Code Quality Standards: What Dubai Tech Companies Expect

Why Code Quality Matters

In Dubai's competitive tech market, code quality separates good engineers from great ones. Companies assess code quality to predict how engineers will perform in production. Poor code quality leads to technical debt, bugs, and maintenance nightmares.

What Companies Assess

1. Readability

Can other engineers understand your code?

• Clear naming: Variables, functions, classes have descriptive names
• Consistent style: Follows team conventions
• Appropriate comments: Explains why, not what
• Logical structure: Code flows naturally

2. Maintainability

Can the code be easily modified?

• DRY principle: Don't Repeat Yourself
• Modular design: Functions and classes have single responsibilities
• Low coupling: Components are independent
• High cohesion: Related code is grouped together

3. Correctness

Does the code work correctly?

• Handles edge cases: Null checks, empty inputs, boundary conditions
• Error handling: Graceful failure, clear error messages
• Input validation: Validates user input
• Business logic: Implements requirements correctly

4. Performance

Is the code efficient?

• Time complexity: Algorithms are efficient
• Space complexity: Memory usage is reasonable
• Database queries: Optimized, not N+1 problems
• API calls: Minimized, batched when possible

5. Testing

Is the code tested?

• Unit tests: Tests individual functions
• Integration tests: Tests component interactions
• Test coverage: Reasonable coverage (70-80%+)
• Test quality: Tests are clear and maintainable

Code Review Criteria

When companies review code, they look for:

Positive Signals

• Clean, readable code
• Well-structured and organized
• Handles edge cases
• Includes tests
• Follows best practices

Red Flags

• Copy-pasted code
• Magic numbers (use constants)
• Long functions (100+ lines)
• Deep nesting (3+ levels)
• No error handling
• No tests

Language-Specific Standards

JavaScript/TypeScript

• TypeScript for type safety
• ESLint for linting
• Prettier for formatting
• Async/await over callbacks
• Const/let over var

Python

• PEP 8 style guide
• Type hints for clarity
• Docstrings for functions
• List comprehensions when appropriate

Java

• Follow Java conventions
• Use meaningful class and method names
• Proper exception handling
• Avoid null where possible

Best Practices

1. Write Self-Documenting Code

Code should explain itself:

• Use descriptive names
• Keep functions small and focused
• Extract complex logic into functions

2. Follow SOLID Principles

• S: Single Responsibility
• O: Open/Closed
• L: Liskov Substitution
• I: Interface Segregation
• D: Dependency Inversion

3. Write Tests

Tests ensure code works and prevent regressions:

• Write tests before or alongside code
• Test edge cases and error conditions
• Keep tests simple and focused

4. Refactor Regularly

Code quality degrades over time:

• Refactor as you work
• Don't accumulate technical debt
• Improve code in small increments

How Companies Evaluate

1. Code Challenges

Take-home or live coding assessments evaluate:

• Can you write clean code?
• Do you handle edge cases?
• Do you write tests?
• Do you follow best practices?

2. Portfolio Review

GitHub profiles and past projects show:

• Real-world code quality
• Commit history and collaboration
• Open source contributions

3. Code Review in Interviews

Reviewing existing code assesses:

• Can you identify issues?
• Can you suggest improvements?
• Do you understand quality standards?

Improving Code Quality

1. Read good code: Study open source projects
2. Get feedback: Code reviews from peers
3. Use linters: ESLint, Pylint, etc.
4. Practice: Write code regularly
5. Refactor: Improve existing code

Conclusion

Code quality is a critical skill in Dubai's tech market. Companies use code quality to predict performance and assess engineering talent. Focus on readability, maintainability, correctness, performance, and testing. With practice and attention to best practices, you can write code that impresses hiring managers and sets you apart.