In How to Double Your Career Growth as a Software Engineer- Part 02 we talked about proactive attitude. Today we are going to talk about maintaining work ethics.

Software Engineers should be value-focused, not working hour focused. Yes, you should have a work and life balance, but working just 40 hours a week without creating any value is useless. You may work fewer hours, but your output should be countable and it should make an impact on the company you are working for. It’s also true for your clients.

Good software developers do not make money from the people around them, rather they make money for the people around them. You see, if you can make your client successful, they will help you to be successful and to make them successful you have to make a good product and a good product can not be built without hard work. You may have to work overtime and work on weekends sometimes to make a successful product on time.

One of our employees with good working ethics once said, “We used to work hard and slept less before exams in our school, college and university life, but we do not want to work a few hours more for our company when they need it”. This attitude makes a Software Engineer different from others.  

Software Engineers should maintain some work ethics to double their career growth. What are those ethics?

• As a Software Engineer, you must try to make the product successful, even if you have to work more than 40 hours a week.
  
• You do not have to work every weekend, but when your boss/client needs, you should do it.
  
•  At the end of every day at work, you should ask yourself how much value you made for the company or client.
  
• Be careful about your deadlines. Try to work hard at the beginning of the sprint, so that you can have time to test and fix bugs before the deadline.
  
• Don’t engage in discussion outside of work with your colleagues, don’t use social media, and don’t receive unnecessary calls. Your work is urgent, so keep it urgent.
  
• You should be keen to work hard as a young Software Engineer as you can not be more productive when you are old.
  
• Ask for extra work from time to time when you are free.
  
• Take care of your mental health. If you can not manage stress properly or facing difficulty in controlling your emotions, get professional help. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Every dollar invested in mental health treatment sees a $4 return based on better health and ability to work [1]”.
  
• Don’t only work hard, work smarter. Find out ways to get things done in a shorter time with efficiency and excellence.
  
• Be proactive. If you are treated badly by your peers, don’t react. Work on yourself and focus on making value for the company. They will respect you at the end of the day.
  
  Reference:

[1] Samantha Cawna, Not Spending Money on Mental Health Costs the World $1 Trillion a Year, [http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/04/14/cost-mental-health]