Seven pieces of advice I would give myself to when I started out in software engineering (aka things I wish I learned or did earlier). A thread.
1. Take the time to read one or two books a year on software engineering. I don't mean skimming: I mean actually reading, taking notes, talking about it with others, taking the book a few chapters a week.
I didn't do this for the first five years of my career. Wish I had.
I didn't do this for the first five years of my career. Wish I had.
2. Learn two programming languages in your first two years' of coding, and learn one of them *really* well. Down to how-the-compiler-works well.
I mastered C# in-depth, PHP my "not-so-good" language. After this, picking up Java, Ruby, Swift, Go, Python were all so much easier.
I mastered C# in-depth, PHP my "not-so-good" language. After this, picking up Java, Ruby, Swift, Go, Python were all so much easier.
3. Write unit tests and set up a CI to run them every time your code changes. You will hate it. You will think it's a time waste. Your colleagues might mock you for it. Stick at it.
Months later, it will "click" when these tests catch bugs no one else would have noticed.
Months later, it will "click" when these tests catch bugs no one else would have noticed.
4. Make refactoring code a habit early on. Go in and refactor code, and refactor it often. Master the tools to make this easy with your IDE.
Assume that your code will live for 5 years, and hundreds of people will read it and write it as such. Because this *will* happen.
Assume that your code will live for 5 years, and hundreds of people will read it and write it as such. Because this *will* happen.
5. Pair with people far more often. If you are getting code reviews with comments you don't understand, sit/zoom with the person. If you have a critique for someone, do the same.
Much of my growth as a software engineer was pairing with devs and talking with them about the code.
Much of my growth as a software engineer was pairing with devs and talking with them about the code.
6. Know that good software engineering is not a talent. It is hands-on experience of working on many different and difficult problems.
Want to be a great software engineer? Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Work on different products, frameworks, platforms, languages.
Want to be a great software engineer? Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Work on different products, frameworks, platforms, languages.
7. Teach what you learn. The book you read? Share it to your team, over a lunch presentation. The framework you played with? Write a blog post. Sign up to talk at a meetup about a thing.
The best engineers are great mentors/teachers, and they became this through practice.
The best engineers are great mentors/teachers, and they became this through practice.
