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Discussion on: Quickfire Discussion: I'm a Junior Developer, tell me your top 3 pieces of advice.

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Zalka Ernő

Write Code Every Day

Dancer is dancing, pianist is playing on the piano, programmer is writing code. Every day.

Learn How Computers Work

If you don't know how computers work, you're not "authorized" to write programs. Don't forget, you don't just use computers, you are adding your part to a system. The best way to learn how computers work is to learn assembly. You don't have to learn x86-64, you may choose a vintage platform, e.g. 8086 DOS, C64 etc., they're simpler and provide more fun.

Create Pet Products

At the work, you're a small cog in a big machine. It's okay, it's very profitable to know how to be a part of a big project, how to work together with many people, know tools and methodics. But at home, you are alone, and you should do your pet projects as if they were products. Use version control (GitHub - share), write unit/integration tests, write documents (how to compile, how the code is organized etc.), write manual (for users), create a small website (marketing), make a real product.