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Insights & Stories by Vishwastam Shukla

Vishwastam Shukla's content is built for talent leaders who want results—fast. Actionable, relevant, and packed with real-world learnings from the frontlines of growth.

Hackathons

Vibe Coding: How It's Shaping the Future of Software Development

AI is not replacing developers — it is redefining how code gets created. A growing wave of software professionals now describe what they want in plain English and let AI generate the code. This approach has a name: vibe coding.

Since the term was coined in early 2025, vibe coding has gone from a niche Twitter concept to a mainstream development methodology. A 2025 GitHub survey found that 92% of developers now use AI coding tools in some capacity, and roughly 46% of new code in enterprise environments is AI-generated. Whether you are an experienced engineer, a product manager prototyping an idea, or a recruiter evaluating technical talent, understanding vibe coding is no longer optional.

This guide breaks down what vibe coding means, how it works, the tools driving it, and where it is headed — including its direct impact on developer hiring and technical skills assessment.

What Is Vibe Coding? (Definition & Meaning)

Vibe Coding Definition

Vibe coding is an AI-assisted approach to software development where you describe what you want to build using natural language prompts, and an AI model generates the corresponding code. Instead of writing every function and class manually, you communicate your intent — the "vibe" of what the software should do — and iterate on the AI's output through follow-up prompts and refinements.

The vibe coding meaning centers on a fundamental shift: development becomes intent-driven rather than syntax-driven. You focus on what the software should accomplish, and the AI handles how to write it.

Origin & Evolution of the Term

The term "vibe coding" was coined by Andrej Karpathy — former Tesla AI director and OpenAI co-founder — in a February 2025 post on X (formerly Twitter). Karpathy described his workflow as one where he would "fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists." He would describe features in natural language, accept the AI's suggestions, and only course-correct when something broke.

The concept resonated immediately. Within months, "vibe coding" entered mainstream developer vocabulary. By late 2025, Collins Dictionary shortlisted it as a word of the year candidate, signaling just how rapidly the idea moved from AI-insider slang to broad cultural awareness.

How It Differs From Traditional Coding

Traditional development is syntax-centric. You write precise instructions in a programming language, manage dependencies, and debug line by line. Vibe coding flips this model.

Aspect	Traditional Coding	Vibe Coding
Input	Code written in a programming language	Natural language prompts describing intent
Core skill	Syntax mastery, language fluency	Prompt clarity, architectural thinking
Debugging	Line-by-line manual review	Iterative prompting and AI-assisted fixes
Speed	Slower, methodical	Rapid generation and iteration
Best for	Complex, production-grade systems	Prototypes, MVPs, internal tools, learning

The shift does not eliminate the need for programming knowledge. It changes where that knowledge matters most — from writing code to reviewing, directing, and architecting it.

How Vibe Coding Works (Process)

Natural Language Prompts

The process starts with a prompt. You describe the feature, function, or application you want in plain language. For example:

"Build a REST API in Python that accepts a JSON payload with user data and stores it in a PostgreSQL database."
"Create a React dashboard component that displays a line chart of monthly revenue from this data structure."

The quality of the output depends heavily on the quality of the prompt. Specific, well-structured prompts with clear constraints produce significantly better results than vague requests.

AI Code Generation & Iteration

Once you submit the prompt, the AI model generates the code. This is rarely a one-shot process. The real workflow involves iterative refinement — you review the output, identify gaps or errors, and submit follow-up prompts to adjust.

For instance, after receiving an initial API scaffold, you might prompt: "Add input validation for the email field and return a 422 error for malformed requests." The AI updates the code accordingly. This back-and-forth loop is the core of vibe coding — a conversation between developer intent and AI execution.

Testing & Refinement

AI-generated code must still be tested. This step remains your responsibility. You run unit tests, check edge cases, verify security, and ensure the output aligns with your architectural requirements. Vibe coding accelerates the creation phase, but the validation phase requires the same rigor as traditional development — sometimes more, because AI can produce code that works superficially but contains subtle bugs or inefficiencies.

