Every year 2-3 junior developers are joining to our team. Even though they have some knowledge about how web development works, most of them make same or similar mistakes during their learning period. I finally decided to create a small check-list for them and to everyone who feels like can benefit from an experienced developer.
In this blog post, I will create a list of do’s and don’ts for those who joined a team of developers and looking for ways to improve themselves, and an easy transition period from solo-development to adopt their company culture.
DO’S
This section will tell you about what you can focus on during your development time.
Do read specs carefully
I see quite often that junior developers are skipping to read their task’s specifications and diretly dive into implementation. This can lead to un-desired funtionality at the end, therefore posibble rewrite of the whole task. Instead of taking your team’s extra time, spend a little more on reading what are about to do exactly.
Do read your specification and read it carefully.
Do ask when you think you are unsure
It is totally OK that you don’t get the whole thing/task/concept at once. Ask your colleagues about those parts that you are unsure of. This will save time for both you and the company in the long run.
Do read other people’s code.
Instead of inventing the wheel, you can learn a lot from your teammates. Go to your project’s source code and read other people’s implementations. You will get to see tips and tricks about the project, how whole thing has evolved from the beginning and how other people corrected their mistakes.
This will also save time for both parties in the long run and prevent blind-coding.
Do learn how libraries are meant to work.
This is also quite popular amongst junior developers to find a method that does magicly what they want. And they are not really interested in how it works and why it works. Before using a method that does things for you, please make sure that;
- How method works
- Check if you really need to use this method.
- Read more about how method works and its documentation.
Do as much reading as possible
Your work usually requires you to work 8 hours for the company but as a beginner you should not limit yourself if you really feel like you need to learn things. Web is a fast-changing environment and things you know this year will be outdated quite fast if you don’t keep up with the pace.
This applies to all developers too, not only beginners.
Do take responsibility
When things going south, try to see if you can be any help. Team-work is important especially when things are not working as expected. Your teammates will appreciate any small gesture during stressy hours. If there is anything that you think you can help with, do not hesitate to offer your work.
DON’TS
This section will tell you about things that you should avoid doing as a junior developer.
Don’t push your work blindly.
One of the things that suprised me most was how new beginners were using GIT version control. Whenever they are done implementing a feature or fixing a bug they type this command right away git add .
For non-git users out there, above command adds all modified files in developer’s local work to version control system.
Please, please do not do this. Not that it is wrong but this will let you miss on so many things at the same time.
By using above command,
- You will probably push some code that are not supposed to be committed.
- You will miss to catch possible typos on your code.
- You will not be able to take a look at your work one last time before letting others know about it.
Take a look at the diff and see what you have done and commit them one by one. You will see the that it will help you a lot.
Don’t focus on details too much before completing your work.
You are expected to complete your work in a specified time window. Focusing too much on layout details or implementation details will not help you complete your work on time. Some of those things you were stuck on will dissapear completely when you complete your implementation.
Try to have a not-so-good solution first instead of perfect but not working code.
Things get easier when get to see the complete scope.
Don’t be the silent kid on the corner.
As much as you are not expected to be giving talks all the time as a junior developer, being a silent developer will also not help you. Try to talk with your teammates before they come and ask you about how you doin. Socializing and talking about your work will build a better bridge in your work environment and at the same time will let others know about what you are up to.
This will also give you a mental pause which at the end will let you feel refreshed.
Don’t sleep so late
I know that it is not easy to switch your lifestype from being a student, or being a solo developer to regular work hours. But unfortunately, your work hours will start at a certain time and will end at a certain time. Not that it is none of others business if you get enough sleep but it is important for you to plan and execute your day at most effective way. 4 hours sleep plus 8 hours of work will take all of your energy and you will not be able enjoy good weather after work or spend some time at gym.
I would be so glad if this list would help you even a little bit. Please let me know if there is anything you would think is not correct or you want to add even more!
Have a good Monday!