Curated by: Sergio A. Martínez

However, when you are first starting your career, fresh out of school, what is the best method to acquire the experience in the field you need? Some people opt to join open-source projects on collaboration platforms like GitHub or get involved with the development community by attending online and offline meetups, forums, and hackathons. Others attend professional industry events to learn about new trends in the field, and some even reach out to experienced developers who have already gone through the process of launching an app or website to get a better understanding of problem-solving and how to apply a skill. Some even look into apprenticeship programs that combine the best of all worlds.

An apprenticeship in software development is a great way to gain experience and skills if you’re looking to start a career in the Tech space. Good programs give the opportunity to learn from an experienced software developer and get hands-on practice with coding languages and principles, letting people new to the field learn the different stages of software development projects, and hone their communication skills with other team members. A successful apprenticeship can launch your career in software development, so it makes sense to say that it can offer an incredibly valuable learning opportunity, bringing new perspectives that can benefit the entire team. All these factors come together in making an apprenticeship one of the best paths to develop your skills and build an amazing career in software development. But how to make sure you’ll choose the best one?

Taking the first STEP

For more than a decade, the Scio Technical Excellence Program Level-1 (or STEP ONE for short), previously known as the Apprenticeship Program, has been our way to reach recently graduated developers looking to expand their skills and get started in software development right away. At its core, this program offers a hands-on experience in projects for US-based clients because, as a junior software developer, there is no better way to learn than collaborating with an actual team of experienced professionals. Working with people who have been programming and coding for years can allow observing what it takes to develop quality applications and processes, offering a unique insight into the development process which can be only gained from actually being in a collaborative environment. 

Skills such as how to communicate effectively with others, how to work together as a team, and how to resolve any issues that might arise quickly are central to STEP ONE, enabling anyone who joins to acquire knowledge faster than any course or tutorial could become an expert developer one day. Since it began in 2000, this program has been instrumental in bringing the best talent available in Mexico to Scio. Plenty of our most experienced developers, such as Carlos Estrada, whose experience we have talked about before, began by participating in it. 

“Simply put, what STEP ONE wants to achieve is permeate Scio’s work culture in everyone that joins”, explains Jesús Magaña, Senior Project Manager at Scio. “With very intensive training in everything from development techniques to collaborative soft skills, we want to ensure that new developers have what’s necessary to ensure a smooth collaboration between teams and clients. They get to participate in a real project to live the experience of developing commercial software under an Agile framework, where everyone is on the same page, and issues can be solved quickly.”

After all, participating in a challenging, commercial project as a Junior developer can be a wonderful learning experience, living through real-world environments that provide the possibility to apply classroom theory in different scenarios, with all the nuances of how things actually work in the field. Moreover, hands-on experience in formulating solutions to complex problems can help one to further flesh out their skill set while also discovering how to better collaborate with others. This type of experience can serve as the perfect starting point for any budding software engineer, with chances to identify potential issues within code or how best to prioritize tasks for a successful launch of the product. All in all, there is no better way for a Junior to sharpen their skill set than by being actively involved with these projects, and STEP ONE provides a way to tackle these challenges head-on.

A philosophy of growth

“Why STEP ONE? Well, what we want to do is discover and nurture new talent, not only in terms of technical ability but also interpersonal skills that are so important for a Nearshore company like Scio”, continues Jesús Magaña. “We want to bring these young developers a healthy collaborative environment with a solid cultural foundation of work, enabling them to join amazing projects as soon as possible.”

Software development companies like Scio that actively nurture new talent can benefit from an exchange of exciting new ideas and knowledge, which in turn creates a positive work environment that leads to innovative, outside-the-box thinking. This ultimately benefits the team as a whole, encouraging an atmosphere primed for creativity and success. From this collaboration, a healthier workplace culture is built with employees more invested in their personal growth, providing invaluable professional experience to those who may not have had such opportunities before.

New talent brings fresh ideas and perspectives, which are extremely valuable when it comes to finding innovations in the ever-expanding field of software development. An apprenticeship at a software company could be a life-changing opportunity for junior developers and the entire industry, as not only would an individual have the chance to become a specialized expert in their field and put their newly developed skills to use, but the whole industry would benefit from having aspiring professionals that are committed to learning, creating, and doing. Indeed, an apprenticeship like STEP ONE provides a great platform for experienced developers and new talent to build incredible things together. Everyone wins when we allow learners to sharpen their coding abilities, as it only helps equip us all as we move into an increasingly digital economy where talents like yours are needed. Are you ready to take on the challenge next year?

