Starting your Software Engineering career and wondering how to make your mark?
We understand the initial phase of your career can feel overwhelming.
To support you, we've gathered 9 pieces of expert advice from industry leaders to guide your way:
First meet the panel - John Crickett: Founder of Coding Challenges, Jordan Cutler: Senior Software Engineer at Qualified, and Omar Halabieh: Tech Director at Amazon Payment Services.
John Crickett -
1. Optimize for growth - Find a role that maximizes your growth, you’ll never have as much opportunity to learn as you do now. Maximize it to accelerate your career.
2. Learn the fundamentals - Much as we like to claim software development is fast paced, most of what’s new is old. If you know the fundamentals, you’ll recognise when they’re being applied in a novel way / novel setting and pick it up quickly.
3. Practice writing - Great writing will set you apart from your peers at every level of your career. Learn to do it well and practice regularly.
Jordan Cutler (me) -
4. Get to know your team - Schedule 1:1s with every team member when you join a new team. You’ll start off with great relationships and people you can reach out to for help.
5. Go the extra mile - Do your assigned tasks, but also fix systemic problems you notice along the way. You’ll really stand out.
6. Find a mentor - Schedule a bi-weekly meeting with a teammate you look up to and ask if they can mentor you. This is one of the fastest ways to grow early in your career.
Omar Halabieh -
7. Understand Expectation - Get to know the performance drivers and expectations in your role. This also involves immersing yourself in the company's engineering culture.
8. Ask Questions and Learn - Strive to find a balance between solving problems independently and asking questions. This approach will help you ramp up quickly, deliver value faster, and respect your team's time.
9. Drive Visibility and Seek Feedback - Be intentional about making your work visible to your team and actively seek feedback. This practice will not only improve your work quality but will also contribute to your personal growth and improvement.