8 ms·

Ask HN: Lessons you wish you knew when you were Junior developer?

44 points by gls2ro 10y ago

I was wondering do you have some recommendation that would help along the learning path of Junior to become very good at what one does?

mobiuscog 10y ago
Don't use a framework or library until you have written a simple variation of it yourself (ideally, this could apply to everything, but you need to find the correct balance).
- afarrell 10y ago
  That sounds like you would need to do a whole lot of work before you could start writing code that is useful to the business that hires you. If your first job out of uni is working at a company that has built a site in ruby on rails, you shouldn't refuse to handle tickets until you've reproduced rails. Also, if you want to learn backend web development, it is far easier to first work through the djangogirls tutorial and learn how django works and then build a stripped-down version of it. I would replace it with "Don't add a new framework or library unless you can get a clear mental model of it"
  - mobiuscog 10y ago
    I wasn't referring to 'business' practices though - this is about becoming a good programmer. What the business needs, will never be the best way to become good. By all means shove stuff out the door quickly at work, as you'll then be fully startup-ready. Just spend your own time learning from first principles and actually understanding how things work. "No one knows what he can do till he tries"
    - afarrell 10y ago
      I'm not saying "shove stuff out the door quickly". I'm saying that frameworks are tools that can help you: 1) Accomplish things. 2) Gain one overarching-if-shallow view of a problem domain works However, they can also be a pile of complexity that prevents you from understanding problems or moving forward. The question to ask is: Can you form a solid mental model from the documentation? If you can, then the framework is useful and can be a decent curated entry-point into understanding something. You'll still want to take that shallow understanding and dive deeper.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
      What exactly is the point of becoming a "good programmer" if you can't meet business needs?
mattgibson 10y ago
Unit and integration testing not only make code less buggy, but lead to a calm state of mind. Bugs show themselves quickly, along with which method is failing, so the fixes are fast and effortless when you break stuff. Massive refactoring doesn't scare you, and you sleep soundly with no fear of hidden breakages after each new release.
goo 10y ago
Here is some insight that has helped me, some my own advice, some paraphrased from other sources, and I credit the source when I have it in my notes: - There is no "silver bullet" for managing the complexity of user needs. Instead, (good) software is characterized by not a static state of "solving the problem", but a continuous refinement-- an existential struggle against incidental complexity. - Have a very positive mindset, and inspire the same in your team. - highly reliable websites for small companies: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/04/20/building-highly-reliable-websites-for-small-companies/ http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/04/20/building-highly-reliable... - Learn your debugging tools well: Get good at Chrome Debugging tools, pdb, visual studios debugger, or whatever the debugging environment is for your project. - “… never consider your education complete or your opinion above questioning regardless of your title, your years of experience, your awards and accomplishments, or anything else that isn’t rational argumentation or evidence. Retaining a healthy degree of humility, constantly striving for improvement, and valuing objective metrics above subjective considerations will go a long way ..." (http://www.daedtech.com/how-software-groups-rot-legacy-of-the-expert-beginner http://www.daedtech.com/how-software-groups-rot-legacy-of-th...) - This is a marathon, not a sprint. - Practical engineering advice: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-kept-secrets-of-great-programmers/answer/Jens-Rantil?srid=V3G&share=1 https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-kept-secrets-of-grea... - Read books. I can especially recommend Refactoring by Martin Fowler and The Pragmatic Programmer as a more introductory text (affiliate links: http://amzn.to/2ekPnTL http://amzn.to/2ekPnTL and http://amzn.to/2ekJQMK http://amzn.to/2ekJQMK). Understanding why and how to do scrum effectively is really important too -- I waited too long to read a book that laid that out for me (http://amzn.to/2ekPxul http://amzn.to/2ekPxul) - Good programming advice from Kent Beck: https://www.facebook.com/notes/kent-beck/mastering-programming/1184427814923414/ https://www.facebook.com/notes/kent-beck/mastering-programmi... - Eventually, you will have to choose between engineering management and continuing to be close to technology. Trying to do both is a recipe for burnout. Some people might be able to do both simultaneously without trouble, but you're probably not one of them. - Always be looking for ways to remove yourself as a bottleneck. This needs to be done both on a technical level and on an organizational level. - Push back as necessary against demands of your time and energy that are not in harmony with your needs as a technologist. - Good programming comes from good habits. (in that vein: copy-and-paste is the devil.) - Seriously, read books. It's incredible how much good advice is out there.
tahpot 10y ago
You need excellent communication skills to become an excellent coder. You need to clearly describe bugs for other developers, write documentation, explain why a particular technology / framework / pattern is the best choice, understand what a client / product manager is wanting... the list goes on. Eventually, you will hopefully be training and supporting other developers. How much of your time will be spent coding and how much will be spent communicating with others about your code?
afarrell 10y ago
If you don't have the resources you need to complete a project, don't be afraid to speak up. If the documentation for a project is in another language, it is far cheaper for the company to pay for professional translation than for the project to putter along and fail as you struggle with google translate. Similarly, if the end-goal of a project is not clear, don't be afraid to stop things and ask. Judge new tools by the quality of documentation and how possible it is for you to get a clear mental model. In interviews, always as what their onboarding process is. If someone asks for a time estimate and you don't know the answer, don't let them pressure you into lying. Hold your ground and say you don't know.
