It’s inevitable that in the world of software development that you are not going to face problems. Whether it be a software bug, a new technology you are not familiar with or resolving conflict within your development team, you will be put in positions to resolve issues.

How you handle problems has a great impact on where you want to work and how high you want to climb in the corporate world. Problem-solving is a key skill that employers look for in prospective employees, so the more examples you have of problem-solving, the better you will be as an employee.

When approaching a new problem, DON’T take it personal, even if you were the one who created the problem. Stay calm and try to find out what the issue is. Once you know what exactly the problem is, find out what caused it. Finding a solution is almost easier once you know the cause.

It’s very important that you understand that you don’t have to fix the problem alone. Even if you are the cause of it. Working with your team members can help you solve the problem faster than you doing it alone.

At times you will run to problems that are out of your league to solve. When this happens there is no harm in admitting that you don’t know everything. Please don’t feel like you are some angel sent from Heaven to answer all people’s prayers. When you feel that you can’t solve a problem you will need to find someone else. Don’t pretend that you are solving the problem because you will end up wasting your time and the time of those you are trying to help. Part of problem-solving is knowing when to pass it on and where to pass it to.