It is a well-known fact that India has the greatest number of software developers and programmers after China. Statistics reveal that there are approximately 5 million software engineers in India.
Due to rapid digital and technological advancement, India is continually striving to deem itself a powerhouse of innovation. Indian programmers have thus directly impacted the development of the country.
However, global companies may fall prey to some misconceptions and stereotypes regarding Indian programmers. Software programming is indeed highly competitive and demanding, but Indian programmers have rightly carved a place for themselves with their skill, expertise, and hard work.
In this article, we will debunk all the myths regarding Indian programmers to help you make informed decisions. You will not have to think twice before hiring Indian programmers from India.
Let’s get started!
Inadequate College Education
This is one of the biggest misconceptions that India does not provide enough academic training and support to software programmers and other IT professionals.
The truth of the matter is that hiring developers from India boasts a wide range of academically rigorous educational institutions that follow a comprehensive syllabus focusing on the holistic development of the students.
A strong combination of reputed educational institutions, training academies, and government initiatives allows programmers to develop a deep theoretical framework and practical implementation of it.
Additionally, there are numerous online learning programs that are aiding programmers’ development in learning new skills and industry trends. The completion certificates provided by these platforms hold global significance and go a long way in preparing IT professionals for the constantly changing demands of the competitive IT industry.
Lack of Global Achievements
The prominent figures of globally known tech companies are of Indian origin, like Sundar Pichai (Google’s CEO), Satya Nadella (Microsoft’s CEO), Arvind Krishna (IBM’s CEO), etc. Their leadership roles in these top companies bring attention to the fact that India has made groundbreaking contributions to the industry of research and innovation.
Indian programmers are also actively contributing to open-source projects which are being developed globally. Their contributions span a variety of projects, showing their commitment to the worldwide IT community. These projects include Linux, Apache, and Python, among others. This has been possible due to Indian programmers’ continual attempts to achieve academic excellence, professional skills, and thought leadership.
Inactive Tech Communities and Support
The major metro cities in the country, namely Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Gurugram, have become IT hotspots. Multinational corporations and numerous well-performing start-ups have given rise to a highly enthusiastic and influential tech ecosystem.
Developers, programmers, designers, and many more become part of open-source communities to learn from new concepts and create new opportunities for themselves and their peers.
Well-known women’s communities like Women Who Code and Women in Tech also have active community groups flourishing in India. These communities regularly organize conferences, webinars, hackathons, and other competitive events to promote tech innovation and advancement.
Thus, as a recruiter, your chances of coming across a programmer in India who is already a part of these collaborative communities are very high.
Unable to Maintain a Work-Life Balance
Gone are the days when Indian IT programmers constantly found themselves buried deep in work. The amount of work programmers are expected to complete is very high. However, programmers are better equipped to strategically finish the tasks and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Moreover, programmers have now started fully optimizing employee well-being initiatives organized by employers without any hesitance.
Enthusiastic adoption of these measures taken by companies has greatly contributed to ensuring a healthy work-life balance. Some of these initiatives are employee assistance programs (EAP), mandatory vacations, wellness programs, improved project management practices, employee feedback, work policy standardization, etc.
Additionally, after the global pandemic of COVID-19, programmers made more conscious choices and decisions to foster a perfect work-life balance. As a result, companies reacted by introducing numerous remote work policies and guidelines for all employees continuing to work from home.
The added benefits of remote work, like reduced commute time and enhanced flexibility, have also contributed significantly to its enthusiastic adoption and positive results.
Lack of Communication Skills and English Proficiency
Although English may not be the first language of some Indian programmers, that does not imply that they cannot communicate effectively with colleagues and international clients. English is one of the official languages of the country and is used by numerous educational institutes as their medium of instruction. This has inculcated programmers’ robust communication skills and English proficiency.
Additionally, IT companies also focus on enhancing the soft skills of programmers along with their technical skills. The regularly conducted training programs and workshops teach programmers skills like team management, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and more. All these skills allow programmers to excel in their projects as well as deliver high-quality results.
Similar Backgrounds and Skills
The academically robust educational institutes and training facilities of the country offer a wide range of degrees to Indian programmers. This diversity in educational curriculum ensures each programmer fosters a different perspective and problem-solving abilities.
Additionally, the wide geographic diversity of the country also offers programmers an opportunity to experience different work environments and situations within the country itself.
The wide multi-lingual abilities of the programmers also prove to be highly advantageous for them. The start-up ecosystem in the county has also inculcated in each programmer an entrepreneurial spirit and dynamic working style.
The professional expertise of Indian programmers is also influenced by the rapidly advancing technology and its various tools like IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. This contributes to adopting a holistic approach to tech solutions and innovative projects. Lastly, this exposure has enhanced their adaptability and cross-cultural communication skills.
Wrapping Up
If you want to hire Indian programmers, do not let these negative perspectives and stereotypes cloud your judgment. Statistics righty reveal that 74% of Indian programmers are well-versed in cloud computing, 56% in web development, and 48% in software development.
It is safe to believe that the myth that ‘Indian programmers are bad’ is nothing but a talk of the past now. India is now one of the biggest venues for outsourcing programmers.