- hga 10y ago
  Your first two and last points should included an implicit "Don't be afraid of being shown the door", or "Don't be surprised if your complaints are essentially ignored" and you might as well leave. I.e make it a highest priority to build enough of a finical cushion that doing these things are even an option.
itamarst 10y ago
Here are some mistakes I've made as a junior engineer: - Not checking code well enough when working in a new and unfamiliar language (I broke production) - Not negotiating my salary (almost took a massively underpaid job) - using an obscure technology when I should have used something mainstream The list goes on... I'm writing each of my mistakes up as a weekly email, so if you want to avoid all the mistakes I've made in 20 years of software engineering check out https://softwareclown.com https://softwareclown.com
awareBrah 10y ago
Few things off the top of my heads - horrible at negotiating and playing it safe - biggest mistake was probably being afraid to read source code of third party libraries when the docs led me to a dead end. Always read the source - stop trying to make everything DRY, duplication is better than obfuscation
- asidiali 10y ago
  Second point is huge. Not sure what it was about my junior dev self and the horrors that lied beyond that `src` folder. As soon as I got over that and started inspecting the source of different projects I was using, I definitely became more confident in my own development skills by comparison, and I became instantly more valuable with the libs I was using because I had more control/understanding of what was actually happening behind the scenes.
- twoquestions 10y ago
  I still have problems with the second one, as I assume I'm unworthy of reading the code of programmers Much Better Than Me, for fear I'd try something tricky and mess everything up. I'm also mostly a .Net guy right now in a very .Net area, and they generally frown on that sort of thing until very recently. Not an excuse I know, but just for background.
- kzisme 10y ago
  How often do other programmers make use of third party libraries? I use them fairly often to parse things or make things more seamless, but is that the general way people go about solving problems? Is that wrong? Implementing a OSS library yourself seems overkill, but at what point is it worth writing something yourself?
  - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
    Third party libraries should be the nails and screws of the software world: you should be able to trust that they are fit for the job and not waste the time building them yourself. The main reason to write it yourself is if the libraries you find are crap, or you can't find any at all.
lojack 10y ago
In regard to various software engineering literature and quotes (hofstadter's law, mythical man month, etc) while there's some truth in what they say, what you'll take away is absolute lies. - Just because you can't reliably estimate a project doesn't give you an excuse to refuse to give an estimate. We get it, your estimate will be off. Whats important is that you communicate deadline changes early and often. - Contrary to everything you hear, software projects can be finished on time. Most of the time we procrastinate at the start of a project and crunch at the end. Stop procrastinating at the start and more projects will be completed on time. Which brings me to... - If you fail to complete a project on time and failed to communicate this impending delay early, this is 100% your fault. This isn't the fault of some stupid law, or book you read. You slacked off and as a result couldn't reliably see how much work was involved in the project and by the time you realized it was probably too late. This is on you.
- TeeWEE 10y ago
  I totally oppose this. Sometimes there are to many unkowns to give an estimation. Its better to NOT estimate because it doesnt hold any values. 'finished on time'.... This is the waterfall approach. Its broken in its core. So i also disagree with that.
  - yitchelle 10y ago
    Sometimes, the time estimate that is put down on paper does not really matter at all. The estimate will force the engineer to think through their planning rather than just doing things adhoc.
  - lojack 10y ago
    > Its better to NOT estimate because it doesnt hold any values. This is the core of where I disagree. Giving estimates provide tremendous value to those who depend on your work. It allows them to plan and forecast future needs. You're rarely ever working in some kind of bubble where your work is this mysterious thing that can be done tomorrow or in 4 years. I've never encountered a situation where there's so many unknowns that you can't come up with some number. Requirements change, timelines change, that's all fine. Businesses should be able to adapt to change. Being in the complete dark is much worse. > 'finished on time'.... This is the waterfall approach. I'm not sure what you mean by that? Things can't be late just because you're "agile"?
forgottenpass 10y ago
Don't fall for the memes. The overlap between what people talk about online, and what people are succeeding with in industry are way way smaller than you think. Some people can't be bothered to blog. Some people aren't allowed to blog. Some people are paid to write blog posts they know are bullshit bad advice.
- namenotrequired 10y ago
  Do you have any examples?
shubhamjain 10y ago
I wish I knew that 'superficial' expertise at a particular technology isn't a pre-requisite for most tech jobs. Two years back, I was invariably anxious about not knowing Angular / Rails / Django and how it disqualified me from getting my foot in the door in many companies. I later realised, how daft it would be for any company to have a stringent demand for knowledge in framework / library without putting the general "getting-things-done" talent into the equation. The sheer velocity of the changing landscape makes it a horrible way to judge an engineer. Additionally, I wish I knew that soft skills in communicating well, giving feedback, and understanding business goals make up for more points than a breadth of tech skills.