The Key Takeaways

• A career in software development can be a very fulfilling experience, but sometimes the question of how to get started lingers above every junior dev.
• There are a dozen ways to begin your development career (forums, freelance work, personal projects, entry positions), but apprenticeships are the best.
• In the case of STEP ONE, Scio’s apprenticeship, hard and soft skills are combined in real projects for a junior developer to practice and grow.
• A good apprenticeship is more than just learning technical skills, but also understanding the human part of development, and how collaboration is the best path to create incredible things in software.

Scio is an established Nearshore software development company based in Mexico that specializes in providing high-quality, cost-effective technologies for pioneering tech companies. We have been building and mentoring teams of engineers since 2003 and our experience gives us access not only to the knowledge but also the expertise needed when tackling any project. Get started today by contacting us about your project needs – We have teams available to help you achieve your business goals. Get in contact today!

Curated by: Sergio A. Martínez

For example, the company might have a good idea for a product that could solve a demand or offer a solution to a specific problem that no client currently is trying to tackle, or maybe it’s a good idea to have a project that developers of all levels could contribute to, or keep busy while new clients arrive. Sometimes you even have a developer tinkering with an idea that is good enough to develop into a business idea that might benefit all in the long run. 

In any case, internal projects give these developers a chance to think outside the box and work on something other than client-facing products, allowing them to stretch their legs and try new technologies and processes in a sandbox environment without risking any customer data or the reputation of their company. These kinds of ventures could also help identify areas of improvement within their existing codebase, discover untapped features or improvements that could benefit their overseas customers, be used to hone developers’ skills, and even refine the collaboration dynamics inside the company. All in all, when it comes to software, having an internal project can be a great asset for a company of any size. 

In the case of Scio, this project is Pidamosde.com, a subscription-based, a platform that enables restaurants to implement a digital solution for their sales processes by offering a digital ordering system that takes care of card payments and virtual client queueing, among other things, simplifying the whole ordering process. In other words, PidamosDe helps these businesses expand their client base by having a pretty convenient and hassle-free option to order food through the Internet, which didn’t seem like a realistic option for most of them before it.

However, beyond offering a new solution to a key demographic of the restaurant business that many apps, like UberEats or Rappi, tend to ignore, or be too pricey or inconvenient to use, PidamosDe was also a learning experience for the people at Scio since its launch, with lots of interesting hurdles and learning experiences for everyone involved. For this reason, we spoke with Samuel González Lunar, a developer that has been part of the PidamosDe team for the best part of last year, to obtain a first-hand account of how these internal projects are managed, how they become what they are, and what they offer in return for the people in charge of bringing them to life.

Too many cooks spoil the app

Software development projects can quickly become bogged down with too many cooks in the kitchen. Without clear direction, team members’ efforts can be scattered, leading to wasted time from working on duplicated tasks or conflicting objectives. In addition, larger teams sometimes make it difficult for everyone’s voices to be heard, leading to resentment between members and an overall lack of cohesion. Too much input from multiple parties can also cause decision paralysis within a project, resulting in extended project duration or scope creep that could compromise key deadlines. And certainly, once he joined the project, Samuel had to make sure everything worked properly. In his words…

“Something that can get complicated is keeping a standard on the programming methodology employed on the project, as well as how to test the app. Because beyond developers, many different QA people have been involved over the years, it’s easy to lose track of all the changes made to the codebase over time. We are getting there, though, establishing a new code-review standard to make development easier in the future.”

After all, with too many people working on the same thing, it can be very difficult to have everyone pull in the same direction, and everyone’s time is stretched as they attempt to organize tasks for all the cooks in the kitchen. Software projects are complicated enough even without these issues; having ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ will almost certainly cause headaches along the way. Samuel is certainly very familiar with cases like this, as he remembered one such challenge that was affecting one of the most important features of a platform like PidamosDe:

“We once had a bug that stopped notifications from reaching the customers. So, as it was, we needed to solve that pretty quickly. The main issue, however, was that the person who wrote the notification code was no longer at Scio, so he wasn’t available to explain what or how he did it. And the necessary documentation wasn’t around either, so I had to research and review the whole program closely to find the error and develop a solution easily and effectively. Once we did that, we had a patch ready to go in less than a day.”

