Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#51

Post by yn37 » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 6:51 PM UTC

data_hope wrote: post #6

- don't only worry about code or getting features shipped, but about the process, how to deliver quality. - behind any given reason, there is a complex network of real reasons. You don't need to second-guess any decision/order/suggestion, but it helps understanding. - most user stories / user requests are raw diamonds waiting to be polished. ("What do they really want me to solve") Essential reading list: - Clean Cod…

Yes, yes and yes.

It's funny because technically, none of these three things are part of an engineer's job.

But once you do them, you start noticing how you eventually get to: - save yourself time - save your customer money - avoid unnecessary complications down the road - offer useful comments / feedback / critiques / alternatives, when need be (because you better understand the decisions made around you) - help your customer or team better understand what they really want - find yourself in a better position to transition to other roles, if you choose to

Btw, I wrote a blog article a few days ago about exactly this: http://claudiu.dragulin.com/2016/12/02/dont-just-code-solve-...

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#52

Post by grayrest » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 6:56 PM UTC

What makes someone a senior developer is that they reliably reduce technical risk to a project and deliver on time. There are a lot of definitions for "senior" floating around, but that's what everybody really wants.

The main advice I give to junior developers is that state is the core of incidental complexity. Focusing on minimizing state to the degree practical is the simplest trick I know for producing well designed systems. The only place it doesn't necessarily work is high performance code.

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#53

Post by dmvaldman » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 6:57 PM UTC

It's as important to know the costs as it is the benefits of some technology.

Know programming patterns. Be able to categorize a problem as an instance of a pattern (or not).

Know what you don't know.

Execute.

Being better at debugging is more valuable than coding faster.

Train those junior to you as if you want them to replace you.

Use the Socratic method. Ask a lot of questions. Over-communicate.

Be able to adapt yourself to the person you're talking to.

Be able to manage "up." People should trust you not only because you can get things done, but also because they are well informed that things are getting done the way they want.

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#54

Post by sirwolfgang » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 6:57 PM UTC

- Focus on solving problems not writing code. Many problems can be solved with a communication, long before you need to write a line of code.

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#55

Post by jressey » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 7:07 PM UTC

In the latter part of my career, I have focused more on mental health, happiness, and early retirement. The things below reflect that more than how to become 'great' or whatever.

* Remember that people with non-software skills are probably just as smart and hardworking as you are

* No matter how much more qualified you are than your coworkers, don't fight every battle even if they are always wrong

* Actually read (don't skim) documentation and source code

* After you have some money saved up, quit your job and look for your dream job full-time

* You'll be perfectly happy having never worked in Silicon Valley, or for any prestigious companies

* Read error messages and understand instead of just googling

* Switch mentors often

* Forget about getting rich

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#56

Post by joemanaco » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 7:10 PM UTC

kreas wrote: post #42

joemanaco wrote: post #15

Don’t ever bother learning or using object-oriented programming.

I hope you're not being serious.

I really am.

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#57

Post by pjmlp » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 7:16 PM UTC

- Soft skills are as important or even more than than technical ones;

- Always judge the business value of any change request

- Be weary of any technology that promises to revolutionise the world of programming

- Get to know the whole stack, even if only in abstract terms, don't focus on silos

- Care about the business side, how the technology meets the needs of the actual users and way of doing business

- Never ever sacrifice private life for the employer. They won't think a second about your sacrifices when showing the door to teams

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#58

Post by loader » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 7:39 PM UTC

When you're done building it, spend the time to market it.

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#59

Post by salarycommenter » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 7:55 PM UTC

Most senior people I know are under paid and over worked. The lucky ones are just under paid.

Re: Ask HN: Senior developers, what would you tell a younger you?

#60

Post by anpk » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 8:04 PM UTC

Dont worry about the small things or the latest technology, it doesn't matter