In the next few weeks, I’ll explore with you how to choose a developer path: from technical deep dives to people leadership, and everything in between. Whether you’re at a fork in the road or just getting curious, this series is for you. Week 1 will be about exploring (experimentation, choosing a growth theme), Week 2 we'll focus on becoming visible and taking initiative, while the final week is about claiming growth (or moving away) and choosing your own path. Join me on this journey!
Why Sharing Feels Like You're Bragging (But Matters Anyway)
Ever feel weird about talking about your own work?
Like if you post a small win, someone’s going to roll their eyes?
Or that “real devs” don’t need to say they’re growing, they just are?
Yeah. Been there.
I always thought I would just add to the noise: "There are tons of developers out there who have way more valuable things to say than me".
Turns out I was wrong.
Sharing content over the past few months has made me valuable connections all over the world. I got positive feedback from people, was able to help then get unstuck, share my thoughts and create a safe little community around me where people can voice their concerns and feel related to.
Sharing Your Work
Here’s what I’ve also learned:
Visibility ≠ vanity. Visibility = leverage.
If your work stays hidden, so do your skills, your growth, and your potential impact.
Visibility Isn’t About Bragging
It’s about:
- Helping others learn from your process
- Making your contributions visible to your team
- Creating clarity for those who depend on your work
- Building your internal (or external) reputation
Your manager can’t read your mind and your team might not see the problem you quietly fixed.
Sharing helps them see and learn.
Ways to Be Visible (Without Feeling Like a Salesperson)
- Drop a short update in Slack: “Hey, I just refactored X and documented Y.”
- Share “what I learned” notes in retros or planning
- Walk a teammate through your PR before merging
- Write an internal blog post or run a casual demo
- Post a small thread on LinkedIn/Dev.to
The key? Teach, don’t just promote. Share your curiosity! You'd be surprised how many people share your thoughts.
Visibility Builds Trust
When people see your thought process, they:
- Trust your decisions
- Ask for your input more often
- Consider you for growth opportunities
- Learn faster (because you model learning out loud)
And honestly? It helps you reflect and celebrate, too.
Final Thought
You don’t have to shout or be “that person.”
Just be visible enough for your work to have the impact it deserves.
💬 What’s one thing you’ve done recently that’s worth sharing, even if it feels small?
In case you want more guidance: I'm now offering free 30-minute coaching calls for developers who want to grow (whether you're junior, medior, or senior). In this call, we’ll talk about your current situation, challenges you're facing, and where you want to go next. You'll receive tailored advice specific to your goals and concrete next steps. No catch. Just me, helping you grow.
👉 Book your free call here: https://calendly.com/tim-lorent/free-30-minute-growth-call-for-developers
Speaking of free guidance: download my Free Developer Growth Kit — 3 Practical Guides to Grow from Coder to Leader. It gives you practical tools to level up your skills, mindset, and workflow, without burning out or guessing your next step.
Or if you’re ready to take the next step: check out my book From Hello World to Team Lead or the developer platform for career growth Campfires.dev. 20% of all revenue from the book and coaching will be donated to tech charities like TechMeUp, SheSharp, GirlCode, HackYourFuture.
Top comments (8)
Brilliant post, Tim!
Reading about visibility = leverage and thinking: "Well, Tim just gave me the perfect excuse for self-promotion!" 😄
So I'll honestly admit - under such an article about the importance of visibility, it would be a sin not to share my Postmark Challenge project:
MailMap - when email meets Google Maps: dev.to/prema_ananda/mailmap-transf...
Consider this my "visibility in action"! 🚀
P.S. Thanks for the theoretical justification of my shameless plug! 😂
Thank you for the compliment and you're absolutely right: it would be a sin! You're more than welcome to share your project @prema_ananda, that is exactly the message I want to bring across with my post!
I've had a look and must say...it looks a-ma-zing! Rarely see the application architecture visualized when people talk about their own projects. How long did it take for you to build this project? Really hope you'll win, is there any voting system in place?
Thank you so much, Tim! 😊
The whole project took about 10 days from concept to deployment - server setup, coding, and integration. I have to credit modern development tools and AI assistants for dramatically speeding up the process!
Regarding voting - absolutely! Click on any photo marker and you'll see the voting interface: thumbs up, thumbs down, and a report button. It's community-driven moderation: when a post receives 3 reports, it automatically gets hidden from the map. Keeps things clean without heavy-handed admin oversight.
Thanks for the architecture diagram compliment! I believe showing the technical flow helps people understand what's actually happening under the hood.
Your post about visibility = leverage really resonated - and clearly worked! 🎯
been cool seeing steady progress it adds up you think habits or just showing up wins out in the end
@nathan_tarbert Definitely a mix! Habits, showing up go hand in hand though. Without the habits I would not show up the way that I do and showing up makes for wins which support my habits!
You're welcome Tim!
ik noem ook Tim
@tim_lrent_ef86b292cf3278d Fascinating, do we have the same surname as well?
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