How to stop being a junior developer
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Navigating through the layers and hierarchy of developers is a long-lasting process. You are valued on your skills and expertise first and foremost, but the years of experience and skills you have to have to go one scale up, are not that easy to reach.
Some people are strong supporters of the fact that experience can only be measured in years, and a junior developer can’t just skip a year and hack into an intermediate title.
However, there are ways you can boost up your road out of being a junior. It takes time, learning, and perseverance, but it is possible.
Here, we will emphasize on Тech you should be fluent in, tools you have to know how to use, and practical methods that will help you get rid of the junior badge of honor.
Technical skills
Okay, so you already have a decent tech stack under your belt, but you don’t feel capable of taking onto a big project yourself and learning another one of the ever-growing numbers of technologies and programming languages.
So, in case your boss says you are in charge of a new project that you need a lot more for, engage panic, right? Wrong. You start moving on and keep on learning.
Here is a traced path you’ll have to move through, sooner or later. Most of these are resources that are free to use and will help you rise above a Junior Role.
1. Learn how to improve Web Performance. You should know how to improve delivery and minimize files and images. Learn the difference between HTTP/2 vs HTTP/1.1, pre-fetching resources, code-splitting, Critical Render Path, compression, Caching…
2. Learn About Progressive Web Apps. Read on the subject and try to build a progressive web app yourself. Some of the key things you should know and that will enable you to create them are HTTPS, App Manifest, and Service Workers.
3. Learn a Popular Frontend Library or framework — (Vue, React, Angular) & How to Manage Complex State.
4. Do your own testing. You should be aware of the current testing landscape and the most relevant testing tools you can use. Try and write tests and learn about different types: Unit Tests, Integration Tests, End to End Testing. Learn how to write Asynchronous Tests & how to use Mocks, Stubs, and Spies.
5. Learn About TypeScript — all the benefits of having static typing in Javascript, using the TypeScript Compiler, and how to write in TypeScript, using DefinitelyTyped.
6. Learn About Client-Side Rendering vs Server Side Rendering, when to use which, and the benefits of using Next.js or Gatsby.js instead of implementing your own server-side rendering.
7. Securing your applications — avoid the most common security vulnerabilities like Injections, XSS, or CSRF; learn how to use HTTPS to make the web safer. You should also learn about Access Control, SQL Injections, and Command Execution. Practice by protecting against some of the most common attacks.
8. Learn About Docker and Containers — why are containers different than VMs, how to create a Docker container, how to use Docker Compose to orchestrate services.
Apart from these 8 technical skills we’ve selected for you to learn, there are things that you should master and accept by now. The way you interact with coworkers, team leaders and yourself in a learning situation are also things that will help you grow as a developer.
Here is what you should also focus on:
Ask for constructive criticism from peers and your seniors
A sign of growth is being able to seek and take objectively the constructive criticism of others. You are a junior, so you have a lot to learn, and instead of staying in the dark and trying to find your own mistakes, you can ask for other people’s opinions.
But, be aware that you will also meet with things you might not want to hear. Still, it is important to learn from your mistakes and being able to find the problem yourself in the future.
Mentorship and community
If you work in a team or at least know other developers, ask for someone with a long experience in development to help you with reviewing and critiquing. That way, you can avoid making the same mistakes, learn quickly, and have a different point of view.
If you can’t find a mentor that easily, becomes part of groups and don’t be ashamed to ask for advice. Ask for an honest opinion.
Take initiative
We often get stuck in the same place because that place feels comfortable and safe. It happens with our careers too — and if we lack the initiative or aren’t “thrown in the fire” to learn as we go, we stay stuck in the same place.
Don’t wait for a manager/team leader to tell you what to do or to give you more responsibilities. Give them to yourself — learn something new and ask for more obligations in the workplace or project.