Popular Vibe Coding Tools & Platforms

Leading AI Coding Assistants

Several AI tools have become central to the vibe coding workflow:

GitHub Copilot — Integrated directly into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, Copilot autocompletes code and generates functions from comments. It remains the most widely adopted AI coding assistant.
Claude Code (Anthropic) — A terminal-based coding agent that can read your codebase, make multi-file edits, and execute commands. Especially strong for complex refactoring tasks.
ChatGPT (OpenAI) — Widely used for generating code snippets, debugging, and explaining existing code. The Canvas feature allows in-line code editing within the chat interface.
Gemini (Google) — Google's multimodal model offers code generation within Google AI Studio and is increasingly integrated into Google Cloud workflows.

IDE Integrations & Plugins

The most effective vibe coding tools work where developers already spend their time:

Cursor — A VS Code fork purpose-built for AI-assisted development. It indexes your entire codebase for context-aware suggestions and supports multi-file edits from a single prompt. Cursor has become the default IDE for many vibe coders.
JetBrains AI Assistant — Brings AI code generation, refactoring, and explanation directly into IntelliJ, PyCharm, and other JetBrains products.
Codeium / Windsurf — Free-tier AI assistants that integrate across multiple IDEs and offer autocomplete, chat, and code search.

Emerging Platforms Built for Vibe Coding

A new category of platforms is designed specifically for natural-language-first development:

Replit Agent — Describe an app in plain language and Replit builds, deploys, and hosts it. Ideal for rapid prototyping and learning.
Lovable — A platform that converts natural language descriptions into full-stack web applications, targeting non-technical founders and product teams.
Bolt.new — Browser-based AI coding environment that generates and deploys apps from prompts, with real-time preview.
Base44 — Focused on building internal tools and business applications through conversational prompts.

Benefits of Vibe Coding

Faster Prototyping & MVP Development

Vibe coding dramatically compresses the time from idea to working prototype. Tasks that previously required days or weeks of manual development can now be completed in hours. Product managers can build functional demos to validate concepts before committing engineering resources. Founders can present working prototypes to investors instead of slide decks.

Lowered Entry Barrier for Beginners

People without formal programming training can now build functional applications. A marketer can create a custom data dashboard. A designer can prototype an interactive UI. This democratization of software creation expands who can participate in building technology — though understanding code still matters for anything beyond simple applications.

Focus on Intent & Logic Over Syntax

Vibe coding frees experienced developers from repetitive boilerplate code. Instead of spending time on syntax, bracket matching, and import statements, you focus on higher-level decisions: system architecture, data flow, user experience, and business logic. The mental energy saved on implementation details can be redirected to design and optimization.

Increased Productivity for Experienced Developers

For senior engineers, vibe coding is a force multiplier. At National Australia Bank, roughly half of production code is now generated by AWS Q Developer, allowing engineers to focus on architecture and code review. AI handles the scaffolding; the developer handles the judgment. When combined with strong coding interview practices, this shift highlights why architectural thinking is becoming the premium skill in technical hiring.

Limitations & Challenges

Code Quality & Security Concerns

AI-generated code can introduce security vulnerabilities that are not immediately obvious. Models may produce code with hardcoded credentials, SQL injection susceptibility, or improper input validation — not because the AI is malicious, but because it optimizes for functional correctness over security hardening. Every line of AI-generated code requires the same security review you would apply to code from a junior developer.

Technical Debt & Maintainability

Rapid code generation can create architectural debt. AI tools often produce code that works but lacks consistent patterns, proper abstraction, or documentation. Over time, this results in codebases that are difficult to maintain, extend, or debug. The speed advantage of vibe coding can become a liability if teams do not enforce code review standards and architectural guidelines.

Need for Human Oversight

AI outputs still require deep, informed review. The developer's role shifts from writer to editor and architect — but that role becomes more critical, not less. Accepting AI-generated code without understanding it creates fragile systems. Organizations that rely on technical assessments to evaluate candidates should now test for code review ability and architectural reasoning, not just the ability to write code from scratch.

Vibe Coding and AI Jobs & Skills

Impact on Developer Roles

Vibe coding is reshaping what it means to be a software developer. Writing code is becoming a smaller portion of the job. Reviewing, directing, and testing AI-generated code — along with system design, architecture decisions, and performance optimization — are where experienced developers add the most value.

