Engineering video
8:37 · 15 May 2024
Stick to a single tech stack and framework for your first three years to build mastery. Focus on enduring fundamentals because specific libraries and frameworks will change over time.
Hear it at 0:14 →Believe in yourself to reach higher levels, ignore nasty people, and avoid taking feedback or code reviews personally. Maintain clarity when competence is still developing.
Hear it at 0:42 →Passing technical interviews is a vital high-paying skill that gets easier with practice. Senior developers are ultimately defined by their ability to ship things to production and deliver results.
Hear it at 2:23 →AI will not replace developers, so focus on continuous improvement. Be kind to junior developers who suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect, and recognize that algorithms, data structures, tech books, and blogs are often overrated compared to building real things.
Hear it at 3:33 →Work smarter by minimizing distractions and planning your schedule, and prioritize physical and mental health over burnout. Think long-term, stay resilient through challenges, and ignore unhelpful tech Twitter advice.
Hear it at 4:31 →Job security comes from employability and your network. Maximize your earnings by negotiating salaries, being prepared when asking for raises, switching jobs for bigger pay bumps, and prioritizing cash over vague promises of learning.
Hear it at 5:47 →Prioritize quality in everything you do, avoid looking for shortcuts, and surround yourself with people you admire and can learn from.
Hear it at 7:15 →I've been writing code for over 10 years now. During this time, I've also mentored more than 250 JavaScript developers, helping them reach the senior level and beyond. In this video, I will share with you 30 things that I wish I had known when I was just starting out. Let's start with number one: stick to one framework. For the first three years of writing code, stick to one tech stack and one framework.
For example, if you're a JavaScript developer, that can be React, Angular view, or if you're in the back end, Node.js. Once you master a technology, it is much easier to master others. Number two: focus on the fundamentals. The frameworks and libraries you are using right now might not be around 10 years into the future, but fundamentals never change. That's why they are called the fundamentals. Number three: believe in yourself.
No matter how much you know, you will never make it if you don't believe in yourself. Most software developers don't reach a higher level because they don't even think they are able to get there in the first place. Number four: always negotiate your salary. Even if they've promised free beers and ping pong tables and that you will learn a lot, in reality, cash is king. And one of my biggest regrets leaving employment as a software engineer, it's being way too afraid to negotiate my salary.
Due to that, I've been always underpaid whenever one of our mentees reaches a higher level because they negotiate, my heart feels with joy. Number five: ignore nasty people. Interviewers that are mean to you are mean to everybody. The hardest part of being a bad person is that you have to live with yourself. Don't let other people's negativity drag you down and move on. Number six: don't take anything personally.
Don't take interview feedback personally, don't take code reviews personally. People are just criticizing your code or your performance, not you as a developer or as a person. And if they do criticize you as a person, just ignore it. Remember what I said about nasty people: fix what's broken and move on. Number seven: confidence comes from competence, but it also comes from clarity. Confidence comes from competence because it's easy to be confident about the things you know, even when you're competent.
But when you don't have that competence because you're still learning, like we all develop as how, you can gain that confidence by having clarity. Knowing what you don't know will make you more confident even if you don't have that competence yet. Number eight, you get motivated by getting things done, not by watching motivational videos. If you're feeling down, get busy, close tickets, get stuff done.
Number nine, technical interviews are hard, but they do get a lot easier with practice. Most developers simply don't practice hard enough because they let rejection get into their heads. When you're getting ejected, ignore it, move on, do more interviews. Number 10, the best paying skill that you can learn as a software engineer is not some shiny JavaScript framework. It's passing technical interviews.
Get good at them and you'll never have to worry about your future again. Number 11, be ready to fail a lot. Even at the senior level, you will still fail a lot. You will be passed over for promotions, some of your projects will get canceled. You might get laid off even if you did a great job. Remember, winners find a way to win, losers find a way to lose. So keep pushing forward. Number 12, you are better than console log.
Learn how to properly debug your code. Trust me, it will pay off. Number 13, to be a senior, learn how to deliver. Look, every company has a different definition of senior developer. But all senior developers have one thing in common. They somehow get stuff done. If you want to get to senior, get good at shipping things to production. Delivery is the most in-demand skill and it will always be. Number 14, AI won't replace developers, so keep on getting better.