However, these kinds of challenges notwithstanding, internal projects can provide a fun and creative outlet for the team. Not only do they add value to the company, but they also give staff a chance to learn new skills, collaborate on interesting ideas and work together on something that isn’t need-specific. It’s also an opportunity for the company to measure its progress and performance, by giving an in-depth look at how well its processes are working. All of this leads to greater efficiency and productivity, helping the company reach its goals easier than ever before.

Finding the collaboration groove

Developing software requires a tremendous amount of collaboration among different teams and individuals. As a software development company, it’s important to implement the right processes that foster collaboration across the board. Internal projects give a great chance to refine the way team members communicate with each other while also allowing them to become more efficient. Carving out time for an internal project allows your software development company to test out new ideas and approaches without risking the resources or reputation of an external customer’s project — plus your team gets the chance to sharpen their skills too! Internal projects offer a great advantage, providing a safe environment to experiment with new tactics, which can then be incorporated into ongoing projects.

“The Scio way of collaboration is based on mutual support, where everyone can bring you help, and you can respond, which makes collaboration a lot easier and more agile than any other. You teach and learn at the same time, which is incredibly valuable for your professional growth”, explains Samuel. “There have been cases when new people joined the PidamosDe project and used protocols that weren’t part of our standards, overwriting code that resulted in some lost work, but the workshop and courses we give today, and even a conference I did recently, help bring everyone to the same page and avoid issues like this in the future. The point is sharing your experience so everyone joining the team tackles it head on, puts their best effort, and creates something useful and unique for the customers.”

All in all, the main advantage of an internal project like PidamosDe is that it gives the team a chance to learn new technologies without affecting their client workloads. Internally developed projects also allow room for innovation and exploration, as the developers are given ample freedom to express their creativity and experiment with new approaches. Furthermore, these projects can be a great avenue for software development teams to utilize their collaboration skills; by working together on smaller endeavors. Employees can practice and perfect different ways of working that they can carry over into larger or external projects. This way, they will be well-versed in collaborating from collective experience. Plus, internal projects can have time constraints or other unique requirements; by tackling these obstacles together, a team’s communication and coordination capabilities become enhanced and primed for even better efficiency down the line.

Final words

Internal projects like PidamosDe can be great for software development companies, as they provide a fun and creative outlet for the team. Not only can these projects add value to the company, but they also give staff a chance to learn new skills, collaborate on interesting ideas and work together on something that isn’t need-specific, often resulting in amazing products that can stand on their own. 

Unlike client projects, which only provide the opportunity to work on their specific requirements, internal projects give developers the freedom to explore and uncover untapped potential. With internal projects, developers can dive deep into areas that interest them and explore different approaches to solving problems. Additionally, the internal project also gives rise to great ideas that eventually become products in the market. By tweaking solutions and using processes developed for other projects, the team can come up with advanced solutions very quickly. Ultimately, all these benefits add up, not just in terms of greater profitability but in terms of learning as well. All of this makes taking on internal projects a great advantage for any development team within a software company.

The Key Takeaways

• When it comes to making the most out of the talent of a software company like Scio, having an internal project can be a great idea with plenty of positive outcomes all around.
• Among them, without the pressure of a client’s expectations, a company can review processes, smooth out collaboration, and even launch a product that benefits all in the long run.
• However, these projects need experience and good management to achieve their goals, because a lot of people can work on it at some point, and that could create some issues to work through.
• All in all, an internal project like PidamosDe offers a lot of teaching and learning opportunities that otherwise could be difficult to have with more conventional types of projects.

Scio is an established Nearshore software development company based in Mexico that specializes in providing high-quality, cost-effective technologies for pioneering tech companies. We have been building and mentoring teams of engineers since 2003 and our experience gives us access not only to the knowledge but also the expertise needed when tackling any project. Get started today by contacting us about your project needs – We have teams available to help you achieve your business goals. Get in contact today!

Curated by: Sergio A. Martínez

After all, it’s important to remember that nothing great is accomplished overnight, which is why setting realistic goals, focusing on the right skills, and cultivating a growth mindset are all essential for success within the software development industry. A growth mindset allows us to have faith in our abilities and strive towards our dreams (no matter how difficult or overwhelming they may seem) while keeping a healthy sense of balance and patience along the way. Because software development is constantly evolving, resolutions that involve honing existing skills or learning new ones will go far in terms of professional growth. With a positive attitude, realistic outlook, and dedication to a growth-oriented skill set, software developers can make 2023 their most successful year yet.

