On being a better Software Engineer
My learnings in the years I have wokred in vaious companies holding various roles.
It's not a complete and comprehensive guide.
And I will keep updating it as and when I have something more to add.
My learnings, as brief as I could compile them
Communicate - it's our job
Gotta learn this one very important life skill. Can't help.
Question things. For with questioning, comes clarity. Be humble though as we don't know what others are going through.
Learn to find answers on your own. For the best help we can have is us ourself!
Empathy
We are here to build products, and not just write code (cause AI's gonna do that better than us someday! 🫤)
Adding more software isn't always the solution. Sometimes, it's reducing code.
It always helps to get into the shoes of the customers using your product.
Talk to them, spend some time with them when they are using your product. Learn and understand their usuage patterns.
Design, not Chance
Don't let things happen by chance. Whether it's imporving your coding skills, acquiring new skillset, collaboration, even our promotion, don't let these happen on their own. Merely wiritng code or just exisiting (staying) in a company won't do much good.
Instead, talk to people who have already done it, take help and advice to pave your own path. Don't whine about lack of resources. There isn't, unless you are the top 0.1% in your profession 😐
Know your tools
It always helps to know the tools you use regularly.
Be it git, your IDE shortcuts or fundamentals on how the programming language you code on, works.
Get a good typing speed. It helps for sure!
Do 0-to-1 things
Learn to take up things that aren't very comfortable for you.
Do things that might require you to create something from scratch, from very first line of code. Learning happens at steepest.
Good Reads
I love reading and always look for another great recommendation
Here are some good books I know of -
- User Friendly
- Move Fast: How Facebook Builds Software - Jeff Meyerson
- Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston
- Leap Frog
- The Defining Decade 20 - Meg Jay