By Marinda Keyter

Somewhere in most big companies, you will find individuals who lurk in their corners and only come out for a cup of coffee. These people are called developers. I spoke to Andries Jansen van Rensburg, a developer at a Research and Development company, to find out more about these elusive individuals.

Contrary to popular belief, not all developers have been into computers their whole lives. Andries has an Honours degree in Botany and ended up as developer! Although most developers either have a Computer Science or Engineering degree, some have degrees ranging from veterinary, music, law and psychology.

Basics

Developers are also known as programmers and can earn literally anything. Salaries depend on the specific field you work in, the size of the company, years experience and the programming language. According to ITWeb`s annual salary survey, the average monthly salary for a developer is R3,300 and goes up to a average maximum of R53,000.

Job description

Developers are computer experts who write programs or applications for their clients according to the specifications supplied by the client.

At the company where Andries works, the developers are called researchers. The job focuses on experimental development and is not development in the normal sense of the word. It is research orientated and their product is not always implemented, but concentrates more on innovation.

Pros and cons

In Andries`s specific environment, the pros of his job are the flexibility to choose which technologies to use. Every day is different with new projects, new goals and new technologies.

When asked what the cons are, Andries replied: "Are there cons?" What a great answer. Not many people can say that there is nothing about their job that they do not like.

Required studies and experience

It is advisable to take Computer Science while you`re at school,

It is not necessary to complete a degree or diploma to become a developer, you can just do a relevant course. The advantage of having a degree or diploma, is that studies do give a good basic foundation of what good development is. In addition, certifications (and experience) in various programming languages can give you the necessary edge towards effective programming.

By the way, Open Source software is speedily becoming more popular and frequently used. In fact, where Andries works, they only use Open Source software and tools.

Having a degree will not necessarily guarantee you a job. Unfortunately most graduates are not very good at putting theory into practice. They need experience (even if it is only a few months).

Personality types

Most developers are introverts. There are those who are extroverts, but they usually end up as managers. "Those who are truly developers and want to stay that way for the rest of their lives, are `techies’ and introverts," says Andries.

Developers should have logical thinking skills, be creative (to be able to understand abstract concepts) and be able to work with different people. Believe it or not, developers need to have people skills as well to be able to deal effectively with clients and their requirements.

An average day

An average day for a developer is… you guessed it, sitting in front of the computer from eight to five. It might be necessary to work longer hours during pressure times or when deadlines are looming. In some environments, when a problem occurs, you will have to stay and work until it is fixed and, as with most jobs, you will sometimes have to take work home.

Not many people can say that they are 100% happy in their jobs, but Andries is different. He feels that development is his dream job and says, "Even if I win the Lotto, I will still develop something at home."It must be amazing to be able to say that and truly mean it!