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The technology market has never changed so fast. According to the “Future of Work 2025” report by the World Economic Forum, 39% of existing skills will need to be transformed or replaced in the next five years. In other words: professionals who limit themselves only to technical knowledge run the risk of falling behind before they even realize it.
However, there is a set of skills that transcends programming languages and tools. We’re talking about how you work, how you solve problems, and how you connect with other people. In this blog, we list the most important skills for a professional who wants to stand out in the field. Let’s go?
1. Adaptability and continuous learning
Another study by the World Economic Forum points out that 65% of workers consider reskilling essential to remain competitive in the market. This doesn’t mean starting from scratch, but being open to new paradigms, new tools, new ways of thinking.
A developer in constant learning can migrate from Angular to React without drama. They understand that microservices can make sense in some contexts, while monoliths are still valid in others. They learn Kubernetes when the project requires it, without internal resistance.
To develop this skill, put yourself in uncomfortable situations. Participate in hackathons. Contribute to open source projects in technologies you don’t master. Take that course on that language you always thought was weird. Talk to developers from other stacks. The comfort zone is the enemy of growth.
Here at NextAge, our squads are constantly exposed to new technological challenges, fostering this environment of continuous learning.
2. Clear and objective communication
A study by the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná revealed that almost 60% of the most requested competencies in technology job postings are related to soft skills, and communication leads this list.
You can be the best software architect in the world, know algorithms that no one else knows, optimize code like no one else. If you can’t explain your technical decisions to the product team, to the project manager, to the client, your work loses half its value.
Communication in IT is about clarity and being able to translate technical complexity into language that other areas understand. It’s knowing how to document architecture decisions so that another developer can follow your reasoning six months later.
Write well. Learn to structure an email that gets straight to the point. Practice explaining technical concepts to non-technical people. Record short videos explaining features. Give presentations.
3. Analytical thinking and problem-solving
Analytical thinking encourages professionals to go beyond the simple symptom. Analytical developers ask the right questions before writing code. They don’t start programming without understanding the complete context. They evaluate trade-offs: performance versus maintainability, cost versus scalability, delivery speed versus technical quality.
This analytical mindset is especially important when we work with methodologies like NextAge’s Deep Discovery. Before starting any development, we map the problem thoroughly. We understand user journeys, design architecture, validate assumptions. This avoids rework, saves money, and ensures we’re solving the right problem.
4. Collaboration and teamwork
Software development is collective work. A study that analyzed 19,027 job postings found that 42% of vacancies that mentioned soft skills highlighted collaboration as a requirement. Agile teams, multidisciplinary squads, pair programming, mob programming, all of this requires that you know how to work with other people.
Collaborative professionals make everyone’s life easier. They participate in retrospectives and give feedback. They also receive criticism without getting defensive. They celebrate team achievements, not just individual ones.
At NextAge, our agile squads are formed with cultural fit in mind, not just technical fit. We validate whether the professional knows how to collaborate, works well in a team, and respects different opinions.
5. Business vision and results orientation
Professionals with business vision understand that not every feature needs to be perfect. Sometimes, solving 80% of the problem in one week is worth more than solving 100% in three months. They know how to prioritize. They question requirements that don’t make sense. They suggest simpler and cheaper alternatives when they notice overengineering.
When we develop projects with Referential Scope at NextAge, we leave room for adjustments during development. Why? Because we know the market changes, priorities change, and being stuck to a rigid scope can mean building something no one needs anymore. Professionals with business vision understand this flexibility and leverage it to deliver what really matters.
6. Automation, efficiency, and AI in development
Efficient professionals automate everything that’s repetitive. CI/CD pipelines, automated tests, scripts for routine tasks, infrastructure as code. In this scenario, AI can further enhance this landscape.
Professionals who have already learned to use these tools as copilots are producing more, with fewer bugs, in less time. They generate boilerplate code in seconds. Create unit tests automatically. Document APIs effortlessly. Debug complex problems with intelligent assistance.
Here at NextAge, we developed Nextflow AI exactly for this. Our methodology integrates AI directly into the development lifecycle, allowing teams to increase coding and documentation speed by up to 10 times.
The complete professional
The IT market no longer wants one-dimensional specialists, but those who combine technical areas with behavioral and business skills.
The 2025 Talent Shortage Survey by ManpowerGroup showed that 74% of companies globally face difficulties finding qualified professionals, with IT & Data being the area with the greatest shortage in Brazil (39%). This means opportunity. Professionals who develop these six skills have a guaranteed market.
At NextAge, we deeply understand the value of these competencies because we live this every day. Our agile squads are not formed only by technically brilliant developers. They are formed by complete professionals, validated both in technical stack and cultural fit.
If you’re an IT manager looking to build teams that truly deliver, look for professionals who have these six skills. If you’re a developer wanting to accelerate your career, invest in them with the same dedication you invest in learning new technologies.