This shift affects hiring directly. Companies evaluating technical candidates increasingly need to assess problem-solving and system design skills rather than syntax recall. Platforms designed for AI-assisted technical interviews are adapting their evaluations to reflect this new reality.

New Skill Sets and Courses

A new category of skills is emerging around vibe coding:

Prompt engineering — Crafting precise, context-rich prompts that produce high-quality code output.
AI-assisted development workflows — Knowing when to use AI generation, when to write manually, and how to review AI output effectively.
Architecture-first thinking — Designing systems at a high level before using AI to generate implementation details.

Online courses and bootcamps are beginning to incorporate these skills, though formal "vibe coding courses" are still in early stages. The developers who combine traditional programming knowledge with strong AI collaboration skills will be the most valuable hires.

Job Opportunities Emerging Around AI-Driven Development

New roles are appearing: AI code reviewer, prompt engineer, AI integration specialist, and agent orchestrator. At the same time, existing roles are evolving. Full-stack developers are expected to leverage AI tools as part of their standard workflow. Companies building candidate sourcing strategies for 2026 are already factoring AI-assisted development skills into their job requirements and screening criteria.

Future Trends & Industry Adoption

AI Becoming a First-Class Partner in Development

The trajectory is clear: AI is moving from a code-suggestion tool to a full development partner. Agentic AI systems — agents that can plan, execute, test, and iterate autonomously — are being integrated throughout the software development lifecycle. Tools like Replit Agent and Claude Code already operate at this level for simpler tasks. Within the next two years, expect AI agents to handle multi-step feature development with minimal human intervention.

Toolchain & API Evolution for AI-Friendly Development

Development toolchains are being redesigned for AI collaboration. APIs are becoming more standardized and self-documenting to improve AI comprehension. CI/CD pipelines are adding AI checkpoints for automated code review. Online coding interview platforms are incorporating AI-generated challenges and real-time code collaboration features that reflect how modern development actually works.

How Vibe Coding Could Shape Software Engineering

Vibe coding represents a fundamental shift comparable to the move from assembly language to high-level programming languages. It does not eliminate the need for skilled engineers — it raises the floor of what one person can build while raising the ceiling of what matters in professional software development.

The developers who thrive will be those who use AI to amplify their expertise, not replace their understanding. As Karpathy himself noted, the approach works best when you have enough experience to recognize when the AI gets it wrong. For organizations, the imperative is clear: invest in evaluating and developing the architectural, design, and review skills that define great engineering in the vibe coding era.

Conclusion

Vibe coding is reshaping software development from the ground up. By enabling developers and non-developers alike to build software through natural language prompts, it accelerates prototyping, lowers barriers to entry, and shifts the developer's core value toward architecture, review, and system design.

The technology is powerful but not without risks. Security vulnerabilities, technical debt, and the need for human oversight remain real challenges. The most effective teams will be those that combine AI-assisted speed with disciplined engineering practices.

For hiring teams, the implications are immediate. Evaluating candidates on syntax knowledge alone is no longer sufficient. Assessing architectural thinking, code review ability, and AI collaboration skills is now essential. Tools like HackerEarth FaceCode enable real-time technical interviews that test exactly these higher-order skills — ensuring your hiring process keeps pace with how software is actually being built today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is vibe coding?

Vibe coding is an AI-assisted software development approach where you use natural language prompts to generate code. Instead of writing every line manually, you describe your intent and an AI model produces the code, which you then review, test, and refine. The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy in February 2025.

Is vibe coding the future of software development?

Vibe coding is becoming a significant part of software development, especially for prototyping, MVPs, and internal tools. However, complex production systems still require experienced engineers for architecture, security review, and optimization. It is more accurate to view vibe coding as an evolution of the developer's toolkit rather than a complete replacement for traditional development.

Can non-developers use vibe coding?

Yes. Platforms like Replit Agent, Lovable, and Bolt.new allow people without formal programming training to build functional applications using natural language descriptions. However, building anything beyond simple applications still benefits from understanding programming fundamentals, debugging, and system architecture.

What tools support vibe coding?

Leading vibe coding tools include GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Replit Agent, Lovable, and Bolt.new. IDE integrations for VS Code and JetBrains bring AI assistance directly into existing developer workflows. The best tool depends on your use case — Cursor and Claude Code suit experienced developers, while Replit and Lovable target rapid prototyping and beginners.

