Open source is a great option.
You'll get to work with others who are more senior than you and see how they do things. It's definitely helped me a lot.
Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
41–50 of 305 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#42Find a tech group in your area to join, and participate in discussions or just listen, as you see fit.
I find that it is refreshing to hear the perspectives of working and aspiring programmers, and I stand to learn a lot about the field outside my little bubble within it: what various startups are doing, the problems they're trying to solve, etc.
In short, if you cannot find humans to talk with and bounce ideas off of at work, do so outside of work (but be careful about your company's trade secrets, etc.). Do not rely on ChatGPT. ChatGPT is to discussion what ultraprocessed food is to food.
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#43Apart of specific domain-related things (geo, physics, mapping etc) ,
read general software books. Maybe some philosophy too.. as software is (medium of) knowledge, and studying knowledge is.. philosophy. Winnie the Pooh and requirements-engineering?
Find other people working on similar/related topics, connect with them, offline or online. Do not fear being THE Tech Guy in the company.. just do not be over-confident / arrogant. Doubt quick-wins, check, prove things. 30 years ago such one-programmer-per-company was a normal thing.
My reading recommendations are below, but that's just what i have found good.. not exhaustive list. i found some of those only after 11 years doing stuff by myself, and saw i have been inventing hot-water in many "wrong"-but-somehow-working ways, so what.. Better than only applying miracle recipes you don't understand.
https://www.svilendobrev.com/rabota/
https://www.svilendobrev.com/1/
And, most important, have fun!
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#44Couple of important lessons that will keep you in good stead for a long time: 1. Learn how to learn well, continuously, and sustainably. Tech changes rapidly. And you will want to hop from one domain to another, just for keeping things interesting and to move with markets. This is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because you can start late and still be in the top percentile if you have the brains and wor…
How do you learn how to learn well?
This is a difficult question to prescribe an answer for that works for everyone, but the best I personally can think of is "practice".
To make that more actionable... My approach in life has generally been to find a project (even something seemingly incredibly dumb, as long as it is fun), then work through it, learning what I need to know as I go along. To learn "well", you must then also constantly question what you have done as you complete various stages of the project to see if you have done them as effectively as possible, and try to incorporate any lessons learned into future projects.
I have found that how individuals do the learning required for this differs significantly from person to person, so it is hard to recommend any particular approach.
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#45Of course, it's nice to have some seniors, where you can look over their shoulders. Usually, you don't have this ideal situation. Most of the time, I didn't have it, too.
You can use a lot of modern Internet resources.
I got a Learning O'Reilly Account. There you can find courses, videos and live events where you can ask questions. It's helpful.
Read a lot of good books/e-books, ask in forums and maybe in your town is a user group for that.
Just write the software and constantly look to improve. Your code from 2 years ago is in an ideal situation, much worse than your code now.
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#46Craving for a team of more senior people to learn from, "yodas" who guide you - is a fallacy. I hear younger people mentioning it in interviews constantly as to what they dream team would look like. You can learn from everyone around you, regardless of their status. There is no "universal developer experience curve", everyone has more or less knowledge on a field or with a specific tool/framework. You can learn almos…
I can second this. I have learned infinitely more by doing and teaching than I ever have from being taught.
It might be a personality thing though. I’m a stubborn idiot who questions everything he’s taught. I don’t take advice. I listen to people stories. The why has always more important than the how.
I’ve been fortunate to have many teachers and mentors, but I didn’t seek any of them out and none of them guided me. They were people with the right perspective and I had asked them the right questions.
But the two best mentors in my life are my two best friends. All three of us are different and have different things to teach each other.
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#47Craving for a team of more senior people to learn from, "yodas" who guide you - is a fallacy. I hear younger people mentioning it in interviews constantly as to what they dream team would look like. You can learn from everyone around you, regardless of their status. There is no "universal developer experience curve", everyone has more or less knowledge on a field or with a specific tool/framework. You can learn almos…
Learning by yourself is (on average) significantly harder. Some people can do it and succeed, but it's very easy to learn bad habits if no one is talking you out of them, to focus on the "fun" parts to the detriment of important but tedious parts, and so on. Far more people who attempt to be "self taught" fail than become incredibly successful. You can have bad mentors/seniors, but looking for people to learn from an…
Well, it's harder, but I don't think it's too hard. You have to keep your motivation high.
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#48You gotta stay up to date with the lastest and greatest
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#49If you want to grow you will need to change jobs. Small companies are not a good fit for a fresh grad with little to no experience. In a small company you are by necessity a jack of all trades because there are only so few of you.
If you aren't experienced already it is a very hard position to be in, with a huge responsibility and potential to screw up due to inexperience - and be promptly thrown under the bus when the proverbial shit hits the fan. Code reviews by ChatGPT can't compensate for lack of more experienced colleagues.
The best way to grow as a fresh grad is to join a medium sized, established business. There you are going to be a part of a team where you will get to learn the ropes of your field (that's something you won't find in ChatGPT or university) and at the same time the pressure won't be so hard. And while you aren't going to get the perks of working at huge companies like Google or Facebook, you likely won't have to deal with assorted corporate BS that comes with it either.
Only once you get a few years under your belt think about startups, small companies, etc.
Re: Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?
#50Ideally, you need to move to an entry-level position within a year or two. Don't plan on staying in your job very long; no more than 1-2 years.
Why?
I once encountered a tech lead who was at the same job, since graduating, for about a decade. All of the novice mistakes showed. Because there was no one there to correct basic security mistakes, the lead grew very accustomed to getting their way and getting constant flattery in the process.
When the time is right, seek a position where you're generally the most junior employee, and seek to learn from everyone around you. It's important that you can learn from others before you get into a leadership role.