I was going through some old photos earlier today and was thinking a bit about my first years in tech. So if I were to start over now what words of advice would I give to my younger self?
📌 Keep It Short and Simple (K.I.S.S.).
If it gets too long, then you're probably doing something wrong. A generic rule of thumb is that functions and methods should be self-describing and do only one thing. If your function becomes too long or needs more than 2 parameters then you already know that you got to split it into multiple functions.
📌 Make sure you will be able to understand that function of yours in 5 years from now.
As a beginner you’re always thinking that building things fast is way more important than anything else. It took me lots of nonsense code and forgotten implementations to realise that I should write well-documented code for my colleagues, but most importantly for my future self.
📌 Don’t implement the first solution you think of.
Once again, faster is not always better. If you’re about to build something, come up with two or three alternative solutions, and understand when and how some are better or worse than each other. Even for small things, like iterating an array, don’t forget to look up for alternatives to your solution before diving into it. You will be surprised with how many fundamental things you don’t know.
📌 You don’t have to say you’re “Done” unless you really are.
This was one of my biggest mistakes back then. I always wanted to show off and finish my task earlier than expected. The result was missing documentation, unwritten tests and an increasing technical debt that I had to pay off some weeks later. In general take your time, don’t rush. Even life is a marathon, not a sprint, don’t you agree?
📌 Enjoy your new superpower and have some fun with it.
Being able to write code and implement UIs and/or functionalities is a superpower. You will make use of it during your 9-5 job to make a living, but don't forget to have fun with it too. Every now and then, develop apps or automations in order to solve every day problems of yours or to make the lives of your beloved ones easier. Not only you will love the process, but you will also extend your knowledge set.
👉🏻 Do you have any piece of advice that you'd give to your younger self?
Top comments (1)
The best performers have coaches. Many have mutiple for different areas of focus.
This was something I learned embarassingly late that I really wish I was humble enough and aware enough to realize earlier. It's obvious now, but really just take a minute and look around. Great CEOs have CEO coaches. Great baseball pitchers have pitching coaches. Successful actors have nutritionists (coaches) and publicists (coaches) for their areas of focus. These folks spent their lives getting great at something you want to be better at.
And frequently, this is made available where you work in Mentor/Mentee relationship.
It's incredible the amount of experience that is just sitting there waiting to be absorbed, if you just were willing to ask.