- foobarchu 10y ago
  Adding onto this, overly focusing on a technology can really hamper you while getting jobs later. I want to see that you understand the technology that underpins what you will be doing everyday, not the specific libraries that we'll probably abandon in 2 years anyway. Knowing Angular is a lot less important to me than being an expert in the actual javascript language underneath it. Similarly, it's even more impressive to have a thorough understanding of what's under the hood of javascript, knowing WHY it has it's limitations, instead of just what they are. Depth of a single, particular subject will never beat depth of an entire stack (before hitting the point of ridiculousness, of course).
- madamelic 10y ago
  You should look at GitHub. Most of their listings include a "Must have 3 years of experience in Ruby on Rails".
  - kzisme 10y ago
    That's the unfortunate part - it seems like most places you have to take your own personal time to learn a language enough to transition between careers. Unless you're a developer with 10+ years of experience or something, and the company/job you are applying for overlooks your lack of knowledge in a subject area.
mpalfrey 10y ago
Learn how to estimate properly and learn how to say no. Always be willing to listen to others. Sometimes the guy who's wrong 9/10 times might be right on a topic. You can always improve. Whether it's your code, learning new things etc etc etc.
pattrn 10y ago
As a junior developer, I overvalued minimizing development time and maximizing correctness. It turned out that writing code for other people to read and modify was a more difficult skill to improve, was more rewarding when successful, and enabled entire teams to move faster. It also turned out that focusing on improving the experience for my team actually improved my personal development more rapidly than before. If I could send a message to my past self, it would be, "Empathize with coworkers, customers, and family. Everything else will follow."
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
EliRivers 10y ago
Once you've finished learning anything new, and your job is becoming significantly more routine, start looking around for the next job (with a pay rise). Rather than learn new things on your own a few hours a week, you can get paid (more) to learn new things at work for many hours a week. Three significantly different jobs over ten years will make you far more competent than the same job for fifteen or even twenty years. If you get to five years in the same job, take a long hard look at yourself and check that you are actually still learning and still making yourself more valuable and still improving (which I would expect to really only happen if you weren't actually doing the same job as you were in the first of those five years).
kafkaesq 10y ago
You know, the term "junior developer" is rather new, actually. If anything it used to just be "entry-level". In any case, I find it most distasteful. No one should accept it as a part of their job title for any length of time, other than out of pure, survival-driven necessity.
- kasey_junk 10y ago
  Does it change the conversation in any significant way to call it "entry level developer"? Is the complaint about "junior" implying age? I'm trying to understand. [edit] further is the term "senior" developer also problematic?
  - kafkaesq 10y ago
    The term "junior" itself has certain negative connotations. Among the various dictionary entries we have, for example: adj. Low in rank; having a subordinate role, job, or situation. n. One of less experience or inferior standing in his profession than another, who is called his senior; one employed as the subordinate of another, especially at the bar. n. term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male I'm cherry-picking these, of course (out of a body of mostly neutral variants), but the point is, these negative touches do carry across. "Senior" is a bit different, somehow (mostly because it's no intrinsically defined in terms of negative attributes like "inexperienced" or "subordinate").
thefastlane 10y ago
figure out who makes the decision on your raise/bonus, and make sure you nurture a positive relationship with that person. usually your boss; maybe a group of managers, etc.
zer00eyz 10y ago
Learn to read code. Learning to read code is a hell of a lot harder than learning to write it. It takes practice, patience and ultimately a language with a high quality working debugger. Once you learn to read code in one language it isn't hard to learn to read it in another. Love your IDE/editor, and make sure that you have split views (viewing parts of the same file or two files at once). This feature is essential to being able to read code! Figure out the difference between "I wouldn't do it that way" and "this code is bad". It isn't terribly hard to leap from one to the other. Find a mentor! I can't stress this one enough. That guy (or gal though they are rare) pushing fifty who is still an engineer, they are that good, don't want to manage, love their craft, and have seen some shit. They will talk your ear off (probably) for coffee. Lastly writing code is part of the job, once you have master that learn everything you can about your business. Spend time with accountants, CS people, Systems Admins, the IT guys... they are all going to teach you things that will make you better at your job.
andrei_says_ 10y ago
Figuring things out is a process. Don't expect to write production-ready code at first run. Every step of the journey informs the outcome and sometimes the destination. Code and logic change -- so learn to program in ways hat adapt to change. --- Try new things and concepts in tiny single purpose projects. --- Ask for help, programmers like to explain things. --- Ask why from your business users. Multiple times, until you get the context. Once you have the context, you can create freely and come up with better ways to do things. If you don't position yourself in this way, you may end up with people trying to control you like they would a tool or a sock puppet. Having people's hands up your bum is no fun. --- Fight for uninterrupted focused time. This is your spice and the spice must flow.
navyad 10y ago
-- read more code. -- write code then reflect on it. -- connect to like minded peoples. -- communicate clearly and effectively to make sure your message is conveyed the way you wanted.

