Mistakes I‘ve Made as a Junior Developer — And How You Can Avoid Them

When I landed my first job as a software developer, I was excited to finally be paid to do what I loved — write code and build things. I had spent countless hours honing my programming skills through school projects, hackathons, and online tutorials, and I felt confident in my ability to contribute to a real-world codebase.

However, I quickly realized that working as a professional developer was quite different from coding as a student or hobbyist. In addition to the technical challenges of the job, I had to navigate a whole host of new dynamics: collaborating with a team, communicating with non-technical stakeholders, estimating my work, and dealing with the pressure of deadlines and expectations.

Over the past few years, I‘ve made my fair share of mistakes as I‘ve grown from a junior developer to a more experienced engineer. In this post, I‘ll share some of the biggest lessons I‘ve learned along the way, in hopes that it will help other developers who are just starting out in their careers.

Underestimating the Importance of Communication

One of the first things I had to come to terms with as a junior developer was that my job was not just about writing code. In fact, a significant portion of my time was spent communicating with others through meetings, emails, code reviews, and documentation.

Early on, I viewed all this communication as a distraction from my "real work". I would often stay quiet in meetings, thinking that my contributions weren‘t valuable unless I had a technical solution to offer. I rushed through code reviews, providing only superficial feedback to my peers. And I put off writing documentation, thinking it could wait until after I had finished the "important" work of implementation.

Over time, I came to realize that communication is not secondary to the job of software development — it‘s a core part of the job. In fact, poor communication is often the root cause of failed projects, missed deadlines, and interpersonal conflicts on development teams.

Consider these sobering statistics:

• A study by the Project Management Institute found that poor communication is the primary contributor to project failure one third of the time, and had a negative impact on project success more than half the time.
• According to a survey by Atlassian, the average developer spends over 20 hours per week on "work about work" — including meetings, emails, and other forms of communication and coordination.
• In a study of over 500 developers by the Harvard Business Review, respondents said they spend an average of 21 hours per week in meetings and 16 hours per week reading, writing, and responding to emails and messages.

To be an effective software developer, you need to be an effective communicator. This means actively participating in meetings and discussions, even if you don‘t have all the answers. It means giving thoughtful, constructive feedback in code reviews. And it means taking the time to document your work so that others can understand and build upon it.

One of the best pieces of advice I received from a senior developer was to "make the implicit explicit". In other words, don‘t assume that others can read your mind or infer your intentions from your code. Take the time to explain your thought process, clarify your assumptions, and provide context for your decisions.

Neglecting Tests and Quality Assurance

Another mistake I made early in my career was not paying enough attention to testing and quality assurance (QA). Like many new developers, I was so eager to ship code that I would often cut corners when it came to testing. I would write unit tests haphazardly, if at all, and rely on manual testing to catch any bugs or edge cases.

This approach came back to bite me when I started working on more complex codebases with many interdependencies. More than once, I would deploy code that worked fine in my local environment, only to find out that it broke something in production. I spent countless hours debugging issues that could have been caught earlier with proper testing.

I‘ve since learned that testing is not an afterthought or a nice-to-have — it‘s an essential part of the development process. Well-written tests serve as a safety net, catching bugs and regressions before they make it into production. They also serve as documentation, providing examples of how the code should behave and what edge cases it should handle.

If you‘re not already in the habit of writing tests, start small. Aim to write at least one test for each new feature or bug fix you work on. Over time, you can build up a more comprehensive test suite that covers a wider range of scenarios.

Some key things to keep in mind when writing tests:

• Focus on testing the behavior of your code, not the implementation details. In other words, write tests that verify the inputs and outputs of your functions, not the specific steps they take to get there.
• Use descriptive, human-readable names for your test cases. This makes it easier to understand what each test is checking for and helps with debugging when a test fails.
• Don‘t neglect edge cases and error handling. Make sure your tests cover scenarios where the input is invalid, the network is down, or other unexpected things happen.
• Run your tests frequently, ideally as part of your continuous integration (CI) pipeline. This helps catch bugs early and ensures that your code is always in a deployable state.