Does vibe coding replace traditional developers?

No. Vibe coding changes what developers spend their time on, shifting the focus from writing code to reviewing, directing, and architecting it. The need for experienced engineers who understand system design, security, and performance optimization increases as AI-generated code becomes more prevalent. Human oversight remains essential for production-quality software.

Are there risks to vibe coding?

Yes. Key risks include security vulnerabilities in AI-generated code, accumulation of technical debt from inconsistent code patterns, and the danger of accepting AI output without thorough review. Organizations must maintain rigorous code review standards and security testing regardless of whether code is written by a human or generated by AI.

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DEI Hiring

3 Tips To Help You Make The Shift Towards Remote Hiring In 2022

In the face of it all, remote hiring turned out to be a convenient, efficient, cost and time-effective option for both recruiters and candidates. In the post-Covid world, remote hiring has emerged as a common phenomenon in contemporary HR practices. The use of online AI-enabled talent management platforms such as the one provided by HackerEarth has now made it possible to hire from anywhere in an objective and skill-first manner while rooting out the inherent biases that have been the bane of traditional hiring practices.

Creating an effective remote hiring and onboarding process

Regardless of the differences between in-house and remote work, there are some fundamentals of employee screening and hiring that remain unchanged. At HackerEarth, we have always believed in matching skills to the best opportunities—which is what talent hiring is, in a nutshell. The hiring organization needs a skilled developer who will meet or exceed performance expectations. The candidate, on the other hand, is looking for opportunities to showcase their gamut of skills and experience, meet their financial and benefits goals, and feel empowered, engaged, and appreciated.

For this matchmaking (pun intended) to be successful, there are a few criteria that need to be met. As an employer, here are some tips that can help you create better processes to accelerate remote hiring in 2022:

#1. Imbibe a skill-first approach to tech hiring and change processes as needed

While this shift towards a skill-first approach to hiring is welcome, it also means that companies have to change their traditional processes. In a recent survey that we conducted, we found that companies that use assessment tools for their tech hiring report have a more standardized process. The process is also more objective, and evaluations more accurate.

What may have worked before may not necessarily work in the post-pandemic world where candidates are more sensitized to flaws in the process and are demanding change. Our annual Developer Survey showed that about 40% of developers would like to be interviewed via dedicated platforms, and by not making these tools a part of the process, companies are only losing out on top talent.

Along with these tools, a mindset change is also needed; and I couldn’t stress this enough. We need to break the conventional mold of a good developer and hire candidates who demonstrate excellence in real life, and not just on paper.

#2. Provide opportunities, pay, upskilling initiatives, and other benefits that distinguish you from other employers

Remember, the talent you are vying for has many opportunities knocking on their door. In the candidate market we are living in, employers are being pitted against each other. Mercilessly, if I may add.

How do you distinguish yourself from all other employers then? High pay aside, student developers, who are just starting in the tech world, say a good career growth curve is a must-have. Working professionals can be wooed by offers of a good career path and compensation.

The last two years have taught developers the importance of self-growth, happiness, and fuelling their creativity. They would not want to go back to a job that feels like a rut when there are better opportunities elsewhere. Diversity and inclusion policies are also prominent asks. As remote hiring opens up the talent sourcing funnel, it also lends itself to this new and improved archetype where equality is paramount.

This is again, proof of how ‘traditional’ just won’t work anymore in the new post-pandemic paradigm. We have outgrown the phase where only candidates were required to prove they had that ‘X factor’; employers too have to prove that they are worthy of the talent they are hiring.

Recommended read: Diversity And Inclusion In 2022

#3. Check for culture, emotional, and psychological fit before making an offer

Remote work has its own mores. Code needs to be shipped on agreed timelines, a common repository has to be maintained, communication needs to be succinct but also frequent. The frameworks for processes like promotions and appraisals also change. Goes without saying that the candidate you hire must be emotionally and psychologically fit to work in such an environment. Coding is, in many ways, a synergetic process, and it is not always easy on individual, remote contributors. Hire someone who can shoulder the burden without crumbling under the pressure, and who can work seamlessly with the tech team you have already built.