44 points by gls2ro 10y ago

I was wondering do you have some recommendation that would help along the learning path of Junior to become very good at what one does?

mobiuscog 10y ago

Don't use a framework or library until you have written a simple variation of it yourself (ideally, this could apply to everything, but you need to find the correct balance).

afarrell 10y ago
That sounds like you would need to do a whole lot of work before you could start writing code that is useful to the business that hires you. If your first job out of uni is working at a company that has built a site in ruby on rails, you shouldn't refuse to handle tickets until you've reproduced rails. Also, if you want to learn backend web development, it is far easier to first work through the djangogirls tutorial and learn how django works and then build a stripped-down version of it. I would replace it with "Don't add a new framework or library unless you can get a clear mental model of it"
- mobiuscog 10y ago
  I wasn't referring to 'business' practices though - this is about becoming a good programmer. What the business needs, will never be the best way to become good. By all means shove stuff out the door quickly at work, as you'll then be fully startup-ready. Just spend your own time learning from first principles and actually understanding how things work. "No one knows what he can do till he tries"
  - afarrell 10y ago
    I'm not saying "shove stuff out the door quickly". I'm saying that frameworks are tools that can help you: 1) Accomplish things. 2) Gain one overarching-if-shallow view of a problem domain works However, they can also be a pile of complexity that prevents you from understanding problems or moving forward. The question to ask is: Can you form a solid mental model from the documentation? If you can, then the framework is useful and can be a decent curated entry-point into understanding something. You'll still want to take that shallow understanding and dive deeper.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
    What exactly is the point of becoming a "good programmer" if you can't meet business needs?

mattgibson 10y ago

Unit and integration testing not only make code less buggy, but lead to a calm state of mind. Bugs show themselves quickly, along with which method is failing, so the fixes are fast and effortless when you break stuff. Massive refactoring doesn't scare you, and you sleep soundly with no fear of hidden breakages after each new release.

