DEV Community

What's the best career advice you can give in ten words or less?

Ben Halpern on June 09, 2019

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Sleep and tackle the problem tomorrow with fresh eyes.

Collapse
 
mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

A colleague's eyes are always fresher than your own.

Collapse
 
alyscole profile image
AlysCole

Too many times has a colleague been able to immediately pin down a problem I'd been pouring HOURS into.

Thread Thread
 
ferricoxide profile image
Thomas H Jones II

(More junior) teammates often wonder why I'm so verbose with my status-reporting. I can't count the number of times where I've sent out a "I've been banging my head on , here's everything I've done - did I miss something trivial" only to have a reply, a few minutes/hours later, saying something as simple as "line 24 of your problem-description".

Collapse
 
thehanna profile image
Brian Hanna

Doing this one right now. Completely borked the local database for one my apps today. Shut down my machine and went home. Going to play some video games and deal with it in the morning

Collapse
 
ferricoxide profile image
Thomas H Jones II

That's why I love doing infrastructure automation: something's gone completely sideways with a system or an entire architecture? Punch a button to deploy a new, functional copy in a few (or few tens of) minutes.

Thread Thread
 
thehanna profile image
Brian Hanna

I would love to but we're in feature factory mode so not a ton of time for that level of automation 🙁

Thread Thread
 
ferricoxide profile image
Thomas H Jones II

Yeah. Automating deployments is definitely a time-suck, but it's a time-suck that, once done, quickly pays for itself by freeing you up to do other thing more quickly and easily. Unfortunately, many organizations that love to say "we want to do devops" or "we want to do infrastructure automation" don't seem to understand that you have to allocate considerable time to getting there. That it's an investment to reach the point where you replace broken systems – or even just do regular patching – with "lemme launch a new copy". Then again, there's a lot of shops that think that re-hosting into a CSP and/or switching to containers magically impart capabilities they never designed into their solutions.

Collapse
 
perigk profile image
Periklis Gkolias

Second that

Collapse
 
damcosset profile image
Damien Cosset • Edited

Don't worry, nobody knows what they are doing.

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Can confirm. Don’t know what I’m doing.

Collapse
 
ferricoxide profile image
Thomas H Jones II

Always amazes me when I run into people that claim to know, with absolute certitude, that what they're doing is the correct, best way to do a given thing.

Usually, such certitude does not bear up under even the most casual of scrutiny.

Collapse
 
avalander profile image
Avalander

How comes you can only like a comment once?

Collapse
 
mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

Some people do, learn from them.

Collapse
 
sierisimo profile image
Sinuhe Jaime Valencia

I know what I'm doing: trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do

Collapse
 
nanythery profile image
Nadine M. Thêry

If you are not happy, do something. Life is short.

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

That’s how I felt after I got my first job my degree trained me for.

I sort of knew how to code and that looked like a lot more fun so I quit and figured out my happy path.

Collapse
 
rizwanjavaid profile image
Rizwan⚡️

+1 Yes, life is too short to be in a crappy job. You can be a team of one but be realistic as well and explore your options. There comes a time when all your pleading and convincing will go to waste if the executives/management don't value your opinion. You deserve to be happy! :)

Collapse
 
russormes profile image
Russell Ormes

Maybe life is too long to be unhappy.

Collapse
 
lauragift21 profile image
Gift Egwuenu

Never stop learning.

Collapse
 
nataliedeweerd profile image
𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐝

Just ask the bloody question!

Collapse
 
jamonjamon profile image
Jaimie Carter

Haha .. yes! Just ask, already!!!!

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Good one

Collapse
 
scott_yeatts profile image
Scott Yeatts • Edited

Don't be afraid to admit when you're wrong.

Collapse
 
lukewestby profile image
Luke Westby

Technology is ephemeral; people are not

Collapse
 
mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

I have a bad feeling some COBOL code is going to outlive us all.

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Love that

Collapse
 
chrisrhymes profile image
C.S. Rhymes

Drink less coffee, drink more water

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

I really want to give up my coffee dependency

Collapse
 
theringleman profile image
Sam Ringleman

I don't.

Collapse
 
avalander profile image
Avalander

Heresy!

Collapse
 
kenbellows profile image
Ken Bellows

😱

Collapse
 
cecilelebleu profile image
Cécile Lebleu

Don’t go to bed if you haven’t learned something new today [repeat every day]

Collapse
 
tyrrrz profile image
Oleksii Holub

Depending on what you consider as "learning something new", you may ruin your sleep really badly :D

Collapse
 
cecilelebleu profile image
Cécile Lebleu

"Get enough sleep" would be my no. 2 advice!

