Do you want to find a job as a junior software developer? Check out how to start a career in the software development industry. Get some insights from junior devs who are a part of our Bright Inventions team.
Bright junior developers who are going to answer the questions are:
Meet Paweł, Jędrzej and Łukasz – Junior Fullstack Developers from Bright Inventions. They develop their tech skills using TypeScript, React and Node.js.
Let’s now answer some popular questions about junior software development career
It’s time to show how our junior developers respond to highly searched (googled) questions. They were researched with a popular keyword research tool: answerthepublic.com.
How to become a junior developer?
Łukasz:
I studied Mechatronics. One of the classes focused on C++ and it gave me the basics and a push to learn even more. I decided to learn Javascript on my own after classes. At that time, during my college years, I already knew that software development is what I wanted to do. Yet my studies weren’t a waste of time. It helped me with reading and understanding technical documentation in English. It definitely increased my learning pace.
Jędrzej:
I first studied Electrotechnics. In the first year I had classes about the C language. I quickly realised that programming is more interesting to me and frankly I am better at it compared to electronics classes. So after one year of studying Electrotechnics I changed my major to Computer Studies.
Paweł:
I studied Computer Science like Jędrzej. It wasn’t easy because due to the pandemic I had to finish my studies online. Despite that my studies became a great motivation for me to learn and develop my projects. I think that is the key. You will not benefit from every class in the future, but your college time should be used to build your own software development portfolio.
What junior developers should know?
Paweł:
You should know that there is still lots of learning ahead of you. You need to be ready and know how to look for solutions online as well as be open to ask questions in the team. In terms of technologies I think it is wise to start with building small applications with Javascript. Don’t feel tempted to use frameworks from the beginning. Firstly, try to learn some languages, then go for frameworks.
Łukasz:
Junior software developers should know when and how to gain information. Lots depends on the documentation. If your project has a detail-oriented documentation, then you know where to look. Otherwise, you have to be ready to ask your teammates dozens of questions and don’t be afraid of doing it.
Jędrzej:
I agree that asking the right questions is the key. Apart from that, junior software developers have to know English to be able to read technical documents and simply communicate with colleagues and clients. Regarding the stack you should choose – it is difficult to recommend some specific programming languages. It depends on the job market you are interested in. Every company can specialise in a different stack. In my view, you should do some research about job offers from the area that matters to you and check what technologies are mostly expected there. Then it is easier to know what skills will be useful in the future.
What to expect as a junior developer?
Jędrzej:
Expect that you are going to need help. I expected support from my team in getting knowledge and I’ve got what I needed. Expect that this is something that you will need to do, too!
Łukasz:
I agree with what Jędrzej has said. Be humble. It is natural that you may expect some support from other colleagues. I think this is a healthy thing to expect at the beginning.
Paweł:
When it comes to your first job, don’t expect too much. Just focus on getting this first experience and learn as much as you can from more experienced developers.
How to get a job as a junior developer?
Paweł:
Naturally, studying Computer Science is helpful but it doesn’t guarantee a job in IT. The most important factor during a recruitment process is to have your own software development projects. So, if you study, use this time as an opportunity to develop projects. When you do it as a part of your classes or as a graduating project then probably it is easier to motivate. Use studies as an opportunity to build projects. If you don’t know what to build, don’t overthink it. Try to do a clone of a very popular app like Facebook. By saying “do a clone” I don’t mean simply duplicating a Facebook app. Treat Facebook as an example with a list of features and based on that develop your own product.
Jędrzej:
It’s great to have your own projects as well as projects which were made with others. It shows that you know how to cooperate with people and you’ve had a chance to develop soft skills as well.
Łukasz:
The very popular tip is to think about the problem which could be addressed by tech and create a solution that solves it. However, this approach is not essential to succeed during the recruitment process. You are not judged by your business ideas. As a software developer you are supposed to turn ideas into working products. It is a shame to waste time thinking about ideas instead of focusing on technological aspects of the product.
What does a junior developer do?
Paweł:
First days at the software development company are all about knowing the project, reading and understanding the documentation and checking end-points. In the first days your job is to truly understand how the product you will be working on works. 🙂
Łukasz:
I love the fact that even though I am a junior developer I feel like a full-fledged member of a team. Despite being a less experienced developer in the team I am assigned to some important and demanding tasks, too. I don’t do minor and repetitive coding as many would probably think. I get complex tasks and the team is fully aware that this is a challenge for me and I may ask questions on the way. Yet I learn a lot during that process. Also, it is great that my voice matters as well. I have to make some project-related decisions while programming. Thanks to all of that I feel that I contribute to the project.
Jędrzej:
As Łukasz said, it is important to feel like a full member of a team. That helps to build self-confidence even though in the beginning your work pace will be slow. Yet you will see the improvement day by day. It’s important to feel the support of your team. If you don’t know something, there are people nearby who will help you.
Can I become a developer without a degree?
Jędrzej:
Yes, you can. A degree isn’t everything. However, it depends on the company recruitment policy. There may be companies that will reject your resume during the CV screening phase because of the lack of a diploma. However, it may not matter if you get to the interview part. Diplomas don't speak there, you do.
Paweł:
It’s nice to have a college education but I think that it isn’t necessary.
Łukasz:
If you don’t have a degree, you may have a little more difficult task. You have to be prepared to work harder on proving that you have the expected knowledge. In general Computer Studies are useful. However, you shouldn’t do them only for a degree. You should try to get as much as you can during your studies.
What is expected from a junior developer?
That’s actually a question that our Project Managers have already answered and you can check it out here.
Do you have any questions about starting a career as a junior software developer? Let us know in the comments! Check out our open positions as well.
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