I’ve been writing code for over 10 years now. From big corporations full of legacy code to small startups that would change strategy every week. I also mentored over 250 software developers, helping them move to Senior level and beyond. On the way, I’ve seen projects fail and succeed. In this article, I will share 30 things I wish I knew when I was a fresh developer just starting out.

I always talk about how awesome life is when you are a Senior Developer on this blog. That’s because I truly believe every coder should at least reach the Senior Developer level before considering other career choices (like technical leadership or freelancing). But I must warn you that being a Senior Developer is not all roses.

The #1 thing the Junior developers lack is not experience, is confidence. Take away all my programming knowledge. But, give me the confidence I have now, and I would get to Senior at least 3x faster.

This article will reveal the exact skills you need to master to become a Senior Backend Developer in 2024 and beyond. You will see how you can level up following the clear path without spending months on LeetCode or reading hundreds of System Design books full of theory but little practical advice.

Do you hate commute time? Do you hate office farms, cubicles, and endless meetings that stop you from doing what you like the most—solving problems and writing code? You are not alone. Every developer I talked to in the last six months told me the same. The majority preferred working from home because it was more comfortable and productive.

I’ve been a developer myself for over 10+ years. I’ve coached hundreds of developers. With many of them reaching the top 10% in terms of career level and salary. For years, I thought about what it takes to become really successful in software development. It doesn’t matter if you want to make a lot of money or simply master your craft. Most developers want the first one and, later in their career, the second one.

Are you a software developer dreaming about the magic number?Earning a 100k salary.Maybe you want to retire early to an exotic island. Have a family without worrying about money. Or you simply want more from life. I am here to tell you that you are not crazy. Getting to a 100k salary as a software developer is doable. 

Here are, in no particular order, a few lessons I’ve learned along the way that you can use to fast track your Developer career to the Senior level.

You sent thousands of applications, but no one called you back. You went through long interview processes to get ghosted at the last minute. If you are a developer looking for a job right now, you are on a tough ride. Because the game has gotten harder and harder. 

The software development market has become insanely competitive, if you want to stand out, you need to do a lot more than query ChatGPT or Google for an answer. You need to think creatively and to reason about technical choices by yourself.