goo 10y ago

Here is some insight that has helped me, some my own advice, some paraphrased from other sources, and I credit the source when I have it in my notes: - There is no "silver bullet" for managing the complexity of user needs. Instead, (good) software is characterized by not a static state of "solving the problem", but a continuous refinement-- an existential struggle against incidental complexity. - Have a very positive mindset, and inspire the same in your team. - highly reliable websites for small companies: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/04/20/building-highly-reliable-websites-for-small-companies/ http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/04/20/building-highly-reliable... - Learn your debugging tools well: Get good at Chrome Debugging tools, pdb, visual studios debugger, or whatever the debugging environment is for your project. - “… never consider your education complete or your opinion above questioning regardless of your title, your years of experience, your awards and accomplishments, or anything else that isn’t rational argumentation or evidence. Retaining a healthy degree of humility, constantly striving for improvement, and valuing objective metrics above subjective considerations will go a long way ..." (http://www.daedtech.com/how-software-groups-rot-legacy-of-the-expert-beginner http://www.daedtech.com/how-software-groups-rot-legacy-of-th...) - This is a marathon, not a sprint. - Practical engineering advice: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-kept-secrets-of-great-programmers/answer/Jens-Rantil?srid=V3G&share=1 https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-kept-secrets-of-grea... - Read books. I can especially recommend Refactoring by Martin Fowler and The Pragmatic Programmer as a more introductory text (affiliate links: http://amzn.to/2ekPnTL http://amzn.to/2ekPnTL and http://amzn.to/2ekJQMK http://amzn.to/2ekJQMK). Understanding why and how to do scrum effectively is really important too -- I waited too long to read a book that laid that out for me (http://amzn.to/2ekPxul http://amzn.to/2ekPxul) - Good programming advice from Kent Beck: https://www.facebook.com/notes/kent-beck/mastering-programming/1184427814923414/ https://www.facebook.com/notes/kent-beck/mastering-programmi... - Eventually, you will have to choose between engineering management and continuing to be close to technology. Trying to do both is a recipe for burnout. Some people might be able to do both simultaneously without trouble, but you're probably not one of them. - Always be looking for ways to remove yourself as a bottleneck. This needs to be done both on a technical level and on an organizational level. - Push back as necessary against demands of your time and energy that are not in harmony with your needs as a technologist. - Good programming comes from good habits. (in that vein: copy-and-paste is the devil.) - Seriously, read books. It's incredible how much good advice is out there.

tahpot 10y ago

You need excellent communication skills to become an excellent coder. You need to clearly describe bugs for other developers, write documentation, explain why a particular technology / framework / pattern is the best choice, understand what a client / product manager is wanting... the list goes on. Eventually, you will hopefully be training and supporting other developers. How much of your time will be spent coding and how much will be spent communicating with others about your code?

afarrell 10y ago

If you don't have the resources you need to complete a project, don't be afraid to speak up. If the documentation for a project is in another language, it is far cheaper for the company to pay for professional translation than for the project to putter along and fail as you struggle with google translate. Similarly, if the end-goal of a project is not clear, don't be afraid to stop things and ask. Judge new tools by the quality of documentation and how possible it is for you to get a clear mental model. In interviews, always as what their onboarding process is. If someone asks for a time estimate and you don't know the answer, don't let them pressure you into lying. Hold your ground and say you don't know.

hga 10y ago
Your first two and last points should included an implicit "Don't be afraid of being shown the door", or "Don't be surprised if your complaints are essentially ignored" and you might as well leave. I.e make it a highest priority to build enough of a finical cushion that doing these things are even an option.

itamarst 10y ago

Here are some mistakes I've made as a junior engineer: - Not checking code well enough when working in a new and unfamiliar language (I broke production) - Not negotiating my salary (almost took a massively underpaid job) - using an obscure technology when I should have used something mainstream The list goes on... I'm writing each of my mistakes up as a weekly email, so if you want to avoid all the mistakes I've made in 20 years of software engineering check out https://softwareclown.com https://softwareclown.com

awareBrah 10y ago

Few things off the top of my heads - horrible at negotiating and playing it safe - biggest mistake was probably being afraid to read source code of third party libraries when the docs led me to a dead end. Always read the source - stop trying to make everything DRY, duplication is better than obfuscation

