This is a guest post from an anonymous FAANG engineer. Enjoy. Dear New Developer, In 2020, one question lurks in all of our minds: What the hell is going on? And yet, for many of us, life not only goes on, it presents exciting new opportunities. Towards the end of 2019, after six years of … Continue reading Interviewing at a FAANG in the Midst of COVID
This is a guest post from Shawn Wang aka swyx. Enjoy. Dear new developer, If there's a golden rule to learning, it's this one. You already know that you will never be done learning. But most people "learn in private", and lurk. They consume content without creating any themselves. Again, that's fine, but we're here … Continue reading Learn in public
This is a guest post from Karl Hughes. Enjoy. Dear new developer, I was in your shoes in 2011. I was finishing up a degree in mechanical engineering that I would never use and looking for a way to join a startup as a software developer. Maybe it was the entrepreneur in me, and maybe … Continue reading Your network increases optionality
Dear new developer, I've spent a lot of my time maintaining working code. I think that is more typical of software developers than working in greenfield development. Yes, there are definitely jobs where you are writing more new code than maintaining, upgrading, bug fixing and improving old code (startups without product market fit being one, … Continue reading Always leave the code better than you found it
Dear new developer, A key part of software development is being able to pick up where you left off. You are going to have interruptions during your day, and you want to be prepared for them. Whether you took a break to rest your eyes, stepped away for lunch or have left for the day, … Continue reading Save off context
Dear new developer, The honest truth is that you won't know everything. No one does. The CEO, CTO, the team lead, that really smart senior developer on your team, none of them know everything. In fact, I bet if you asked any one of them if they'd been stymied in the past week, they'd reveal … Continue reading How to say I don’t know
This is a guest post from Pariss Athena. Enjoy. Dear new developer, Honestly, I don’t think there’s one absolute answer. I believe the answer depends on you and the risk you’re comfortable taking. However, I do think there are things you should take into account before jumping the gun. This is how I personally knew … Continue reading When is it time to quit my 9-5?
Dear new developer, I thought this article was worth sharing, as it is a relatively inexperienced developer talking to newer devs. But as I read it, one piece of advice stuck out and is worth emphasizing. Plan first, then code Roberto Hernandez This is fundamental. Unlike, say carpentry, where planning is critical because you waste … Continue reading Plan first, then code
Dear new developer, Perhaps you took the first job offered to you. Perhaps you joined a friend's company, then realized it wasn't quite what you were promised. Perhaps you joined a company as the only developer and didn't realize you should avoid working alone. You might feel trapped by the money, trapped because you believe … Continue reading If you’re trapped in your job, what should you do?
Dear new developer, I've written before about how being a developer sets you up for a lot of adjacent professions. Jobs like: Engineering managerTechnical trainerStartup CTOProduct managerDeveloper advocateSales engineer I have either direct personal experience or have watched a colleague or friend transition to those types of jobs. I'm sure there are many that I'm … Continue reading How to make a move to a related occupation
Letters To A New Developer 