Every developer should write. Here's how to get started

Writing is one of the most impactful, high-leverage things I have ever done for my career.

Writing has three main benefits that have made a big difference in my life and career:

It helps me solidify and ensures I understand my ideas and processes

There is something about writing that forces you to really process and articulate abstract ideas you may have floating around in your head.

When you go through the process of writing about something, you really have to think through what you are actually trying to say to make sure the reader can understand it.

This process leads to increased clarity for yourself along with the reader.

Demonstrates your skillset and problem-solving process

Portfolios are great, but they can sometimes suffer because they are static ways of demonstrating your work.

When you write alongside building things, it gives people a glimpse into your thought and problem-solving process, which can make your portfolio projects much more dynamic, engaging, and goes a long way towards communicating your value.

Communicates your values and cultural fit to potential employers

Finally, possibly my favorite benefit and often the most overlooked.

Writing can communicate your values to employers which can help them in determining whether or not you would be a good fit culturally within their company.

Though not talked bout as often, this component of career growth is often as important as technical skills.

By communicating your personality and values in your writing, you give people a look at who you are, what makes you tick, and what is important to you.

It allows people you have never met to get to know a little more, which can be extremely helpful when job hunting.

How to get started writing

Okay great, writing can help your career, but getting started can seem like a big hurdle.

Here's an easy way you can get started in the next 30 minutes with your first post.

First, create an account and fill out all the information here on Dev. This is an awesome place to start writing with a low barrier to actually getting started.

Next, start a new post and write about your story up until now and where you want to go as a developer.

Talk about where you came from, what other jobs you've had, why you want to be a developer, and what you've done so far to make that happen.

Then post it.

This is not meant to be read by thousands of people, it's not meant to be the best piece of writing you'll ever do.

It's meant to be the first piece of writing. The initial hurdle to jump.

Posting publicly is very important.

Put yourself out there. It's a fantastic way to grow.

After you write that post, comment here with a link to it so I can check it out!

Looking to land your first job as a developer? You may like my course and mentoring group, Launch Your Dev Career.

You can also follow me on Twitter for more tips on launching and building a successful, fulfilling career as a developer.