And thus, the takeaways…

When I look back at the last two years, I am amazed—as many others have been—at the amount of resilience the technology sector has displayed in the face of a massive outswinger (the World Cup hangover still holds fort as you can see). Adopting a remote-first work policy will, in my opinion, only increase this resilience. It will open the doors for more diverse talent, foster pay, and gender equality, and nudge companies to appreciate and nurture talent. It is not easy, and it requires us to change processes, use new tools and platforms, and bid goodbye to traditional mindsets.

As tech hiring begins to scale again, and businesses look to future-proof themselves, the need for top-tier tech talent is only set to increase. It is a war out there, and the only way to win it is by adapting to the ‘new normal’ and taking a fresh, improved approach to tech hiring.

AI Recruiting

3 Tips To Help You Make The Shift Towards Remote Hiring

2020 changed the way the globe went to work. While business continuity plans were quickly activated to offset the volatility of the pandemic, and people grew accustomed to the new normal of virtual meetings and remote working, talent hiring, on the whole, presented a challenge for HR and other people teams.

In the face of it all, remote hiring turned out to be a convenient, efficient, cost and time-effective option for both recruiters and candidates. In the post-Covid world, remote hiring has emerged as a common phenomenon in contemporary HR practices. The use of online AI-enabled talent management platforms such as the one provided by HackerEarth has now made it possible to hire from anywhere in an objective and skill-first manner while rooting out the inherent biases that have been the bane of traditional hiring practices.

Creating an effective remote hiring and onboarding process

Regardless of the differences between in-house and remote work, there are some fundamentals of employee screening and hiring that remain unchanged. At HackerEarth, we have always believed in matching skills to the best opportunities - which is what talent hiring is, in a nutshell. The hiring organization needs a skilled developer who will meet or exceed performance expectations. The candidate, on the other hand, is looking for opportunities to showcase their gamut of skills and experience, meet their financial and benefits goals, and feel empowered, engaged, and appreciated.

For this matchmaking (pun intended) to be successful, there are a few criteria that need to be met. As an employer here are some tips that can help you create better processes to accelerate remote hiring in 2022:

#1. Imbibe a skill-first approach to tech hiring and change processes as needed

Before the pandemic, location-specific hiring was at its peak. Recruiters preferred candidates who were in the same geographical location or were ready to relocate. Post-pandemic, we know that code can be shipped from anywhere in the world as long as the developer writing it is skilled. Remote hiring in 2022 puts the spotlight on objective bias-free hiring because when you take parameters like location, academic pedigree, race, ethnicity, etc. out of the picture, all you are left with is core skills.

While this shift towards a skill-first approach to hiring is welcome, it also means that companies have to change their traditional processes. In a recent survey that we conducted, we found that companies that use assessment tools for their tech hiring report have a more standardized process. The process is also more objective, and evaluations more accurate.

What may have worked before may not necessarily work in the post-pandemic world where candidates are more sensitized to flaws in the process and are demanding change. Our annual Developer Survey showed that about 40% of developers would like to be interviewed via dedicated platforms, and by not making these tools a part of the process, companies are only losing out on top talent.

Along with these tools, a mindset change is also needed; and I couldn’t stress this enough. We need to break the conventional mold of a good developer and hire candidates who demonstrate excellence in real life, and not just on paper.

Recommended read: 4 Features of FaceCode That Make Remote Interviews Are Easier!

#2. Provide opportunities, pay, upskilling initiatives, and other benefits that distinguish you from other employers

Remember, the talent you are vying for has many opportunities knocking on their door. In the candidate market, we are living in, employers are being pitted against each other. Mercilessly, if I may add.

How do you distinguish yourself from all other employers then? High pay aside, student developers, who are just starting in the tech world, say a good career growth curve is a must-have. Working professionals can be wooed by offers of a good career path and compensation.

The last two years have taught developers the importance of self-growth, happiness, and fuelling their creativity. They would not want to go back to a job that feels like a rut when there are better opportunities elsewhere. Diversity and inclusion policies are also prominent asks. As remote hiring opens up the talent sourcing funnel, it also lends itself to this new and improved archetype where equality is paramount.

