In my opinion, the seniority of a developer is not only about the complexity of the system or the code, but also about:
user-centric thinking;
ability to make trade-offs and know the reasons for them;
ability to clearly explain the above.
The most challenging and the most interesting project in my life so far was a scalable distributed GIS-system.
Check out my set of articles about the architecture and our process: smartpuffin.com/tag/fiji/
Note how I focus on the users, their requirements, and our approach to problem-solving.
(Working with users is, I believe, one of the most important and underestimated skills for a developer.)
So if I were describing my most challenging project, I would start my explanation with describing a task I was solving. I.e., why did I have to implement authorization myself? What was my thought process that led me to it? From defining the requirement to eliminating the possibility of using existing APIs to implementing to fixing bugs to success (or failure and learning). That would make a great story, show how I am involved in all aspects of development, and leave room to asking questions about every stage of the project.
Hope this was at least a bit helpful! I think I need to write an article about it:)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I love how approachable this becomes for a more junior developer like myself.
It’s interesting because it works for a dev of any level. Sparks my thoughts on how I should review some of my apps and note down the what’s, why’s and the challenging aspects more so that I can share a good story.
Personally, as someone with the business analyst background, I can totally understand the skill and ability to walk through your thoughts depending on the target audience.
Going to use this for another phone screening tomorrow 🔥
I think this should help more junior developers as well. Of course, my advice is about framing the interview discussion, but maybe it could even help someone to start thinking of their next projects in these terms and approach the implementation accordingly.
Thank you!
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That's an interesting question, Aizaz!
In my opinion, the seniority of a developer is not only about the complexity of the system or the code, but also about:
The most challenging and the most interesting project in my life so far was a scalable distributed GIS-system.
Check out my set of articles about the architecture and our process:
smartpuffin.com/tag/fiji/
Note how I focus on the users, their requirements, and our approach to problem-solving.
(Working with users is, I believe, one of the most important and underestimated skills for a developer.)
So if I were describing my most challenging project, I would start my explanation with describing a task I was solving. I.e., why did I have to implement authorization myself? What was my thought process that led me to it? From defining the requirement to eliminating the possibility of using existing APIs to implementing to fixing bugs to success (or failure and learning). That would make a great story, show how I am involved in all aspects of development, and leave room to asking questions about every stage of the project.
Hope this was at least a bit helpful! I think I need to write an article about it:)
Aaand here you go with the article:
dev.to/ice_lenor/how-to-answer-the...
Again, really hope it helps!
Elena,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I love how approachable this becomes for a more junior developer like myself.
It’s interesting because it works for a dev of any level. Sparks my thoughts on how I should review some of my apps and note down the what’s, why’s and the challenging aspects more so that I can share a good story.
Personally, as someone with the business analyst background, I can totally understand the skill and ability to walk through your thoughts depending on the target audience.
Going to use this for another phone screening tomorrow 🔥
Cheers!
Hi Aizaz,
Good luck on your interview tomorrow!
I think this should help more junior developers as well. Of course, my advice is about framing the interview discussion, but maybe it could even help someone to start thinking of their next projects in these terms and approach the implementation accordingly.
Thank you!