Look, AI will change software development, we all know that, but it will not replace you or me. Your job is safe, don't let the noise distract you. ChatGPT is better at tricking you into thinking that it's smart rather than writing smart code. So don't worry, keep on improving your skills. Number 15, be kind to junior developers, even if they piece you off and trust me, a real piss you off. Most times, they just I trying to do their best. But remember, we were all stubborn junior devs at one point in our careers.
It's this Dunning and Krueger effect combined with impostor syndrome that makes them behave that way. They simply don't know what they don't know. So, be as kind as you can to them. Number 16, algorithms and data structures are overrated. They are not how you will get your first developer job most likely. So, you are better off focusing on being able to build things instead of just memorizing lead code problems.
Number 17, work smarter, not harder. Plan your weeks and days, have a daily routine. And, for God's sake, minimize distractions, don't code with your phone on your desk. Focus, it's a superpower. Number 18, take care of yourself, sleep well, eat well, and move a lot. Because you cannot buy back your physical and mental health, this is one of the biggest mistakes I've personally done when I was just starting to code.
I was working seven days a week with no breaks and achieving very little because I would burn out and have little energy and try to catch up with that by eating vegetarish food and Red Bulls and stuff like that, and it never really worked. Number 19, think long-term in everything you do. The skills you learn, the companies you work for, and the people you work with. And for God's sake, stick to things when they don't work out.
I saw a lot of developers getting in and out of software development. The people that made it to the end are the ones that kept on going despite the challenges. So just keep on going. Number 20, ignore tech Twitter because most of the advice there, it's simply gearbadge. Like this TDD cult, test-driven development, when in fact most companies outside of the big tech don't actually do TDD. Look, do try to get at TDD, though, it's a good philosophy, but ignore most of the tech Twitter advice.
Because it's just there to get likes, it doesn't mean it actually works in reality. Number 21, the only job security you have is your employability, aka, how fast can you get a new job if you get laid off tomorrow? This comes down to the skills you have and the people you know. on those two things, because that's what your employability is all about. Number 22, the fastest way to get a big pay raise, increasing salary as a software developer, is by switching jobs.
It is also the hardest, so get good at technical interviews. Number 23, the easiest way to earn extra money as a developer without working harder is to ask and get a raise. The best way to ensure that you actually get a raise when you ask for one is by being prepared. So make sure you're prepared, and if you want me to do a video about how to prepare for a pay raise, just drop it in the comment. Number 24, don't threaten your boss when asking for more money or anything else, they will never forget it.
Number 25, technical books are overrated. Don't feel pressured into reading a book just because everyone talks about it. Oh, and by the way, if you do want to know which are the best technical books you can read as a software engineer to accelerate your growth, check out the video at the end of this one where Bogdan and I show you our top software development books. Number 26, don't be afraid of hard work and stop looking for shortcuts.
Sure, you will see some developers getting lucky, maybe some of your friends in this industry, maybe, you know, maybe jumping levels, getting better salaries. But the truth is, most software developers you see that are ahead of you worked extremely hard to get there. There's no free lunch. Number 27, prioritize quality over quantity in everything you do. From the code you write, the projects you build, and the people you surround yourself with.
Number 28, optimize for earning, not for learning, I know counterintuitive, but don't get fooled by, you know, we don't pay well, but you will learn a lot. Way too many developers end up underpaid because they were promised that they would learn a lot. Guess what, you learn a lot in most places. So get paid for it. Number 29, blogs are overrated. Yes, I said it, blogs are overrated. Some of the best developers I know don't have a blog and they will never have one.
So don't feel pressured into logging or being on social media or doing even YouTube videos, if that's not something you have fun with or that's not your thing. Get good at solving hard problems. not attacking about them and you will do just fine. Finally, number 30, surround yourself by people you admire. Because in the end, you will become the people you are surrounded by. One of the reasons I am where I am right now in my developer career is because I always seek advice from other people who were more advanced than me.
And I was lucky enough that my twin brother Barden was also a software engineer, but not any software engineer, but one of the best developers I know. Finally, if you're a JavaScript developer looking to get to senior level, we want to help you. Check out the free training we've put together for you, where I share with you a step-by-step road map for you to get to the next level. I'll see you there.
