This is a guest blog post from Noel Worden. Enjoy. Dear new developer, Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It can be stressful and humbling to reach out and ask a question, but it can be the best way to stop spinning your wheels and make progress. It’s stressful because as a new developer you … Continue reading Don’t be afraid to ask questions
Justin Kan on whether you should work at a startup
Dear new developer, Justin Kan has deep experience in the startup space, including at an accelerator called Y Combinator. He gave a talk about why you should work for a startup, and why you shouldn't. Here's the transcript,, and here's a blog post based on it. If you're looking for good management, avoid startups: The … Continue reading Justin Kan on whether you should work at a startup
Making mistakes is OK
Dear new developer, One time, not too many years ago, I was using git. I had used it for some personal projects, but hadn't used it in the team setting before. We were using this git branching model. I was creating feature branches and working on them. However, often I would be working on the … Continue reading Making mistakes is OK
How to market yourself as a new software developer
Dear new developer, This post from Corey Snipes, an experienced software developer, is well worth a read. From the post: People skills help so much. It’s hard to overstate that. I am a competent software developer, but I am really good at working on a team and that has carried me to increasingly sophisticated and … Continue reading How to market yourself as a new software developer
Show gratitude
Dear new developer, I have found gratitude to be an invaluable part of my software development career. First, being grateful makes me happier. It works for others too. When I get frustrated with someone at work, or some technology that is poorly documented or doesn't do just want I want, taking a step back and … Continue reading Show gratitude
Try contracting
Dear new developer, You have a portable skillset; most every company needs software, just like everyone needs accountants. You have a "means of production" that only costs a few thousand dollars: your laptop. You are in demand (as long as you have the right skills, experience and salary expectations). Please take a chance during the … Continue reading Try contracting
Potential vs delivery
Dear new developer, Early in your career you are judged on potential. Frankly, this is because when you are young in your career, you don't have much of a track record, so there's not much else to judge you on. This means that you can take more risks early in your career. You can shift … Continue reading Potential vs delivery
Join a meetup
Dear new developer, You are probably pretty overwhelmed right now. There is a lot on your plate and you probably are just trying to keep up with the job. I hate to do this, but I am going to ask you for some extra curricular time. You need to join a technology meetup. Go to … Continue reading Join a meetup
Know when to not throw in the towel
Dear new developer, I wrote previously about when to throw in the towel. Now I want to mention when you shouldn't. Anything worth doing is hard. That includes software development. There are times, sure, when it feels like you're a superhero. When the code is flowing. When you can hold the entire system in your … Continue reading Know when to not throw in the towel
Laziness, impatience, hubris
Dear new developer, Larry Wall has created foundational software (perl, patch). He coined the three virtues of a programmer: Laziness: The quality that makes you go to great effort to reduce overall energy expenditure. It makes you write labor-saving programs that other people will find useful and document what you wrote so you don't have … Continue reading Laziness, impatience, hubris
Letters To A New Developer 