Why are Indian Software Developers so bad?

Why are Indian Software Developers so bad?

India is often the first choice for software developers, and many companies across the world do not think twice before hiring developers from India. Very often they are able to get the best in the field, but it is not always so easy. Finding the cream of talent from among the thousands of available developers is a huge process, however often companies find that after hiring, the developers don’t deliver as expected.

What could be the reason for that? What went wrong? Why do some people feel that Indian developers are really bad? Are they bad? We don’t think so.

It could be because some things don’t add up, or maybe something went wrong. In fact, a number of things could go wrong, and it often isn’t one problem, but a series of problems that could lead to the failure of the project, causing the overseas companies to regret their decision. 

India is a land of diversity in every way possible, not only in their culture, history and religious beliefs, but also in the way they produce work. There are highly skilled talented, top-notch developers, and there are developers who lack knowledge and are highly incompetent. 

What’s wrong with Indian developers?

Here are some reasons why you might feel that Indian developers are not up to the mark.

1. Often the developers often see their job as a task

It is important to love what you do. The job will be successful only when the mind is set on it. The glory of becoming a software engineer is certainly very high, and with it carries the tag of earning high. The general belief is that people working in the IT field earn very high salaries, and they get drawn to the prospect of making good money in the shortest time possible. So often they choose the career of a software engineer/developer even if they don’t have the talent for it. They are only attracted by the prospect of earning high, quickly. They are developers by chance, not by choice. Being a software developer is a job that requires a lot of patience, analytic and logical reasoning skills because you need all that to write good code. 

2. The education is not often up to the par

There are excellent colleges in India, that’s for sure. But often, people cannot afford to get to those colleges, nor do they have the calibre. They often study in sub-par colleges where they have no technical knowledge of the courses they are doing. Technical information gets updated at a rapid pace, and even if they obtain some amount of technical expertise, that would be obsolete by the time they graduate. They wouldn’t be able to apply this knowledge on a project. 

Often the students have to learn a lot of things during their graduation years, and often what they don’t need in their career. The education system is such that the students have to read hundreds of books, but gain very little practical knowledge. And the examination system is such that the students have to memorise plenty, testing their retention powers probably, but not their actual capacity or knowledge. 

3. Unaware of their technological incompetence 

Many developers fail to update their knowledge once they leave the college/university. That’s because they are blissfully unaware of their ignorance, and are not ready to come out of their comfort zones. They believe that they have all the knowledge they need, partly because of their arrogant attitude and partly because they are not motivated enough to be updated on trendy industry standards. However, not all developers are like that. A good number of developers constantly update themselves and remain at the forefront of what is happening in the developer community. 

4. The 9-to-6 shift is often a talent killer

Most IT companies follow the usual 9-to-6 shift schedule, and this could really be a killjoy. Passionate IT professionals wish to work at their pace and convenience, and this wouldn’t often be possible. They have to complete a set of assigned tasks within the designated time whether they like it or not, and often this leads to sub-par work. The professionals are in a rut, and the loop goes on everyday. 

5. Treating developers like a bag of potatoes

Many companies treat their engineers like labourers. This could be because in the initial days of IT growth, the executives were mainly professionals who worked in other industries, namely, manufacturing. They didn’t know how to deal with creative, skilled people who might have the skills to work on a good project, but not nurtured yet. This saga continued because only a person who is sharpened wisely will be able to lead correctly. Adding too many people on a project, and spending too many hours slogging over it will not drive results. You need good people who are ready to come out of their cocoon and break out of their flawed thinking. 

So, is hiring from India a bad idea?

Hiring from India has a number of advantages, but you have to look at the bad and the good to make a good choice. But many people who have hired Indian developers complain that the developers are often clueless, and they don’t how to answer even the basic programming questions. They google what they don’t know during the interview. Sometimes, it is this lack of curiosity that literally ticks off the employers. 

The sad part is that there are so many developers from India who are very good at their job, and would do everything to get their projects perfect. The trick is to get those developers. Do your homework before hiring developers for your project because often, failures happen when you don’t really know the person you hired, and your higher expectations from them leads to disappointments. 

It is important not just to hire developers that can compete with their overseas counterparts, but it is also important that their codes do not become ubiquitous over time.  

Final Thoughts

Developers must be active in the ecosystem. This would keep them updated and they would be aware of the latest industry standards. There are developers willing to learn, and contribute. They love to collaborate with the developer brains of the world and really understand how the codes work. Searching in the right places would give you a good mix of talent and skill. 

So, the crucial step would be to find a reputable software development agency. Make sure the agency comes with good recommendations and that they have completed some really excellent milestones. The most important thing of all is communication. Have honest communications throughout the hiring process so you get what you want. True, language barrier is indeed a barrier, but it is possible to cross that when the communication lines are constantly open. 

Interesting Links:

Why software engineers are in high demand?

What Is The Impact Of The Shortage Of Software Engineers On Businesses?

Pictures: Canva

The author: Sascha Thattil works at Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.