In addition to writing tests, it‘s important to prioritize QA as part of your development workflow. This means taking the time to manually test your changes, both in your local environment and in a staging or QA environment that closely mimics production. It also means soliciting feedback from designers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure that your code meets the acceptance criteria and provides a good user experience.

Chasing Shiny Objects

As a junior developer, I was always excited to learn about the latest and greatest technologies and tools. I would spend hours reading blog posts and tutorials about new frameworks, languages, and libraries, thinking that I needed to master all of them to be a successful developer.

While it‘s important to stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, I‘ve learned that chasing shiny objects can be a recipe for burnout and frustration. With so many new technologies emerging all the time, it‘s impossible to keep up with all of them. Trying to do so can lead to a sense of overwhelm and imposter syndrome, as you feel like you‘re constantly playing catch-up.

Instead of trying to learn everything, I‘ve found it more effective to focus on a few core technologies that are relevant to my work and dive deep on those. This allows me to gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals and best practices, which I can then apply to other technologies as needed.

When evaluating whether to learn a new technology, I ask myself:

• Is this technology relevant to my current job or projects?
• Does it solve a specific problem or provide a significant benefit over my current tools?
• Is it widely adopted and supported by the community, or is it a niche tool with limited resources?
• Can I realistically learn and apply this technology in a reasonable amount of time, given my other commitments?

If the answer to most of these questions is no, I‘ll usually pass on learning the technology for now. Instead, I‘ll bookmark it for later and focus on more pressing priorities.

Of course, there‘s still value in exploring new technologies for fun and personal growth. But it‘s important to be strategic about how you spend your learning time, and not let the pursuit of shiny objects distract you from your core goals and responsibilities.

Comparing Myself to Others

As a junior developer, it‘s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. Whether it‘s looking at the resumes of more experienced developers or seeing the impressive projects your peers are working on, it‘s natural to feel like you‘re not measuring up.

However, I‘ve learned that comparisons are rarely helpful and often misleading. Everyone has their own unique background, strengths, and learning style, and progress is not always linear or predictable.

Instead of comparing myself to others, I‘ve found it more productive to focus on my own growth and achievements. I keep a log of my accomplishments, both big and small, and reflect on how far I‘ve come since I started my career. I also set goals for myself and track my progress over time, celebrating my successes along the way.

That said, there is value in seeking out feedback and advice from others. I‘ve benefited greatly from having mentors and peers who have provided guidance and support throughout my career. But it‘s important to remember that their path is not necessarily my path, and what worked for them may not work for me.

Some tips for avoiding the comparison trap:

• Focus on your own progress and growth, not anyone else‘s. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem.
• Seek out feedback and advice from trusted mentors and peers, but don‘t compare yourself to them. Everyone has their own journey.
• Remember that social media and online profiles often present a curated, idealized version of reality. Don‘t assume that everyone else has it all figured out based on what you see online.
• Cultivate a growth mindset, viewing challenges and setbacks as opportunities to learn and improve rather than as evidence of inadequacy.

At the end of the day, the only person you should be comparing yourself to is your past self. As long as you‘re learning and growing, you‘re on the right track.

Conclusion

Looking back on my journey as a software developer so far, I‘m amazed at how much I‘ve learned and grown. I‘ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but each one has taught me a valuable lesson that has made me a better developer and teammate.

If you‘re just starting out in your career as a developer, know that you‘re not alone in feeling overwhelmed or uncertain at times. Every senior developer was once a junior, and every expert was once a beginner.

The key is to embrace the challenges and opportunities for growth, and to stay curious and humble along the way. Don‘t be afraid to ask questions, seek out feedback, and admit when you don‘t know something. And above all, remember to celebrate your progress and achievements, no matter how small they may seem.

With hard work, persistence, and a willingness to learn from your mistakes, you‘ll be well on your way to a fulfilling and successful career as a software developer.