How to survive as a junior developer

Starting a career in programming can feel quite challenging, whether you are a graduate or a professional from another field who decided to try something new. There are plenty of tips for junior developers all over the internet in blogs, articles and Twitter threads, but there is no harm in sharing some tips from my perspective. After all, I've learned a lot throughout my own journey and I would like to share what helped me grow as a developer. So let's talk about it:

• Make sure you’re comfortable with the fundamentals of the programming language. Understanding fundamental concepts will make it easier to learn and understand more advanced topics.

• Always seek help from colleagues and seniors at work. Never feel embarrassed to ask questions because developers never really stop asking and learning no matter how many years of experience they have.

• Always work on your skills. You shouldn’t count too much on the help of others whenever you face a problem or something that you do not understand because as a developer, you need to have good skills such as searching for solutions and analyzing the logic behind the code. This doesn’t contradict the first advice because there are times when you should seek advice and times when depending on yourself is better.

• Don’t learn many things all at once. Trust me, I’ve done that and it had some negative impact on me. Instead, focus on what is relevant to your work. You can allocate some other time for other tools or languages that you’re interested in.

• Learn by doing, not watching. As a junior developer, you should still be spending some time on tutorials, provided that you always practice what you learn.

• Work on side projects. This will expose you to more coding and will force you to practice what you learn at work or in tutorials.

• Time management is important. Divide the time of your day between your work, learning and other aspects of your life.

• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are a crucial part of the learning process. I’ve learned a lot from mistakes, even the small ones.

• It is okay to use google to search or ChatGPT for solutions. In fact, it is well known that developers share problems and solutions online and you’ll likely come across a solution for your problem.

• If you’re working remotely, work harder. As a remote developer, you would be restricted to online communication, thus lowering the chances of learning from seniors compared to working in the office, so whenever you connect with them, try to extract as much knowledge as possible. The advantage of remote work, on the other hand, is that you get more freedom compared to your colleagues, so utilize that to learn and hone your skills.

• Lastly, think aloud while you code. In other words, provide a commentary to yourself while you code. Explain the thought process in real time.

That's it. I hope you find these tips useful in your career and learning journey. Feel free to comment and share tips of your own.