Collapse
 
gabrielviviani profile image
gabriel-viviani

while(isAlive())

Collapse
 
cecilelebleu profile image
Cécile Lebleu

That's why programming is so great. Two paragraphs of explanation condensed in one function! Awesome! Thanks 😄

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Any tips on keeping up this discipline?

Collapse
 
cecilelebleu profile image
Cécile Lebleu

One and only, IMO: Link this question to an action you do every evening!

For example, washing your teeth, changing clothes, taking a shower, or when pulling the covers on to sleep. Select one action you do religiously every evening, and whenever you do this action, ask yourself the question, "have I learned something new today?". If you can honestly say "yes, I learned something useful today", then sleep sound, you earned it! But if not, then get up and do something, or read something useful on your phone using the DEV app :), etc.

Back when I was around 10 years old, I heard somewhere that the Japanese did this every night. I thought it was SO cool I decided to make that a part of my life. I don't even know if it's true from the Japanese! Also, I thank to my dad, who I saw learning and working really hard every day and night from home, to build his own thing. I learned that, even if all goes south, I can still learn something new every day, and what I learn, I can use to improve my life.

Thread Thread
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Nice!

Collapse
 
molly profile image
Molly Struve (she/her)

Ask the question, someone else is probably wondering it too.

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Definitely!

Collapse
 
abraham profile image
Abraham Williams

Surround yourself with nice people.

Collapse
 
jamonjamon profile image
Jaimie Carter

You can't be more right! Good one.

Collapse
 
jdsteinhauser profile image
Jason Steinhauser

Failing is better than not trying.

Collapse
 
moopet profile image
Ben Sinclair

You've never tested bulletproof vests for a living.

Collapse
 
zablon18 profile image
Fernando Zablah

Don't forget to commit

Collapse
 
mchadley_io profile image
Michael Hadley

Don't commit directly to master until you're absolutely sure!

Collapse
 
seangwright profile image
Sean G. Wright

Work hard.
Build relationships.
Find opportunities.
Take chances.
Be kind.

Collapse
 
nickytonline profile image
Nick Taylor
Collapse
 
puritanic profile image
Darkø Tasevski

Experience is overrated over knowledge, and knowledge over motivation to learn.

Collapse
 
stefandorresteijn profile image
Stefan Dorresteijn • Edited

The best worst advice I can give is "Don't work on other people's dreams, work on your own"

I truly believe in that line, but it's not viable for most people so it's terrible advice.

Collapse
 
kspeakman profile image
Kasey Speakman • Edited

When challenged, try to understand the other person's perspective.

Challenged in this sense doesn't just mean direct conflict, but also when a customer request completely breaks your notions of how the software you wrote is supposed to behave.

Collapse
 
lautarolobo profile image
Lautaro Lobo

Totally!

Collapse
 
thefern profile image
Fernando B 🚀

Don't stop learning, take breaks, learn from mistakes.

Collapse
 
stacy_cash profile image
Stacy Cashmore

Keep experimenting. Technically, your way of working and communication.

Collapse
 
tomasforsman profile image
Tomas Forsman

Work is part of life, so make work worth living.

Collapse
 
gameoverwill profile image
Wilfredo Pérez

Mistakes are the best thing that can happen to you.

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

I motivate myself through mistakes by thinking about how much I’ll learn by working through the pain and consequences.

Collapse
 
techhead404 profile image
Dillon Greek

Sometimes helps to close your mouth and open your ears.

Collapse
 
sierisimo profile image
Sinuhe Jaime Valencia

"It's not THAT important, life matters more"

I think/feel like you should care more about you and less about the work

Some people will disagree but I have found that being more focused on me have helped me on being a better developer.

Collapse
 
yaser profile image
Yaser Al-Najjar

Results matter, do yourself a favor and focus on them.

Collapse
 
sandordargo profile image
Sandor Dargo

Be proactive, curious and finish what you started.

Collapse
 
tomasforsman profile image
Tomas Forsman

Connect with people

Collapse
 
kborling profile image
Kevin

Know your worth.

Collapse
 
simonswiss profile image
Simon Vrachliotis 🏄🏀💻😍

Don't wait to be an expert - put yourself out there.

Collapse
 
anhtm profile image
Minh Trinh • Edited

Protect your eyes. You need them.

Collapse
 
ferricoxide profile image
Thomas H Jones II

"Find a job where you can get regular wins."

The most soul-crushing part of a job is when you just continually pile frustration upon frustration without ever getting the "high" of achieving a success.

