Dear new developer, This post by Erik Dietrich covers the situation where a developer becomes an "expert beginner". This is something to avoid as you build your career--don't work in a place where you are isolated or unable to progress. He breaks progress in any area down into a number of components--Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Competent, … Continue reading Avoid being an expert beginner
Read the documentation
Dear new developer, Reading the docs is so important. It is so easy, when you are confronted with a task, to just jump in and start doing. It feels right. It feels natural. It feels like progress. The problem is that it may be motion, but it probably is not progress. You may be spinning … Continue reading Read the documentation
Job hunting tips for new developers
Dear new developer, Joe Marshall has some interesting tips for new developers (he calls them "junior developers to be" but developer nomenclature is so broken that I prefer the term "new"). They are focused around finding a job (and Joe has a newsletter to help 🙂 ). They range from the simple: "Read coding interview … Continue reading Job hunting tips for new developers
Learn to use a debugger
Dear new developer, When you are fixing a bug in a program you are working on, a key thing to do is to get an understanding of the state of the system. This can include user input, stored values from a persistent data store, and non recurring information like the current time. But the most … Continue reading Learn to use a debugger
How to read code
Dear new developer, Reading code is much more common than writing code. Some might even say, "don't trust any documentation, read the code," though I consider that to be a pretty radical position. But how can you effectively read the code. This post from selftaughtcoders.com gives a good explanation: Find one thing you know the … Continue reading How to read code
The best code is no code
Dear new developer, It's paradoxical, but sometimes the best thing you can do is not write code. Remember, the value you provide is to solve the problem you are faced with (the outcome), not to write code. Custom code has value, but comes with costs. It needs to be deployed, maintained and upgraded. It has … Continue reading The best code is no code
Learn to use Google, and use it well
Dear new developer, Searching is important to writing and understanding software. Less so for giving you a base of knowledge. For that, I'd seek out books, video classes or side projects, depending on how you learn. Googling well is tough if you don't know what terms to use. (I'll use google as a synonym for … Continue reading Learn to use Google, and use it well
Start at a small consulting company
Dear new developer, If you are sure where you want to go in your shiny new development career, pick that and follow it. Whether that is embedded programming or high frequency trading or generic web development, pursuing a career with focus is a great option. If you are just looking for that first job, remember … Continue reading Start at a small consulting company
Use an RSS Reader
Dear new developer, I highly suggest using an RSS reader. I use Newsblur, but there are several good ones out there. This will let you keep on track of any publishing platform that has an RSS feed. This includes this site, but many many others. You can use it to keep tabs on your favorite … Continue reading Use an RSS Reader
Think deeply about engineering management
Dear new developer, This post from Charity about the choices you face as an engineer, and the challenges of technical management, is wonderful. As a new developer, you're probably a few years away from thinking about that (but perhaps not. If you join a startup rocketship, it's possible you'll be managing people in months). But … Continue reading Think deeply about engineering management
Letters To A New Developer 