asidiali 10y ago
Second point is huge. Not sure what it was about my junior dev self and the horrors that lied beyond that `src` folder. As soon as I got over that and started inspecting the source of different projects I was using, I definitely became more confident in my own development skills by comparison, and I became instantly more valuable with the libs I was using because I had more control/understanding of what was actually happening behind the scenes.
twoquestions 10y ago
I still have problems with the second one, as I assume I'm unworthy of reading the code of programmers Much Better Than Me, for fear I'd try something tricky and mess everything up. I'm also mostly a .Net guy right now in a very .Net area, and they generally frown on that sort of thing until very recently. Not an excuse I know, but just for background.
kzisme 10y ago
How often do other programmers make use of third party libraries? I use them fairly often to parse things or make things more seamless, but is that the general way people go about solving problems? Is that wrong? Implementing a OSS library yourself seems overkill, but at what point is it worth writing something yourself?
- HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
  Third party libraries should be the nails and screws of the software world: you should be able to trust that they are fit for the job and not waste the time building them yourself. The main reason to write it yourself is if the libraries you find are crap, or you can't find any at all.

lojack 10y ago

In regard to various software engineering literature and quotes (hofstadter's law, mythical man month, etc) while there's some truth in what they say, what you'll take away is absolute lies. - Just because you can't reliably estimate a project doesn't give you an excuse to refuse to give an estimate. We get it, your estimate will be off. Whats important is that you communicate deadline changes early and often. - Contrary to everything you hear, software projects can be finished on time. Most of the time we procrastinate at the start of a project and crunch at the end. Stop procrastinating at the start and more projects will be completed on time. Which brings me to... - If you fail to complete a project on time and failed to communicate this impending delay early, this is 100% your fault. This isn't the fault of some stupid law, or book you read. You slacked off and as a result couldn't reliably see how much work was involved in the project and by the time you realized it was probably too late. This is on you.

TeeWEE 10y ago
I totally oppose this. Sometimes there are to many unkowns to give an estimation. Its better to NOT estimate because it doesnt hold any values. 'finished on time'.... This is the waterfall approach. Its broken in its core. So i also disagree with that.
- yitchelle 10y ago
  Sometimes, the time estimate that is put down on paper does not really matter at all. The estimate will force the engineer to think through their planning rather than just doing things adhoc.
- lojack 10y ago
  > Its better to NOT estimate because it doesnt hold any values. This is the core of where I disagree. Giving estimates provide tremendous value to those who depend on your work. It allows them to plan and forecast future needs. You're rarely ever working in some kind of bubble where your work is this mysterious thing that can be done tomorrow or in 4 years. I've never encountered a situation where there's so many unknowns that you can't come up with some number. Requirements change, timelines change, that's all fine. Businesses should be able to adapt to change. Being in the complete dark is much worse. > 'finished on time'.... This is the waterfall approach. I'm not sure what you mean by that? Things can't be late just because you're "agile"?

forgottenpass 10y ago

Don't fall for the memes. The overlap between what people talk about online, and what people are succeeding with in industry are way way smaller than you think. Some people can't be bothered to blog. Some people aren't allowed to blog. Some people are paid to write blog posts they know are bullshit bad advice.

namenotrequired 10y ago
Do you have any examples?

shubhamjain 10y ago

I wish I knew that 'superficial' expertise at a particular technology isn't a pre-requisite for most tech jobs. Two years back, I was invariably anxious about not knowing Angular / Rails / Django and how it disqualified me from getting my foot in the door in many companies. I later realised, how daft it would be for any company to have a stringent demand for knowledge in framework / library without putting the general "getting-things-done" talent into the equation. The sheer velocity of the changing landscape makes it a horrible way to judge an engineer. Additionally, I wish I knew that soft skills in communicating well, giving feedback, and understanding business goals make up for more points than a breadth of tech skills.

foobarchu 10y ago
Adding onto this, overly focusing on a technology can really hamper you while getting jobs later. I want to see that you understand the technology that underpins what you will be doing everyday, not the specific libraries that we'll probably abandon in 2 years anyway. Knowing Angular is a lot less important to me than being an expert in the actual javascript language underneath it. Similarly, it's even more impressive to have a thorough understanding of what's under the hood of javascript, knowing WHY it has it's limitations, instead of just what they are. Depth of a single, particular subject will never beat depth of an entire stack (before hitting the point of ridiculousness, of course).
madamelic 10y ago
You should look at GitHub. Most of their listings include a "Must have 3 years of experience in Ruby on Rails".
- kzisme 10y ago
  That's the unfortunate part - it seems like most places you have to take your own personal time to learn a language enough to transition between careers. Unless you're a developer with 10+ years of experience or something, and the company/job you are applying for overlooks your lack of knowledge in a subject area.