One of the best parts of my prior life as a short-term consultant was that I got that success-high at frequent intervals. It could be as frequent as every couple days but never longer than a month or so. Compare that to long-term consulting... You can go quarters to years with no wins to offset stresses/frustrations. And, yeah, the constant travel sucked (I'd achieved lifetime double-platinum with Marriott after three years of racking up 170+ nights/year with them), but never underestimate how stress relieving regular wins can be.

Collapse
 
amrutaranade profile image
Amruta Ranade

Be kind to yourself and others.

Collapse
 
olegthelilfix profile image
Oleg Aleksandrov

If you dislike your job - start looking for a new job.

Collapse
 
thejessleigh profile image
jess unrein

I’m cheating with two separate pieces of short advice.

  1. Software is for people, not machines
  2. Learn and engage with things other than software.
Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Good ones

Collapse
 
akajb84 profile image
Neesha Desai

Sometimes you just have to suck it up.

(This is also when you should probably start searching for something new...)

Collapse
 
imronlearning profile image
Michael Learns

"He whose life has a why can bear almost any how."
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Collapse
 
vuild profile image
Vuild

You are probably wrong. Review.
They are probably wrong. Review.

Collapse
 
jorgeirun profile image
Jorge

Ask the questions.. share the answers

Collapse
 
tvanantwerp profile image
Tom VanAntwerp

Your relationships are everything--cultivate them wisely.

Collapse
 
jibbi profile image
jibbi

Don't worry if you don't have all the listed requirements

Collapse
 
maciekchmura profile image
Maciek Chmura

Don't overthink, and just build what you like.

Collapse
 
coffeecraftcode profile image
Christina Gorton

Learn to speak up. Ask questions when you are stuck.

Collapse
 
niorad profile image
Antonio Radovcic

don't panic

Collapse
 
vgrovestine profile image
Vincent Grovestine
  1. Listen first.
  2. You can have it cheap, fast or good. Pick two!
  3. Learn to say "no".
Collapse
 
aritdeveloper profile image
Arit Developer

Authenticity + Skill + Diligence + Wisdom + Patience = Career Success

Collapse
 
jamonjamon profile image
Jaimie Carter

Be careful what you wish for.

Collapse
 
bouzaf profile image
Felipe

Be humble when someone asks you "obvious" questions.

Collapse
 
blackcat_dev profile image
Sasha Blagojevic

Never stop being curious.

Collapse
 
huguestennier profile image
Hugues Tennier

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

Collapse
 
rhymes profile image
rhymes
  1. Most of us are not saving lives
  2. Go on a holiday
  3. Don't just work
Collapse
 
jeikabu profile image
jeikabu

"Plastics"

Collapse
 
geolamp profile image
George Lampadaridis

Keep calm, find ways to be happy with your job.

Collapse
 
charlietriplett profile image
Charlie Triplett

"Go where you can do the most good."

— A former mentor of mine who had been a manufacturing engineer and art teacher.

Collapse
 
burdettelamar profile image
Burdette Lamar
Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Nice take on the format 😊

Collapse
 
thebouv profile image
Anthony Bouvier

Check your privilege.
Be humble.
Keep learning.
Practice self-care.

Collapse
 
denmch profile image
Den McHenry

Don’t trust that others know better. Speak up. Ask questions.

Collapse
 
laurieontech profile image
Laurie

Accept that you’ll always be learning. But question things if you never return to those skills and use them.

Collapse
 
marcofiset profile image
Marco Fiset

Money isn't everything.

Collapse
 
jjude profile image
Joseph Jude

Reality is negotiable

Collapse
 
sonnynomnom profile image
Sonny Li

from an ex-manager: work hard and don't be an asshole

Collapse
 
yashints profile image
Yaser Adel Mehraban

If you found yourself in a rabit hole, stop digging 🤷‍♂️

Collapse
 
shogogan profile image
Victor Homem Heck

Nice person with average knowledge > Bad person with high knowledge

Collapse
 
napoleon039 profile image
Nihar Raote • Edited

Two bits of advice I would give:

  1. Learn something new every day, knowledge is never wasted.

  2. Always surround yourself with people smarter/more knowledgeable than you.

Collapse
 
desi profile image
Desi

Trust your gut

Collapse
 
mikeysanchez profile image
Mikey Sanchez

What difference does your position make if you dislike it yourself?

~ Seneca

Collapse
 
codemochi profile image
Code Mochi

There's a rewarding life outside academia- maybe try software development?

