Getting started as a Software Engineer
Every year millions of Software Engineers get out in the market looking to make a career. If you look at them 10 years down the line different people from the same college and probably the same IQ are at different stages some are founders of successful startups, some have achieved excellence in terms of pay and designation while some are stuck in a job they resent.
So what is the secret sauce if not your degree and your IQ?
In my opinion, it’s the difference between conscious choices vs coincidences.
Most developers (am not talking about the top 1%) drift through their careers, they get something out of college and most likely that drives the rest of their careers.
Let’s take an example from my personal life :
When I finished college most of us did not know what life as a Software Developer looks like, and neither did most of us know what we wanted to do.
Our careers were driven by the decisions the company we joined took for us rather than our own. This led to some people becoming Developers, some being QA while some ended with DevOps. Now, none of these roles is bad but this should have been a conscious decision rather than a coincidence.
Here is a framework I generally ask all young engineers to follow to maximise their potential :
Figure out what you love
When you are working on a project as a software engineer, it is important to know what you are good at and what you love. This will help you make the right decisions when it comes to your career.
If you are not sure what your strengths are, then take some time and reflect on the things that make you happy. What do you enjoy doing? What projects have given you the most satisfaction? What would be your dream project?
Figure out what you love whether it’s UI or backend or infrastructure. Figure out what you are passionate about.
Be the worst guy in the Band
The book Passionate Programmer explains it pretty well, quoting it here
“Always be the worst guy in every band you’re in.”
Always look at the team you are going to work with, find smart people and never fail to pick their brains. This helped me not only find my first mentor but also helped me avoid a lot of mistakes I would have otherwise made.
Be Proud and Strive for Excellence
Always be proud of the work you do. Strive for excellence.
Excellence is about always doing your best. It is about working to produce the highest quality work and striving for that excellence in everything you do. Excellence also means recognising your accomplishments, celebrating them, and being proud of them.
It’s ok to fail or miss the obvious early in your career, but never slack off thinking “I will do it later”.
This leads to people assuming you do half-baked work and sometimes you start believing this yourself.
Never Get Into Comfort Zone
A few years ago, I was in a position where I was comfortable. I had a job that paid me well and my boss respected me. The only problem was that it wasn’t challenging enough for me. I wanted to learn new things, so I started looking for job opportunities elsewhere.
It took some time to find something that fit my needs, but when it did, I jumped on it without hesitation.
That’s because the more you stay in your comfort zone, the less likely you are to grow and learn new skill sets, especially early in your career. As you move on in life there might be other priorities like family, health etc and it is then that you will reap rewards for hard work early in your career.
Don’t get stuck with a Technology or Stack
Technology is very volatile, every month you will hear about a new framework or language. Being too indexed on one technology does not help. Look for opportunities to learn and learn whatever you can.
This will not only make you a better programmer but also a great leader later when your choices of technology will not be biased by your own expertise.