mpalfrey 10y ago

Learn how to estimate properly and learn how to say no. Always be willing to listen to others. Sometimes the guy who's wrong 9/10 times might be right on a topic. You can always improve. Whether it's your code, learning new things etc etc etc.

pattrn 10y ago

As a junior developer, I overvalued minimizing development time and maximizing correctness. It turned out that writing code for other people to read and modify was a more difficult skill to improve, was more rewarding when successful, and enabled entire teams to move faster. It also turned out that focusing on improving the experience for my team actually improved my personal development more rapidly than before. If I could send a message to my past self, it would be, "Empathize with coworkers, customers, and family. Everything else will follow."

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

EliRivers 10y ago

Once you've finished learning anything new, and your job is becoming significantly more routine, start looking around for the next job (with a pay rise). Rather than learn new things on your own a few hours a week, you can get paid (more) to learn new things at work for many hours a week. Three significantly different jobs over ten years will make you far more competent than the same job for fifteen or even twenty years. If you get to five years in the same job, take a long hard look at yourself and check that you are actually still learning and still making yourself more valuable and still improving (which I would expect to really only happen if you weren't actually doing the same job as you were in the first of those five years).

kafkaesq 10y ago

You know, the term "junior developer" is rather new, actually. If anything it used to just be "entry-level". In any case, I find it most distasteful. No one should accept it as a part of their job title for any length of time, other than out of pure, survival-driven necessity.

kasey_junk 10y ago
Does it change the conversation in any significant way to call it "entry level developer"? Is the complaint about "junior" implying age? I'm trying to understand. [edit] further is the term "senior" developer also problematic?
- kafkaesq 10y ago
  The term "junior" itself has certain negative connotations. Among the various dictionary entries we have, for example: adj. Low in rank; having a subordinate role, job, or situation. n. One of less experience or inferior standing in his profession than another, who is called his senior; one employed as the subordinate of another, especially at the bar. n. term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male I'm cherry-picking these, of course (out of a body of mostly neutral variants), but the point is, these negative touches do carry across. "Senior" is a bit different, somehow (mostly because it's no intrinsically defined in terms of negative attributes like "inexperienced" or "subordinate").

thefastlane 10y ago

figure out who makes the decision on your raise/bonus, and make sure you nurture a positive relationship with that person. usually your boss; maybe a group of managers, etc.

zer00eyz 10y ago

Learn to read code. Learning to read code is a hell of a lot harder than learning to write it. It takes practice, patience and ultimately a language with a high quality working debugger. Once you learn to read code in one language it isn't hard to learn to read it in another. Love your IDE/editor, and make sure that you have split views (viewing parts of the same file or two files at once). This feature is essential to being able to read code! Figure out the difference between "I wouldn't do it that way" and "this code is bad". It isn't terribly hard to leap from one to the other. Find a mentor! I can't stress this one enough. That guy (or gal though they are rare) pushing fifty who is still an engineer, they are that good, don't want to manage, love their craft, and have seen some shit. They will talk your ear off (probably) for coffee. Lastly writing code is part of the job, once you have master that learn everything you can about your business. Spend time with accountants, CS people, Systems Admins, the IT guys... they are all going to teach you things that will make you better at your job.

andrei_says_ 10y ago

Figuring things out is a process. Don't expect to write production-ready code at first run. Every step of the journey informs the outcome and sometimes the destination. Code and logic change -- so learn to program in ways hat adapt to change. --- Try new things and concepts in tiny single purpose projects. --- Ask for help, programmers like to explain things. --- Ask why from your business users. Multiple times, until you get the context. Once you have the context, you can create freely and come up with better ways to do things. If you don't position yourself in this way, you may end up with people trying to control you like they would a tool or a sock puppet. Having people's hands up your bum is no fun. --- Fight for uninterrupted focused time. This is your spice and the spice must flow.

navyad 10y ago

-- read more code. -- write code then reflect on it. -- connect to like minded peoples. -- communicate clearly and effectively to make sure your message is conveyed the way you wanted.