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Discussion on: Just got my first job offer, going to take it. What are some tips for being the best junior developer I can be?

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camainc profile image
Charles Cherry

Here are some thoughts from an old codger. I've been doing software development since the 1980s.

  1. Don't think of yourself as a "junior." Think of yourself as an apprentice in a skilled trade. Maybe it's just semantics, but how we see ourselves now makes a big difference in our futures. An apprentice is going somewhere, with a goal of becoming a master someday. A "junior" is just a "junior." It doesn't say anything about your goals, your dreams, your aspirations.

An apprentice woodworker wants to be a master woodworker someday. But whoever heard of a "junior woodworker?"

  1. Work just as hard, or harder, on developing your personal and social skills as your technical skills. Being a great teammate and a great person is just as important, if not more important, as being a great coder. If your mates can depend on you to do what you say you will do, they will trust you with more and more responsibility.

  2. You are on an incredible journey that requires flexibility and constant improvement; being able to develop and hone new skills quickly is very important. Who knows how long React will be around? But if YOU want to be around and developing ten, twenty, or even thirty years from now, then focus more on learning the principles behind the technology. Languages come and go, but patterns remain.

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dakoon2003 profile image
Derrick Koon

Ask questions, often... It's not a sign of ignorance but a willingness to learn. When you ask though ALWAYS posit an answer that way the person knows you are at least thinking for yourself before you ask...