This is again, proof of how ‘traditional’ just won’t work anymore in the new post-pandemic paradigm. We have outgrown the phase where only candidates were required to prove they had that ‘X factor’; employers too have to prove that they are worthy of the talent they are hiring.

Recommended read: Diversity And Inclusion In 2022

#3. Check for culture, emotional, and psychological fit before making an offer

The terms ‘culture’, ‘collaboration’, and ‘commitment’ have different meanings in today’s world. Collaborating on code from halfway across the world requires a different etiquette. It’s not the same as turning around in your swivel hair in your office and asking your colleague for help.

Remote work has its own mores. Code needs to be shipped on agreed timelines, a common repository has to be maintained, communication needs to be succinct but also frequent. The frameworks for processes like promotions and appraisals also change. Goes without saying that the candidate you hire must be emotionally and psychologically fit to work in such an environment. Coding is, in many ways, a synergetic process, and it is not always easy on individual, remote contributors. Hire someone who can shoulder the burden without crumbling under the pressure, and who can work seamlessly with the tech team you have already built.

And thus, the takeaways…

When I look back at the last two years, I am amazed - as many others have been - at the amount of resilience the technology sector has displayed in the face of a massive outswinger (the World Cup hangover still holds fort as you can see). Adopting a remote-first work policy will, in my opinion, only increase this resilience. It will open the doors for more diverse talent, foster pay, and gender equality, and nudge companies to appreciate and nurture talent. It is not easy, and it requires us to change processes, use new tools and platforms, and bid goodbye to traditional mindsets.

As tech hiring begins to scale again, and businesses look to future-proof themselves, the need for top-tier tech talent is only set to increase. It is a war out there, and the only way to win it is by adapting to the ‘new normal’ and taking a fresh, improved approach to tech hiring.

Hiring Strategies

Reshaping The Education Landscape For India’s Future-Ready Tech Talent

In May this year the global banking giant Credit Suisse reported that it would hire more than a thousand developers from India, making our country a base for global innovation, and home to over 25% of its tech workforce. I recount this statistic to underscore how over the last two decades, India has emerged as the largest pool of tech talent in the world.

The developer community grows exponentially year on year, and from playing a supporting role for other industries, we have now graduated to the forefront of developing cutting-edge technologies and innovative applications that will power the future. To sustain this momentum, we must understand the secret of creating a future-ready tech community lies in how we support and educate them.

With the continuous evolution of technology, devising education curricula that keep up with advancements becomes imperative.

When I was in college, we used hard disks and CDs for storing code. The first thing I learnt during my internship was how to store code in a code base and the importance of checking in to a central repository. I hadn’t heard of GitHub till then.This is but a small example, to showcase the gap between what coders are taught in professional institutions and what their work environment demands of them. In today’s startup culture where the learning curve is extremely steep and coders are expected to be shipping code as soon as they join work, rote learning has no reason to exist at all.

I know from experience - my own, and that of coders I have worked with - that what we are taught in our four-year degree courses leaves us underprepared for the workplace. The emphasis then should be on a holistic curriculum that prioritizes conceptual understanding and practical applications, over theoretical knowledge.

Let’s take another example - that of a data scientist, since this is a role currently in demand. An undergraduate student studies a plethora of courses in their four years, and dedicates only a semester or so studying core AI and Data Science topics. At work, they are expected to ace complex business problems with just a few months’ of knowledge. Needless to say, it is tough.

Many data scientists end up using online resources, certification programs, and practice platforms like Kaggle to upskill themselves on their own. This conclusively proves that the content of current engineering curriculums is nowhere it needs to be.

Skill-focused education that prioritizes and encourages interest in new and early technologies should be the norm going forward.

I believe there is ample scope to revamp our current college curricula and focus on improving students’ skill sets. One way of achieving this could be to condense our four-year courses. Colleges can then:

Create a teaching framework that includes at least 1-2 core languages like C++ and Python
Include the most important and popular coding frameworks for specific industry roles like backend or frontend engineers, or data scientists
Substantiate this with multiple internship programs and an ecosystem that hones the technical skills of students and fosters upskilling and growth by encouraging them to build practical applications

Reskilling is key to continuous, long-term growth in the developer world. Technology changes every day and a self-starter who can pick up new skills on the go is considered a prize in the business world. Our education system also needs to provide students with the means to be self-sufficient and job-ready. The need of the hour is not just learning new technical skills. Students must learn more about learning itself.

