Robi
/Backend Engineer
Starting a new career or job is never easy, but that’s especially true in the field of IT. There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe for success and learning; each career path is different from the next. There are hundreds of courses, tutorials, and blogs with conflicting information. No wonder you sometimes feel lost.
As a junior backend developer, I thought I would help you out by sharing some advice I wish I had had when I started my journey. I hope you’ll find them helpful.
You only learn by doing:
When you learn a new piece of information, the easiest way to understand it is by doing it. For example: you may think that you can write a for loop, but in practice, you might struggle with it.
In short: Put the theory into practice!
You won’t know everything:
As a junior developer, you can’t/ don’t need to know everything, so don’t stress. In this profession, you need to learn and polish your skills because this world is constantly changing and evolving.
Focus on being a lifelong learner and proactive part of the team.
Github:
Create a Github account and publish your practice or active projects. This way you can get to know the Git version control system and your (future) colleagues can see what you’re interested in.
Don't be afraid to write bad code:
It might sound weird at first, but in real life, usually, your first version of a code won’t be perfect. Firstly, try to solve the problem, and then you can improve the quality of your code. Create a code that others can read and understand easily, like a good poem.
Joint project:
It can be really beneficial if you are able to work on a bigger, and more long-term project with your friends/ classmates. It’s a great work experience, you can learn to work in a team setting, which will be indispensable in the long run.
Practice, practice, practice:
Besides learning new things and keeping up with new technologies, you should revise your skills and knowledge. You might forget more than you realize.
Rest:
If you are sitting for hours on a problem, but you can’t seem to solve it, or you get lost in it, it’s time to take a break. Try to remove yourself from the problem, have a coffee, get some fresh air or chat with some friends, so your brain can relax and regroup your focus and energy.
Ask!
If you aren’t able to solve something, don’t be afraid, and ask! As a Junior, you don’t need to know everything, and it’s better to get help than being stuck on an issue for ages.
There is an effect called: Rubber duck debugging. You might understand and solve the problem while telling someone else. Your brain is forced to organize the information in a new way. This might clear up things in your head (it happened to me on multiple occasions).
Long story short: ask, because you’ll only get better.
Improve your English:
In most companies, it’s an expectation to read and write in English on a conversation level. You can work on an international project, but you need to communicate with others, besides this, as you can see, you’ll find most resources in English.
Useful resources:
- You can find a solution to pretty much everything here: stackoverflow.com
- If you want to work with JAVA in Spring Boot framework: baeldung.com
- Practice exercises for different skill levels: hackerrank.com, and leetcode.com
- +1 Best Hungarian YouTube channel (Spring Boot, Git, JAVA, Docker, tips for job interviews, and a lot more…) youtube.com/c/SanFranciscobolJottem
Final thoughts
I hope you enjoyed reading this and found the tips helpful. Starting a career in IT, especially as a junior developer, can feel overwhelming, but remember, you’re not alone on this journey. We all have to start somewhere, and the most important thing is to stay curious, keep practising, and never stop learning!