How are things going at Scio?

Aspiring software developers should keep a growth mindset in mind and use it to look back at their progress from last year. It’s normal to have moments of doubt or worry about failure, but having a growth mindset means pushing through and continuing to grow, even when things don’t work out as planned. Setting goals and making resolutions based on that mindset can be an effective way to learn new skills and further develop existing ones. For example, practicing coding in unfamiliar languages, participating in hackathons, or working through tutorials are all great ways to cultivate a growth mindset while expanding your knowledge base. Everyone has a different way of approaching and tackling these challenges, often with very specific goals in mind. That’s why we asked many of our developers at Scio how their year is going so far, what their resolutions look like right now, and what’s the approach to ensure that 2023 remains a year of growth and learning.

“It feels absolutely amazing to be able to look back at the start of January 2023 and see how much I’ve achieved with my programming resolutions this year”, reads one of the responses. “One of my original goals was to become more competent with React, and I am now knowledgeably able to develop complex web applications with JavaScript through it. Additionally, I was able to teach myself Python and use its extensive library of modules as well as integrate other libraries into some projects I’ve been involved in. This month gave me great confidence in my skills that will help me for many challenges to come.”

Here at Scio, we have talked before about the challenge and reward of a self-learning disposition, and how it has always been a core aspect of the programming culture; understanding the value of this type of experience is fundamental for an organization where a growth mindset guides everything we do. That also translates to learning at every level, regardless of your status or years of experience.

“After reflecting on the past year, I decided to take my New Year’s resolutions up a notch for 2023”, said another response from a Senior developer at Scio. “I’ve set myself the goal of becoming fluent in at least two more coding languages and to be able to troubleshoot any project that arises without issue. Additionally, I want to expand my reach online by further connecting with other developers all over the world, as well as honing my English writing and speaking skills, which always feel like they can improve. 2023 feels like a year that will be full of challenges, so I want to feel ready and raring to go.”

In other words, senior programmers may have all the technical skills they need in their field, but that doesn’t mean they should stop learning. Soft skills such as communication and collaboration, problem-solving strategies, working efficiently with difficult colleagues and customers, understanding how an organization works, and developing creative solutions – all these abilities are hugely beneficial and can take an experienced programmer to a whole new level of success. After all, as companies grow on a more international level, skills like leadership, communication, and the ability to build successful teams, it becomes more important than ever. So while it’s easy enough to coast by on technical skill alone, those who are serious about succeeding long term should genuinely invest in sharpening those non-technical abilities as well.

“As the year ended, I started reflecting on my New Year’s resolutions as a programmer. One of several achievable ones was to allocate at least an hour each day just for studying new coding languages and frameworks”, said one final answer to our question about challenges to tackle this year. “And so far, I have kept up with this resolution and it has been very rewarding – I now feel comfortable tackling any programming challenge with any language. The additional benefit is that I am starting to gain confidence in developing new software and tools we could use in the future. I knew that setting goals such as these would help me develop exponentially as a programmer – and so far, this has certainly been the case.”

Always look for opportunities to learn

It’s the start of a new year and the perfect opportunity to create good habits. For software developers, this means resolving to always seek ways to grow and improve. Developing software involves complex tasks, such as relying on research and intense problem-solving skills, so staying up-to-date on new technologies is key. By establishing a practice of routinely checking out new tutorials, and conferences and finding more holistic approaches to development tasks, you can create an objective feedback loop that helps identify weak spots in your knowledge. 

Whether it be learning a new programming language, understanding database optimization better, or spending more time on code reviews, making new year’s resolutions can help developers focus on important goals that will keep them up-to-date on the latest development trends and technologies. Setting achievable goals also gives developers an additional sense of accomplishment when they can check them off their list. Moreover, taking the initiative to grow throughout the year helps developers remain ahead of the curve in a constantly growing field, which ultimately benefits both their current employers and future prospects. Ultimately, New Year’s resolutions can be a great starting point for a successful 2023.

Scio is an established Nearshore software development company based in Mexico that specializes in providing high-quality, cost-effective technologies for pioneering tech companies. We have been building and mentoring teams of engineers since 2003 and our experience gives us access not only to the knowledge but also the expertise needed when tackling any project. Get started today by contacting us about your project needs – We have teams available to help you achieve your business goals. Get in contact today!