Along with this, there needs to be an acknowledgment of the soft skills a developer needs to excel at work.

It is always nice to have a high CGP, but the students who crack the top jobs have more than this. In the real world, a coder’s secondary and tertiary skills are their bread and butter. At school, it may not always be important to communicate well, but when you are with your peers and superiors, not being able to communicate well can make a huge impact on how you grow within the organization. I have personally seen many good coders stay stuck in their jobs because they couldn’t communicate their issues, and ask for help.

My mentor at my first job said to me that my emails were ‘pithy’. Even today, I reread my emails thrice before hitting send. Why? Because part of my job description involves distilling technical jargons into layman terms so that the other spokes of the business wheel (namely marketing, customer support, product management, etc.) can do their jobs as well.

I am glad someone pointed out my lack of communication skills to me early on and allowed me to improve. Students in engineering colleges need this particular brand of mentorship as well. Along with their core skills, they should be given opportunities to groom themselves. Colleges can work with companies and provide mentorship programs for young graduates to help them with interview prep, and other life skills so that our graduates leave school with a well-rounded skill set.

The pandemic has changed the way we look at education and learning. Colleges need to take note of this.

Online learning has created a level playing field irrespective of location and delivery channels. Education has been democratized and anyone with access to the internet can potentially learn the skills they need to be a coder. Compared to these online resources, the cost of a college degree remains comparatively high. (Sidebar: I took a full course online on Blockchain and Crypto by Gary Gensler, a professor at MIT, free of cost. Imagine what a specialized course like this would cost in a premier institution!)

As businesses move ahead with a skill-first approach to hiring, it won’t be long before college pedigree loses its sheen. You may hail from an IIT, but can you code better than the self-taught developer who learned their skills on YouTube? There are ISAs that offer a reputable degree at a fraction of the cost that a premier institution in India does. The gap is narrowing, and the high cost of a degree could be the final nail in the coffin for engineering colleges.

For educational institutions to retain their prominence, they must create a curriculum that meets the needs of the future. Collaboration between educators and tech companies is critical. Foresight and expertise should be the guiding principle for educating future tech talent. It is imperative to have education and training that have well-defined outcomes, allowing education providers to work backward from the market requirement and future advancement.

To wit...

There is a growing consensus that the demand and nature of our jobs have changed over the years and the importance of coding as a massive in-demand skill now cannot be ignored.The pandemic has eliminated barriers of geography that existed. This has opened up opportunities for skill-based learning that goes beyond large cities. Businesses now realize that education and work can happen anywhere - interest and ability are the only deciding factors. They are more than happy to hire developers with proven skills rather than with good resumes. Businesses need tech talent that can foresee challenges and remain forearmed. Education plays a key role in building this future-ready talent pool.

The aim of education and training, therefore, should be to create a new generation of coders who are not only great programmers but are also well-adapted to a changing world of remote work and rapid growth, which demands innovation even amid a crisis. Geography is no barrier to learning anymore, and skills are the only currency in this new normal. Our education systems must adapt, pronto.

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As originally published in The Hindu Business Line.

Tech Assessment

CTOs vs. Attrition: Tips To Keep Tech Employee Churn Low

This article from Forbes is slightly dated. The reason I mention it here is because it’s a fellow manager in the tech world talking about attrition in their team (oh how I hate the word). Liz Ryan, Founder and CEO of Human Workplace, gives the manager in question some very relevant advice for their issues.

The one that I took away and have held close to my heart ever since is this: Employee Turnover IS A Leadership Problem.Liz says that as leaders, we make certain commitments to the ones we hire. It then becomes our responsibility and obligation to make good on those promises. As CTOs, department heads, or team leads - it’s our integrity on the line.

Battling the performance dip

Research shows that about 40% of attrition happens in the very first year of a new employee joining your workforce. Your role then, is to ensure that this ‘honeymoon’ or ‘performing’ phase lasts for longer and your hires have enough and more reasons to stay put even after the initial high wears off.This voluntary attrition happens for a few universal reasons:

Overworked and underpaid workforce
The quality of work being lesser than expected
Culture misfit

When fighting attrition, it’s important to understand these factors and use them as ‘levers’ of discussion when dealing with a disgruntled employee. Allow me to demonstrate.

