4 dev skills employers look for (and how to prove you have them)

There are certain skills – both hard and soft – that employers are increasingly looking for in software developers. Whether you're a new or seasoned developer, having a well-rounded skill set is crucial to staying competitive in the dynamic tech industry.

Among recent industry shifts, some newer niche skills like NLP are rising in demand, while other long-standing skills like System Design remain vital. But soft skills also remain crucial to determine a standout candidate — perhaps even more than ever in today's competitive job market. Even if you're not actively on the job hunt, it's good to invest time in professional development so you can be a competitive candidate whenever the right opportunity appears.

Today, I'll share 4 in-demand skills employers are looking for, and why projects can be a great way to demonstrate those skills. Along the way, I'll suggest some hands-on projects here at Educative that will help you build those skills and boost your portfolio.

Educative Projects are structured walkthroughs that let you build full-featured, real-world projects using popular technologies, without any setup or configurations.

You can access all 170+ Projects on Educative with a Premium or Premium Plus subscription — along with 700+ hands-on courses & assessments. 

Educative Premium is currently available through a Free Trial. Try risk-free today!

Projects help you internalize and demonstrate new skills

No matter which skill you want to demonstrate to employers, having a project portfolio is a great way to prove it. In today's job market, employers simply can't afford to take your word for it that you have a skill — so the best method to communicate your skills is to point to real-world examples. While we take on projects at work, personal projects are essential to have in your developer portfolio.

Projects are your tangible proof that you can complete an entire development task. But they're more than that. They're also a great way to learn and internalize new skills. They help you apply your knowledge in practical, real-world scenarios. 

Not only this, but projects equip you with experience and proof of a whole different kind of skillset — the soft skills. To complete a project you need a growth mindset, effective communication, and out of the box thinking. You’ll have a chance to develop and showcase these characteristics through these immersive learning experiences. 

This is a big reason why we introduced Projects to the Educative platform.

These projects are built upon a learn-by-building model with no setup necessary. They cover a range of technologies and difficulty levels — so there’s something for everyone to try.

I'll share some relevant Educative Projects later on (there are over 170 full-featured projects on the platform today), along with their key learning outcomes.

When to start working on personal projects

Here is a question I get asked all the time: when is the best time to start working on personal projects?

When you are building a project, you are typically leveraging multiple technologies to create a small, full-featured application. I have always found that first understanding each building block in isolation is a helpful prerequisite for building a successful project. Then I can practice leveraging them together in a way that enriches my working knowledge of each component, resulting in a functional and useful application. 

So, as long as you've understood the building blocks to a new skill, I'd say you're ready to strengthen that skill by building with it. Otherwise, jumping into projects before internalizing the building blocks is like learning to drive by starting on the highway. 

Imagine you are baking a cake. First, you gather all the necessary ingredients (i.e. building blocks). Mixing them all at the right time, in the right proportion, will create something cohesive. Similarly, after you have developed a strong understanding of building blocks and their interactions, you will be able to start innovating and engineering better, more creative applications. 

Now let’s dive into a few specific skills employers are increasingly looking for — and how you can demonstrate that you have them.

4 developer skills employers are looking for

#1 API Integration

API use is booming and won’t stop anytime soon. The integration of API is becoming an essential skill for developers, as they play a pivotal role in modern digital ecosystems. One way to prove you have these skills is by working on a project involving API integration. You can overlap this project with other in-demand topics, as well, such as AI. 

Our project, Build a Chatbot with OpenAI GPT-3 using Flask, lets you bridge API integrations with AI using Open AI API. You’ll start with the creation of a Flask application using templates, allowing for a dynamic and interactive web experience. 

You'll continue to delve into the realm of chatbot development, harnessing the power of the OpenAI API to build conversational agents. To enrich your application, you'll also discover how to seamlessly integrate external APIs within your Flask project. 

This will enable you to fetch and render API responses on your templates, adding valuable functionality and real-time information to your web applications.

Level: Beginner 

Prerequisites: Basic understanding of API integration, Intermediate knowledge of Flask and Python

#2 Web Development

Every 21st century business has an online presence. That means we’ll be needing web developers for a long time to come. This sustained demand positions web development as a valuable skill in today's digital-centric world. Proficiency can aid a business not only in the growth of their digital initiatives, but a more seamless user experience and expansion of e-commerce as well. 

