Job Description For A Programmer (With Skills And Salary)

Updated 26 January 2023

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A programmer can build software solutions that can improve people's lives at scale. Programming is also a skill that allows you to pursue opportunities in diverse fields, such as finance, healthcare, education or marketing. Gaining knowledge about the various roles and responsibilities of a programmer and the skills required to become one can help you decide if this can be a suitable career choice.

In this article, we discuss the job description for a programmer, their primary roles and responsibilities, steps to become a programmer, hard and soft skills for this role, the work environment of a programmer, the average salary they earn and why this career has a high employment outlook.

Sample job description for a programmer

Here are some sample job descriptions for a programmer:

Sample job description 1

We are looking for an organised and technically proficient programmer to create and maintain our organisation's systems software and IT infrastructure. The programmer's responsibilities include:

system performance management,
technical assistance,
reviewing and upgrading current programmes,
finding and fixing bugs,
assisting with data architecture,
generating reports,
developing in-house software and minimising potential risk.

Your proficiency with programming languages will aid our business in boosting efficiency and service by constructing, maintaining and simplifying our computer systems and programmes.

Sample job description 2

Wavewood Inc. is seeking experienced programming with good communication skills. The candidate is expected to have at least three years of experience in programming jobs. The candidate must be able to write code for computer programs and mobile applications. They may maintain, debug and troubleshoot in-house systems and software to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Primary roles and responsibilities of a programmer

The programmer's responsibility is to define, develop, test, analyse and maintain new software programmes that help businesses meet their requirements. This includes writing software programmes and apps, along with testing and analysing them. Additionally, the programmer conducts research, designs, documents and modifies software specifications throughout the product's life.

Following are some key role responsibilities of a programmer:

Designing and testing computer structures
Troubleshooting system errors and writing computer instructions
Maintaining operating systems
Developing and analysing algorithms
Implementing build systems
Fixing bugs in existing programs
Developing and deploying web applications
Executing code builds on staging and production environments
Collaborating with design and marketing teams
Providing documentation, training and support for software products
Resolving user-submitted issues and questions

How to become a programmer

Here are the most common steps you can follow to become a programmer:

1. Get a bachelor's degree

Score at least 50% marks in the 12th standard to become eligible for an engineering entrance exam. To become a programmer, you can attain a bachelor's degree in computer engineering, computer science or other related courses. These programs can help you gain knowledge about the basics of computers and programming languages.

2. Gain relevant skills

Employers usually emphasise practical abilities than a formal educational qualification when pursuing a career as a programmer. If you want to impress your employer, you can add projects to your portfolio which include working with various programming languages. You can accomplish such experiences during your college practical project or by joining an internship that offers working with real-world programs.

3. Earn certifications

Programmers typically specialise in a particular development aspect, whether mobile application development or software development, for a specific operating system. Certifications enable you to develop specific skills while showing employers that you possess the necessary qualifications to undertake the relevant job. You can earn the majority of programming language and framework certifications online in your spare time.

4. Create a resume

You can prepare a resume for the programmer role that can highlight your most impressive projects and relevant programmings skills that apply to the job role. Consider creating customised resumes for each job listing. You may also include your learnings from past works and internships and all the certifications if you accomplished any.

5. Apply for a programmer job role

After creating your resume, you can look for programmer job roles in your preferred industry. You can search on the various job listing sites and job portals and sites. Consider including terms related to work expertise you have during your job searches, such as programming languages and frameworks. You can also reach out to employers directly through emails or from their websites.

What are the top skills for a programmer?

A good programmer has the following hard and soft skills:

Hard skills

Data structure: Data structures enable programmers to organise data inside pre-defined frameworks, which improves communication between back-end processes and front-end consumers.
HyperText markup language (HTML): HTML helps organise the content and structure of a web page. It is the basic building block for almost all websites.
Cascading style sheets (CSS): CSS is critical for front-end web development as it includes information and instructions about how a web page should look and structure for navigation.
JavaScript (JS): It is a high-level programming language for building web applications. It allows the creation of advanced user interaction with a web page.
Structured Query Language (SQL): It is a programming language used to connect website back end to databases.
Git: It is the most extensively used modern version control system. Git enables programmers to monitor and manage changes to their source code throughout the development process.
Application programming interface (APIs): APIs enable one program to use the capabilities of another. They provide a mechanism for two different programs to communicate.

Soft skills

Problem-solving: A competent programmer understands how to fix problems within the software they program. Problems happen no matter where you work or what you try to build, so understanding how to handle and solve them can be beneficial.
Curiosity: Considering the rapid advancement of any tech-related sector, curiosity pushes a programmer to learn new skills, ultimately helping them perform effectively in their roles.
Staying organised: As a programmer, you often work on software involving hundreds of files with thousands of lines of code. Keeping things organised helps improve easy collaboration with other programmers and avoids confusion.
Attention to detail: A good programmer having attention to detail may catch potential problems in functionality during the development and testing of software.
Accountability: As a programmer, you are responsible for the functionality and maintenance of the codebase, the company and the user experience of the end customers.
Patience: Developing and testing software takes time as employers typically require testing code multiple times to find and fix bugs. A programmer should be able to stay patient while attempting various iterations of the same solution.

Work environment for a programmer

Employers usually decide on the work environment for a programmer, regardless of whether they work full-time or part-time. Many employers permit some or all programmers to work from home, as programmers can efficiently perform programming jobs remotely. Many programmers are self-employed, working with different organisations on a contract basis, choose their working hours.

Since the development of a program often involves many teams working on different parts such as designing, developing and testing, regular collaboration and meetings are part of the programmer job. Though the role may include meetings and presentations, most of the work hours a programmer spends working on a computer desk.

Average salary of a programmer

The national average national average salary of a programmer is ₹21,362 per month. Programmers earn an average salary of ₹59,027 in Delhi, the highest in the entire country. They earn the lowest average salary of ₹19,030 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

Job outlook for programmers

Demand for programmers continues to grow as the technology sector advances and organisations become more dependent on technology. Programmers possess a distinct set of abilities and knowledge of programming languages, depending on their role and the software they are developing. Even non-technology organisations are now choosing to build an application to make their products or services more accessible to their clients, which has expanded the industry's demands for programmers.

With the growth in online courses, most of the programming skills one can now learn online or by pursuing small courses. As companies are removing the requirement for a full-time degree in computers to apply for a programmer job, it is now much easier to become a programmer.

Salary figures show data listed on Indeed Salaries at the time of writing the article. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.