During the last couple of years I've been working with different developers and many of them on a quite junior level. I’ve found some factors and behaviours that all junior developers would benefit from practicing.
Focus on one thing at a time. From time to time you might want to learn everything you hear about at once. This could be quite dangerous to pursue. I’d say you benefit more from focusing on learning one thing at a time - and learn it well. It gets easier if you tie it to your current project or task. Solve the issue in front of you in the best possible way and focus your learning efforts on that.
Ask questions. All the time. Don’t be afraid to ask any kind of question. Always make sure you understand. Do not say that you understand something when you don’t. It will only come back and bite you. Your colleagues and manager are probably more open to helping you than you think in that case. Be curious and ask people in your surroundings for advice and that they explain their solutions.
Learn to handle imposter syndrome. Every developer will sometime during their career have some degree of imposter syndrome. Especially if you are new. When you start to learn new things and new concepts you will realise something that might feel overwhelming. Something that is also my favourite quote related to learning: "the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know”. Try to accept that you will never know everything and that every other developer have been in your shoes. We all have to start somewhere.
Be proud of your work. Celebrate milestones, personal achievements, team efforts, releases etc. Celebrate often and together. Celebrate small and large things. Try to show other colleagues, teams, stakeholders or family members of your work. It will make you feel good and it is always fun to show others what you have been working on.
Take it easy. Don’t rush things. Sometimes you might feel stressed over an important release or that you don’t know how to solve a specific issue. Take it easy and think about what is the worst thing that could happen? It usually isn't that bad. Ask for help and make sure you are solving the issue in a good way that you understand and can explain to others.
Don't forget to Have fun! Really important. You have the best job in the world and your possibilities are endless! Enjoy the ride and watch yourself grow for each year.
Top comments (2)
I am guilty of the second factor. Every time I read the news or go on GitHub I see amazing projects that leave me overwhelmed and feeling useless.
Like I feel I don't know know enough anything at all.
Thanks for this
Another important thing is that you should not compare yourself to others. Everyone is at different levels and have their own journey. Take inspiration in others and apply things that matters to you. There are so many aspects of programming. You can not learn everything. Focus at one thing at a time, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and you will feel more confident going forward.