Dear new developer, Dev.to is a relatively new community of developers. A few years ago, someone on that community asked for advice for junior developers, and I found the answers fascinating. Here are a few of my favorites. People should respect you. It's your right to push back against disrespectful interactions. If it's waved away … Continue reading What’s your best advice for a new developer?
This is a guest post from Luca Florio, lightly edited. Enjoy. Dear Self, You just graduated and you are ready to start your career in the IT field. I cannot spoil anything, but I assure you it will be an interesting ride. I’m writing you this letter because I want to give you some advice … Continue reading A letter to myself as a fresh software engineer
This is a guest post from Donnie Berkholz, lightly edited. Enjoy! Dear new developer, Since joining an enterprise (the world’s largest business-travel company) a while ago to drive their DevOps transformation, my ongoing mental evolution regarding the value of technology has gone through an almost religious rebirth. I now think in a completely different way … Continue reading How to be a 10x engineer: Business value for technologists
Dear new developers, Update July 5, 2020: I now have a launch date and a cover. You may have noticed the pace of new letters has slowed down a bit. There have been some fantastic guest posts, but there's only been one new letter per week for a while. There's a reason for that. I'm … Continue reading I’m writing the book I wished I’d read
Dear new developer, I saw this insightful tweet: https://twitter.com/nora_js/status/1224905963804606467 The whole thread is worth reading, but you get the basic idea. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. When I think back over the years, I am amazed at how many things I can do without thinking now that would have been baffling to … Continue reading You’re going to put some plates in toasters
Dear new developer, Just like you should learn a text editor, you should learn an integrated development environment (aka IDE). This is typically a standalone program focused on one or more programming languages. They range from free to a couple of hundred bucks in pricing. Using an IDE will give you the following benefits: It … Continue reading Learn an IDE
Dear new developer, At some point in your career, you might get laid off. This is different than being fired for performance reasons (which might happen too, unfortunately). First off, I am not a lawyer, so this is based on experience, reading and research, not a law degree. Please don't take this as legal advice … Continue reading How to go through a layoff
Dear New Developer, Congratulations! Let’s take a moment to celebrate the decision you’ve made to launch or redirect your career. What lies ahead is a lot of hard work, satisfaction, the occasional desire to throw your laptop out a window, and a ton of learning. That’s true of most professions, so you’re also in good … Continue reading “It never gets easier, you just go faster.”
This is a guest blog post from Zach Turner. Enjoy. Dear New Developer, Don’t forget to play. I spent the year after undergraduate working and learning. My goal was to find a job at a company and eventually I succeeded. However my passion dwindled because it was always put second to finding a salaried position. … Continue reading You Should Play (A Lot) More
Dear new developer, Make sure you maintain your work life balance. You'll never know everything. You shouldn't try. But even if you accept that, there may still be a temptation to work work work. Why? You want to "prove yourself". You want to over-index in your first few months. Working extra is an easy way … Continue reading Maintain work life balance
Letters To A New Developer 