This weekly roundup highlights what we believe to be the most thoughtful and/or interesting discussion of the week. We're also be highlighting one particularly cool comment in each installment. 🙌

The DEV Community is particularly special because of the kind and thoughtful discussions happening between community members. As such, we want to encourage folks to participate in discussions and reward those who are initiating or taking part in conversations across the community. After all, a community is made possible by the people interacting inside it.

Discussion of the Week

This week's winner is @jmfayard for the awesome prompt "What are the best tools/concepts to shoot yourself in the foot again and again?":

What are the best tools/concepts to shoot yourself in the foot again and again?

Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard ・ Aug 29 '22

#discuss #watercooler #programming #community

I'm loving the prompt here — who hasn't excitedly reached for a tool or tried to apply a highy-touted concept only to have it gloriously backfire on them? Or, maybe you're one of the lucky ones who is aware of the pitfalls of said tool/concept and you avoided it completely. No matter what, you likely have a tale to tell about a specific concept or tool that you believe to be more trouble than it's worth. Or, if you're just beginning as a dev, you might wanna hop in and learn from other folks' wounded feet! 🦶🔫

That said, everyone has their own preferences, so don't let someone else make up your mind for you. And please, please, please keep these convos civil. Even if you read through someone's hot take on a tool you love and disagree, try not to let your frustrations drive your response. It's fine to debate, but just remember to keep your cool! 😎

Comment of the Week

The comment of the week goes to @darkain for their excellent response to "Should I share my current salary with recruiters?"

Vincent Milum Jr • Aug 30 '22

Do it the other way first.

My VERY first question before even getting into anything is asking the recruiter the expected salary range for the opportunity.

If they cannot answer, i decline immediately.

If they respond with a number, its usually followed up with "is this good enough", and I'll push them higher.

My current salary doesn't matter, only the new target I'm aiming to achieve.

Keeping it short, sweet, and direct, Vincent offers some great advice for job seekers! By initiating the conversation around pay and asking them what they can offer you, you then put the onus on your potential employer to present a compelling offer. This is a much better position to be in than allowing them the opportunity to size you up based on what you're currently being paid!

Honestly, there were so many great responses to this prompt, it was really hard to pick just one to highlight. I really enjoyed @kayis's comment about telling them the salary you want versus telling them the salary you currently have. I also thought that @bradtaniguchi's comment offered a really thoughtful approach for folks who are more comfortable with sharing their salary, but don't want it to backfire on them. @missamarakay made some great points about doing research to know your worth, and @dougatgrafbase outlined some great general questions to consider asking potential employers before signing on. I could easily keep cherry picking awesome comments, but I recommend taking a look for yourself!

What are your picks?

There's loads of great discussions and comments floating about in this community. These are just a few we chose to highlight. 🙂

I urge you all to share your favorite comment and/or discussion of the past week below in the comments. And if you're up for it, give the author an @mention — it'll probably make 'em feel good. 💚