In How to double your career growth as a Software Engineer- Part 03 we talked about maintaining work ethics. Today we are going to talk about professional conduct.

Software engineers should value long term reputation more than short-time money. They should be honest and helpful towards the people they work with. Successful software engineers do not show arrogance or pride just because they solved some HackeRrank problem or own 50% share of a freelance company. They are humble towards people. This is what true professionalism is and it helps them to be successful in the long run. 

The ‘quid pro quo’ attitude is another thing that makes people successful. What is ‘quid pro quo’? It means doing a favour in return for something. It makes you valuable to your client. They will rely on you and also want to work with you more in future. You see, you could have avoided helping or doing a favour for them and try to make more money at the beginning. But it makes you a bit narrow-minded. People with broad-mind try to do a favour in return for something. They make value whenever they can and this is what makes them great in their life.

The CEO of JetBridge, John Sung Kim shared 10 hacks of professional conduct which we are discussing from the beginning of this blog.

• Tell the truth, even if it’s going to hurt you.
• Don’t exaggerate the truth. People are smarter than you think. They will find out your mistake one day or another.
• Don’t forget, reputation is more important than money. It’s what defines your long-term success in the software industry.
• Protect the company or client before you protect your colleagues.
• Don’t miss the deadline. Work overtime if you need to.
• Don’t take shortcuts, it leaves a mess for someone later to clean up. Comment your code like an adult.
• Don’t be ashamed if you need help. Ask for it. This is what successful do more often.
• Don’t pretend to be smart or know more than anyone else. In large rooms, there is always someone smarter who thinks you’re a fool.
• Impress people with your accomplishments, not with your future ideas. Every people has an idea.
• Always blame yourself for your mistake. This is what successful people do.