Lessons learnt as a Junior (part I)

Here are 3 pieces of advice based on my short experience as a Junior Frontend Developer that hopefully will help you navigating through this challenging period.

/* 1. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 Speed */

No matter how urgent a task might be, what matters most is to accomplish a particular task in the best possible manner. That means that you better take your time to go through the task requirements, double check all steps are being followed, and never forget to test what has been done. Your work delivered and its quality reflects you and your work quality standards, no matter how simple a task might seem.

/* 2. Caution with “Delete” Button */

Although making mistakes is the best teacher, I have come to realize that deleting something (from files to a seemingly inoffensive semicolon) can create a major headache so better to:

-Double check and document why and what are you deleting.

-Discuss your reasons for deleting with a senior or ask for teammates/boss advice.

-Make a backup or original file copy, just in case…

-If in doubt, do not delete!

/* 3. Ask for Help */

It’s OKAY to ask for help too often as a junior dev, it might not be the easy to handle the fact that you depend on other’s knowledge though. But I believe there are not silly questions and that everybody has learned development from the ground up. So, remember, your work colleagues were once a beginner too, meaning they’re probably facing the same issues and having the same questions you had. That being said, there are few things to get done before asking for help, as your teammates’ time is valuable. In my opinion, a junior dev should first:

• Define the issue. Specify exactly what the problem is. It may sound obvious but if you are not able to clearly describe the problem, you’re not ready to ask for help.

• Take a good stab at solving the problem. Research, google, act as if none was there to give you a hand. But do not hesitate to ask for help when reaching a certain limit. A very experience software developer once told me that if I spend more than 2 hours troubleshooting in vain, it might be time to ask for help. So, find your own timing and apply it.

• Know your limits. Related to the previous point, and as in hiking, knowing your limits is key to deliver a better performance, improve your weakness as well as helps strengthen your learning process, and to avoid wasting your and someone else's time.

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