debug code. But there will be times when AI gets it wrong or otherwise isn’t a complete solution.
Going back to the basics, like print statements, debuggers, and logging to trace issues in your code, remain critical pieces of know-how. Practice reading error messages and understand what they mean so that you can identify issues more efficiently.
8. Refactor and Optimise Your Code
After solving problems, it’s a good habit to review your solutions to find areas for optimisation. This could mean improving time complexity, reducing memory usage, or making your code more readable. It’s also instructive to compare your solution with others to see different ways the same problem can be tackled.
9. Stay Curious and Keep Learning
Deliberate practice is just one aspect of beefing up your problem-solving skills in programming. Staying updated with the latest tech, programming languages, and techniques will help you build a robust skill set.
Remember to learn from your mistakes! Every bug or issue is an opportunity to improve your understanding and approach.
10. Broaden Your Horizons with a Tech Recruitment Specialist
Ready to take your coding career to the next level?  Connecting with a tech recruitment agency can match you with exciting developer roles that match your skills and career goals. At Exclaim IT, our recruiters have the industry knowledge and network to help you land the job you’ve been dreaming of. Get in touch today, and let us guide you toward your next ample opportunity in tech!
