I’m closing in on 5 years in my career as a full stack developer at a startup and OH BOY, what a ride it has been. I’ve learned so much during this year, here are some of my conclusions from my experience so far.

1 - Reading and understanding others’ code is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.
90% of my first challenges were integrating into an existing code base so most of my day included reading and debugging to figure out how things work. I dedicated time to learn and unravel the relevant code base in order to spot the exact place to seamlessly blend in and add my own code or refactor existing code.

2 - Using visual thinking techniques helps solve the problem faster.
I would sketch the model I was working on, the flow of the algorithm I was building or the layers of communication between the client and the server. These scribbles really assisted me in rearranging my thoughts and when I had it all laid out before me, the coding part would flow and I knew exactly what I need to do in every step.

First solve the problem, than write the code

3 - Reaching out to other developers is a great brainstorming opportunity.
It allowed me to get a set of fresh eyes on the solution, hear different approaches to the problem. Also, by recapping the issue at hand, I became more and more focused on the right solution. Actually, a couple of my developer friends and I have a regular coffee meet up in which we share and brainstorm all about our challenges at work and we learn a lot from it overtime.

4 - Learning about other parts of the company can upgrade your professional status.
The more I got to know how my work relates to other departments in the company, the more relevant ideas I came up with. When I worked on a piece of code, I knew exactly how it merges into the overall picture and I was able to think ahead about efficient solutions and out of the box edge cases.

5 - Acknowledging your limits and finding the things that refill your energy is critical to avoid burning out.
The tech industry is a stressful and demanding environment and it’s easy to get sucked into it because work is never ending. As the year progressed, I’ve noticed what inspires me with motivation, and what helps me recharge. I’ve made a point to integrate these things into my day-to-day life. Whether it’s going to a good music concert, hanging out at the beach or just binge watching a good TV show — I found the time to do it. Being productive in the long term is important also to my employer, as it should be, so I learned how to raise a flag whenever I felt I needed a break.

Follow me on Medium to learn more about how to break into the tech industry and how to improve your software development skills:

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