At the beginning of a developer's career, it can often be daunting: unfamiliar problems arise, thereâs much to learn, and difficult decisions must be made. In some cases, we make mistakes in those decisions. This is perfectly natural, and there's no need to beat ourselves up about it. What we should do is remember our experiences for the future. I am a senior developer who has made countless mistakes in my time. Below, I will share eight of the most serious ones I made when I was a novice in development and explain how they could have been avoided.
I took the first offer that came my way.
When you learn to code or finish your studies at university, landing your first job in the field becomes one of your main goals. Itâs like a light at the end of a long tunnel.
However, finding a job is not easy. The number of people applying for junior positions is increasing. You have to , go through an entire series of interviews, and often the whole process is significantly prolonged. Given all this, itâs no surprise that any job offer prompts a strong desire to grab it with both hands.
Still, this might turn out to be a bad idea. My first job was far from ideal regarding professional growth and enjoyment of the process. The developers operated under the motto 'thatâll do,' and it wasnât common to exert oneself. Everyone tended to shift the blame onto each other, and I often had to cut corners to meet very tight deadlines. But the worst part was that I wasnât learning anything at all.
In interviews, I overlooked all the warning signs, as I was enchanted by the prospect of getting a job. If I had any doubts, they all flew out of my mind as soon as I heard that I was being hired! And for a good salary, too!
And that was a big mistake.
Your first job is incredibly important. It provides a general understanding of what it's like to be a real programmer, and the experience and training you gain from it can lay the foundation for your entire future career. That's why it's essential to thoroughly research the position and the employer before agreeing to anything. A tough experience or poor mentors is something you definitely don't need.
- Look for information about the company. Browse review sites, check the official website, and just search the internet to gather feedback. This will help you better understand if the company meets your needs and goals.
- Ask your acquaintances. If someone in your circle has worked for this employer or knows someone on the team, talk to them personally. Find out what they liked, what they didn't like, and how they assess their overall experience.
Did not ask the right questions in interviews.
An interview is the best opportunity to get to know the company better, so be sure to prepare questions about what you want to learn from the employees. Here are a couple of examples:
- Ask about the development process (what methodologies do they follow? Is code review conducted? What branching strategies are employed?)
- Ask about testing (what tests are conducted? Are there specific people who handle testing exclusively?)
- Ask about the corporate culture (how informal is it? Is there any support for juniors?)
Undecided on the career path.
Undoubtedly, the path to becoming an experienced developer is quite winding. Nowadays, there is the option to choose from many languages, frameworks, and tools. My mistake at the beginning of my career was trying to learn everything. Ironically, this only led to not making significant progress in anything. I first grabbed Java, then jQuery, moved on to C#, and then C++ ⊠Instead of choosing one language and putting all my efforts into it, I jumped around haphazardly based on my mood. I can assure you, this is an extremely inefficient learning strategy.
I would have achieved better results and advanced my career more quickly if I had determined my trajectory sooner, which means choosing a specific set of technologies and focusing on them. For example, if you're a frontend developer, master JavaScript, CSS/HTML, and a framework of your choice. If you're into backend development, again, pick one language and really dive into it. It's not necessary to be proficient in both Python, Java, and C#.
So focus, decide on a direction, and create a plan that will enable you to become a professional in your chosen path (here's , which may help you with that).
I was getting fancy with my code.
So you're preparing a test task to showcase your skills to an employer, or you've already started working on your first task at your first job. You're going all out to make an impression. What's the best way to achieve results? Perhaps by demonstrating the advanced techniques you've recently mastered, right?
No. This is a serious mistake that I've made myself, and more often than I'd like, I see it in the work of other juniors. It's very common for them to reinvent the wheel or seek out complex solutions in an attempt to show off their knowledge.
The best approach to writing code is expressed By striving for simplicity, you'll end up with clear code that will be easy to work with in the future (the developer who replaces you will appreciate it).
I forgot that there's life outside of code.
Never "disconnect" â this is a bad habit I picked up very early on. On my way home at the end of the day, I regularly took my work laptop and spent hours on it to close out a task or fix a bug, even though both could perfectly wait until morning. As expected, this kind of routine caused stress and I quickly burned out.
The reason for this behavior was partly my desire to do everything as quickly as possible. However, in reality, I should have understood that work is a long-term process, and with rare exceptions, today's unfinished tasks can be calmly postponed until tomorrow. It is very important to periodically switch gears and remember that life isnât all about work - there are friends, family, hobbies, and entertainment. Of course, if you enjoy coding until dawn - go for it! But when it no longer brings you joy, stop and consider whether itâs time to engage in something else. We aren't working like it's our last day!
I avoided saying, 'I donât know'
Itâs common to get stuck in the process of solving a problem or completing a task, even the most experienced seniors face this. When I was a junior, I said, 'I donât know' less often than I should have, and I was wrong. If someone from management asked me a question and I didn't know the answer, I tried to create smoke and mirrors instead of simply admitting it.
I thought that if I said, 'I donât know,' people would get the impression that I didnât understand what I was doing at all. In reality, thatâs not the case; nobody knows everything. Therefore, if someone asks you about something you donât know, just say so. This approach has several advantages:
- Itâs honest â you donât mislead the person asking
- Thereâs a chance someone will explain it to you, and then you'll learn something new
- It earns you respect â not everyone can admit that they donât know something
I rushed to move forward
You probably have heard the saying: 'Before you run, learn to walk.' This is especially true in web programming. When you first start as a junior, itâs tempting to grab the bull by the horns and dive straight into a large, complex project. You even think about how to quickly earn a promotion to the next level!
Ambition is certainly a good thing, but in reality, no one will give a junior developer anything like that right from the start. At the very beginning of your career, you will likely be assigned simple tasks and bug fixes. Itâs not the most exciting activity in the world, but there's no way around it. This will allow you to gradually get familiar with the codebase and learn all the processes. At the same time, your management gets a chance to see how you fit into the team and what you do best.
My mistake was getting frustrated with these minor tasks, which distracted me from my work. Be patient, do everything youâre asked to do thoroughly, and soon something more interesting will come your way.
I didn't engage with the community and didn't build connections.
Developers have a great community: they are always ready to help, provide feedback, and even cheer you on. Programming is a complex endeavor and can be quite draining at times. My experience as a junior would have been easier if I had started actively communicating with my colleagues from the very beginning.
Connecting with the community is also very useful for self-education. You can contribute to open source projects, study other people's code, and observe how programmers carry out a project collaboratively. All of this is skills you can leverage in your main job, and over time, it will make you a good specialist.
Choose communities that interest you â among the options, I can mention freeCodeCamp, CodeNewbies, 100DaysOfCode â and get involved! You can also attend local meetups in your city (look them up on meetup.com).
Finally, this way you can build professional connections. Essentially, connections are just those people in your industry with whom you interact. Why is this necessary? Well, for example, if you ever want to change jobs. If you reach out to your connections, someone might suggest a suitable vacancy for you, or even recommend you to an employer. This will give you a significant advantage in an interview â someone has already spoken on your behalf, and you're no longer just 'another resume in the pile.'
Thatâs all, thank you for your attention!
Source: habr.com
