---
esco_uri: http://data.europa.eu/esco/skill/6014921e-1d25-4039-adc2-04852d61880e
esco_label: "ICT debugging tools"
relation: essential
onet_soc: 15-1252.00
source: model-knowledge
confidence: high
qa_count: 0
generator: gemma3:27b (prompt-designed and spot-checked by Claude)
generated: 2026-07-10
---

# ICT debugging tools — Software Engineer

As a Software Engineer, 'ICT debugging tools' isn’t about *knowing* GDB or Visual Studio Debugger exists – it’s about rapidly identifying and resolving issues in code you write or maintain. Daily tasks involve stepping through code execution (often remotely on servers), inspecting variable values at different points, setting breakpoints to pause execution under specific conditions, and analyzing call stacks to understand the flow of logic leading to a bug. You'll be using these tools constantly during development *and* when investigating production incidents – often under pressure.

Typical toolsets vary by tech stack: VS Code/IntelliJ debuggers for JavaScript/Java/Python; GDB/LLDB for C/C++; browser developer tools for front-end work. Beyond basic stepping, proficiency means leveraging memory debugging (Valgrind is key here), profiling to find performance bottlenecks, and understanding how to interpret crash dumps (WinDbg or similar).  A common pitfall is getting lost in the code without a clear hypothesis – good engineers formulate *what* they expect to happen before diving into the debugger.

What 'good' looks like isn’t just fixing bugs; it’s doing so efficiently and preventing regressions. This means writing reproducible test cases that expose the bug, understanding the root cause (not just patching symptoms), and using debugging tools to confirm your fix *and* verify no unintended side effects were introduced.  It also includes knowing when a debugger isn't enough – sometimes logging or code instrumentation is faster for certain problems.

Finally, remember debugging isn’t solely about finding errors in *your* code. You’ll frequently debug third-party libraries, integrations with external services, and issues arising from complex system interactions.  Being able to quickly adapt to new debugging environments and tools is crucial – the landscape changes rapidly.

## Weitere Anreicherung

Stage-2 source for future practitioner grounding: arXiv cs.SE (software-engineering preprints).