Collapse
 
simonebogni profile image
simonebogni

Be always ethical and expect the same from others

Collapse
 
arhuman profile image
arhuman

Keep learning, dare, be kind, communicate and report efficiently.

Collapse
 
sebastiangperez profile image
Sebastiangperez

Be curious, debug all,
keep your inbox empty.

Collapse
 
karlredman profile image
Karl N. Redman

Push yourself to beyond your perceived station; accept failure is natural.

Collapse
 
adyngom profile image
Ady Ngom

Believe and keep investing in yourself. Period

Collapse
 
matpk profile image
Matheus Adorni Dardenne

"Success" is the marriage between competence and opportunity.

Collapse
 
florinpop17 profile image
Florin Pop • Edited

Be persistent and never stop learning!

Collapse
 
stojakovic99 profile image
Nikola Stojaković

Technologies come and go. Principles stay.

Collapse
 
alangdm profile image
Alan Dávalos

If code's work you probably need other hobbies

Collapse
 
mccurcio profile image
Matt Curcio

Your word is your reputation and your reputation is your word.

-This is not as trite as it first appears-

Collapse
 
alebiagini profile image
aleBiagini

Have you tried to restart it?

Collapse
 
theringleman profile image
Sam Ringleman • Edited

Break your problem into small chunks, It will get easier.

Collapse
 
mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

Business respects value, not code. Focus on impact.

Collapse
 
chris_bertrand profile image
Chris Bertrand

Make it work, make it right, make it fast!

Collapse
 
rpalo profile image
Ryan Palo

Be honest, work hard, communicate thoughtfully. You should be valued.

Collapse
 
razer profile image
Serge Stupachenko

What's it you do that you're the best in the world at?

Collapse
 
nikola profile image
Nikola Brežnjak
Collapse
 
rodolfomendes profile image
Rodolfo Mendes

Share what you know.

Collapse
 
vguleaev profile image
Vladislav Guleaev

Live life in such way that your name can be googled

Collapse
 
vishal1023 profile image
Vishal Akkalkote

Do what you love, that is what only matters

Collapse
 
thehanna profile image
Brian Hanna

Demand, don't ask, to be paid what you're worth.

Collapse
 
ryanhaber profile image
Ryan Haber

Don't go back to school unless you absolutely must.

Collapse
 
rifaimartin profile image
Rifai Martin

If you have a dream, chase it. fail, it's okay, try again, spend your failed quota until finally your dream comes true

Collapse
 
kwamikudjie profile image
Kwami Kudjie

Ask questions

Collapse
 
realabbas profile image
Ali Abbas • Edited

Knowledge is Life. It increases when you spend it.

Collapse
 
joehobot profile image
Joe Hobot

Learn from your mistakes. No really... LEARN!

Collapse
 
afifsohaili profile image
Afif Sohaili

Participate. Find meaning in your work.

Collapse
 
mdor profile image
Marco Antonio Dominguez

Find motivations instead of excuses.

Collapse
 
kylefilegriffin profile image
Kyle Griffin

Recursion recursion recursion recursion recursion recursion recursion recursion recursion recursion

Collapse
 
moopet profile image
Ben Sinclair

Don't work the weekend because you're worried about deadlines.

Collapse
 
tamouse profile image
Tamara Temple

Apply for the job anyway

Collapse
 
lepinekong profile image
lepinekong

Learn to learn, avoid big corps if you can ;)

Collapse
 
nshoes profile image
Nate Shoemaker

Study, work eight hours a day, free time.

Collapse
 
sierisimo profile image
Sinuhe Jaime Valencia

Don't be afraid of failure!

Collapse
 
leoat12 profile image
Leonardo Teteo

If you have the opportunity to challenge yourself, go for it!

(11 words, but it is within the margin of error)

Collapse
 
russormes profile image
Russell Ormes

When you encounter the genuine article, learn all they teach.

Collapse
 
russormes profile image
Russell Ormes

Wow, trying to keep it to only ten words is

Collapse
 
steelwolf180 profile image
Max Ong Zong Bao

Always be Learning!!!

Collapse
 
cubiclebuddha profile image
Cubicle Buddha

Learn what your gut feels like when it’s really excited.

Collapse
 
nirmal_kumar profile image
Nirmal

Every new challenge teaches us something great. Be ready to face any challenge and keep learning from them. This will prepare us to face next bigger challenges.

Collapse
 
larisho profile image
Gab

Fake it until you make it (within reason)

Collapse
 
kmf profile image
Karl Fischer

listen.

Collapse
 
juliancanderson profile image
Julian Christian Anderson

Don't be too hard on yourself.