5 pieces of advice for junior developers who want to level up quickly
This piece is based on my Quora answer to the question: What are 5 pieces of advice you would give to junior developer who wanted to level up quickly?
#1 Learn to say no respectfully and diplomatically
As developers, we’ll always be under pressure from above to deliver. While deliver we must, we need to be mindful of quality which is what leveling up as an engineer is all about. It’s better to know how to do things properly first and make an informed choice to forgo certain aspects, rather than not knowing what you’re forgoing for delivery.
It’s undeniably hard to say no to a higher up, but learning to do so while staying likable and respected, is a skill that will enable you to gain more skills, growing yourself as a developer.
Optimise for yourself — your company ain’t gonna be there for you when you’re no longer competitive. Your company should only receive the benefits you bring as a contributing engineer as a side effect of your growth and ability.
#2 Learn to communicate well
At least for me, I started writing software because it gave me a break from humans.