1. Compensation vs. Work

Industry standard is a very oft-used term when candidate hunting. Everyone professes to offer compensation that is at par with the “industry” norms. The thing we need to understand is that monetary benefits are just one aspect of what developers look for when joining a new job.As our recent Developer Survey points out, both student developers (63%) and experienced developers (69%) look for a challenging atmosphere where they can grow their skills. Monetary compensation ranks fourth on the list of must-haves for students, and second overall for experienced developers.Along with financial benefits, it is necessary to foster an environment of unbiased and objective learning. Learning to code, as I have talked about before, has become more accessible than ever and the YouTubes and GitHubs of the world offer developers an open platform to learn on their own. There is no reason why companies should not be offering upskilling initiatives as part of their compensation package, and encourage employees to become better. This is not monetary “compensation” per se, but a very attractive benefit nonetheless.

Read more insights from over 25,000 developers in our annual developer survey here!

2. Quality of work

Someone recently asked me if QA is as boring as it sounds. I find it to be one of the most important parts of product building. It can, however, get exhausting. This is where as a CTO you need to ensure that your team is not burning out by avoiding repeat work through automation. Monotony doesn't make for painlessness after all. You can hire a CTO as a service for startups if you don't have a technical founder.Upskilling your team and keeping the spotlight on skills is all good, but your team also needs to have the scope to use those skills in real-time. Look for signs of dipped productivity that are a result of poor quality of work. These signs could pop up in various ways:

Procedural signs: If the input (workload) has remained the same but your team’s efficiency is still dipping, then it could be because your team has lost interest in the work itself. Increased mistakes in code, decreased quality of product - all of these are signs of exhaustion brought about by low quality of work.

Behavioral and emotional signs: When someone is invested in their work, they will take ownership of it and make sure targets are met. If any of your teammates are shirking responsibility, passing the buck, and generally refusing to take ownership or accountability then you have to ask them if it’s because they do not like the work they do anymore. Don’t let it get to the point where the monotony kills their spirit to work.

3. Culture fit

CTOs world over need to understand and acknowledge that ‘culture’ as we knew it is now dead. A year and more of remote work has shown us all that company culture is now moving towards personalization and specialization. As this article states, organizations thinking about hiring for cultural fit should accept that employees no longer need to fit into a monolithic organizational culture. “In fact, their diversity rather than their similarities could actually make the organization more culturally dynamic”, says the piece.

In my personal capacity as a CTO, I have always tried to hire employees who are smarter than me.

How does one figure that out? Look for skills that perhaps you are not very proficient at, and hire developers who have their ear on the ground for new tech. This creates a culture within the team where everyone is eager to learn, and the CTO is not a mythical figure spearheading innovation, change, and all things good. I want my team to know that they can drive change at their own level, and feel that this also helps take care of the feeling of monotony or decreased work quality.

Some other ‘tips’ from my experience...

Apart from ensuring that your team has no qualms on compensation, work quality, or office culture, there are some other things you can do as a CTO to ensure attrition remains low.

Don’t be reactionary: Attrition is not a sudden occurrence. It is the culmination of several factors, and being proactive about understanding your team’s needs will help you keep this number low. As a CTO, you can either choose to react when an employee brings their resignation letter to your table, or you can actively look for signs of unhappiness and work to solve them. A sentiment analysis, or regular check-ins with your teammates should help you understand the pulse of your team.

Act fast and be decisive: You must have heard the adage that employees don’t leave companies, they quit managers. It’s never more true than in this context. Imagine a scenario where an employee brings you their grievances, but you fail to act in time. Not only have you failed to retain a good employee, you have also failed to show your team that you care about their issues and are willing to take a stand when needed. Fast and decisive action will instill trust and loyalty among your team.

Think about the message you’re sending across: People management can be tricky. Before you take an action, think about how it affects your team. Does it show favoritism in any way? Or, does it invalidate their legitimate demands?

Even when you work with HR teams to design management processes, remember that your every action builds up your personal brand as a CTO. You don’t necessarily need to be the one with all the answers all the time, but you definitely need to be the one who tries the hardest.