Our popular web design & development project, Build an E-learning Website with the MERN Stack, guides you in creating an e-learning course catalog website. In this learning journey, you will gain proficiency in various aspects of web development. It’s the perfect way to gain hands-on experience in web development and prove an achievement of these skills. 

You will start by mastering the functional components of React and designing layouts with React-Bootstrap. Additionally, you'll learn how to utilize MongoDB, facilitated by the Mongoose library, for data storage and retrieval. 

To enhance your application's functionality, you'll uplift the state to enable data sharing among multiple functional components. The Axios library will be your tool of choice for connecting React components to a Node.js server, which, in turn, will be connected to MongoDB for seamless data management.

This comprehensive approach will equip you with the skills needed to develop dynamic web applications with React, Node.js, and MongoDB.

Level: Intermediate

Prerequisites: Basic understanding of React components and state, React Hooks, JavaScript, Node.js, and MongoDB

#3 Cloud and Microservices

Cloud computing and microservices are crucial skillsets in today’s tech landscape because of their involvement in modern software development. Devs who possess expertise in this realm are increasingly sought after as businesses large and small have shifted to using the cloud for software solutions. 

Our project, Develop Microservices Using Spring Boot, is one helpful resource for this skillset. It will enable you with a robust understanding of Spring Boot, beginning with the implementation of Spring Boot entities to define and manage data structures. 

You'll then progress to creating microservices using Spring Boot, enabling the development of modular and scalable applications. To fortify your projects, you'll explore the implementation of Spring Security, ensuring that your applications are protected from unauthorized access and data breaches.

You'll also dive into OAuth2 security, allowing you to integrate secure authentication and authorization mechanisms, ultimately enhancing the safety and reliability of your Spring Boot-based applications.

Level: Intermediate 

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of Thymeleaf and Google Cloud Platform, Intermediate Knowledge of Spring Boot

#4 Data Science

The data boom is not set to stop anytime soon. “Data science” is an umbrella term, and can encompass many relevant skills such as data analysis, data visualization, or data storytelling. A great data analysis project is Stock Data Analysis with R. Here, you’ll acquire the skills to retrieve real-time financial data from Yahoo Finance using the R programming language. 

Additionally, you will learn how to preprocess and format this financial data for analysis. The project will teach you how to calculate averages and returns from the financial data, enabling you to gain valuable insights. 

You’ll also discover how to create informative visualizations by plotting both primary and derived financial information using R, enhancing your ability to make data-driven decisions in the financial domain.

Level: Beginner

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of coding skills in R and plotting, Basic understanding of statistical tools, Basic experience using `quantmod` and `ggplot2`

There's a project fit for everyone

Showcasing the right skills is important. Some of these skills are technical — e.g. microservices, AI, data analysis, or System Design. Some are more abstract, such as building a portfolio that allows you to concretely demonstrate a mastery of in-demand skills.

Projects can be a great tool in every developer’s toolkit because they demonstrate knowledge and discipline, providing you with a platform to showcase adaptability and willingness to learn. Not only this, but the creative and critical thinking required to conceptualize and execute projects will highlight your problem-solving abilities. 

The best developers understand that you can’t truly grasp new concepts merely through observation. While some platforms might give you a false sense of competence with step-by-step projects that rely on too much hand-holding, we find that this “paint by numbers” typically doesn’t result in deep understanding and retention. 

That’s why we emphasize interactive coding experiences at Educative. We prioritize fundamental logic and problem-solving skills to ensure you’re prepared for any coding challenge. We design each project to strike a helpful balance between offering enough structure to get you started without stifling exploration, experimentation, and personal growth. There’s enough guidance to get you started, but not so much that you fail to absorb the skills you are employing. 

I encourage you to check out all of our hands-on projects with a free trial of Educative Premium. You can activate your trial by visiting educative.io/trial today.

Our projects are available for all skill levels, covering in-demand and specialized technologies. Let me know what you think!

Happy learning!

Fahim ul Haq
CEO & Cofounder
educative.io