At the same time, not only demand is growing. Supply is also getting bigger. For right now you might not really notice, but there is a whole new generation of developers entering the market. And they’ll be younger, sharper and more aware of the cutting edge.
Now, you can (and should) compete with them on the knowledge front. But don’t just go up against them there. You see, your experience means that you’ve got one area where you can outcompete the new bloods and that is in understanding and communicating with the non-developer.
Make yourself even better by becoming a better communicator.
· - Readability score: Start off by using the tools out there to analyze the texts you write for readability. This will make you aware of whether you’re using long sentences, what kind of constructs are difficult to understand and more. The best part? The more often you use these kinds of tools, the more you’ll internalize their lessons and the more readable your writing – and even speech – will become.
· - Grammarly: A lot of us think that we’ve got good grammar. A lot of us are wrong. One great tool to point that out is Grammarly. It picks up on a lot of mistakes we (and other programs like word) miss out on. Now, admittedly a grammar mistake might not be quite as serious as a coding mistake, but it’s still serious. So take care of them!
· - mastergrades.com: Sure, computers will understand language better than we do one day. That day isn’t here yet, however. So sometimes it is still a good idea to get some human eyes to look at what you’re writing and give you feedback. If that’s what you’re after, check out Mastergrades.com.
· - Voice to text apps: Find writing texts – or alternatively speaking – difficult? Then experiment with Voice to text apps. In the first case, they can help you write clearer text. In the second situation, they’ll help you analyze your speech patterns and give you a better idea of where you might be unclear, carrying on unnecessarily or over-using difficult language.
The best idea? Combine some tools. For example, use a voice to text app to record your normal conversation and then see what the readability and grammar apps think of how you speak. You might be unpleasantly surprised
Note: vocal speech has a lot more channels of communication than words alone, so don’t be too dismayed when you get a poor score. Most of us do. Still, there’s always room for improvement.