Issue 12

Today’s Issue: Practical tips for junior developers and how I know the developer market is back on the rise!

Welcome to #12.

First Up - Tips for Junior Developers

I remember my first day as a developer—walking into the office, unsure of what to expect, doubting my skills, and feeling imposter syndrome creeping in. Truth is, every developer has been there. I still experience it from time to time! But that just means you care about doing well, and that’s a good thing!

Here are a few tips to help you navigate the early stages of your career:

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

   • It’s okay not to know everything, no one does. Your team wants you to succeed, so don’t hesitate to ask questions when you don’t know something.

2. Master Google and AI

   • Every developer uses Google, and now with AI, we use ChatGPT and tools similar. Part of being a developer is getting good at finding answers online.

3. Get comfortable with Git

   • Version control is your new best friend. Get comfortable branching, making commits, collaborating on a single codebase with multiple developers, and making pull requests.

4. Build Good Learning Habits

   • Technology is constantly changing so we always need to be learning. You're reading this newsletter so you’re already in the process!

5. Treat Code Reviews as Learning Opportunities

   • Feedback is gold and on-the-job training is the best way to learn. This also goes back to #1, ask questions!

6. Have fun

   • Work isn’t supposed to be horrible and stressful. Have some fun learning new things and enjoy the opportunity. You worked hard to become a developer!

Second Topic - Developer Market Back on the Rise

I can always tell the state of the developer industry by the amount of emails I get from recruiters. I’ve been a software developer for almost 7 years now and have also taught and mentored others to help them break into the field. Because of this, I’ve always tried to stay connected to the state of our job market. We’ve gone through some highs and lows and recently have been in sort of a slump. Tech layoffs were on the rise, and not as many companies were hiring junior developers.

The good news is this seems to be shifting and I’m seeing more and more developer positions open up. I’m also getting emails again from recruiters who find me on LinkedIn so this is always a good sign that hiring has ramped up. With that being said, now is probably one of the best times to start learning to code if you haven’t started already.

Learning to code was easily one of the best decisions I’ve made in life. It has not only given me financial security, but it has also given me a purpose and a career I enjoy. Also, currently I work from home so that’s an added bonus as well.

If you’re hesitant about taking the plunge, reach out to me and I can help!

Interesting Plugs

• Here’s that article I told you I was writing on Server Side Rendering in the JavaScript ecosystem

• If you don’t know what to learn this week, take a look at GraphQL’s documentation and start getting familiar with it

• GitHub Copilot got a massive upgrade

Job Board

• Software Engineer with Lucid

  • Salary: Doesn’t say but I’m sure this position pays well and has good benefits

  • Tech Stack: JavaScript stack along with some AWS and MySQL chops

• Software Engineer with Lattice

  • Salary: $112K - $164.5K based on experience

  • Tech Stack: TypeScript, React, GraphQL, Node.js and PostgreSQL

Till Next Time

I hope everyone had a great Halloween yesterday, I sure did but I ate too much candy. Here’s to the start of a new month! We only have 2 more months left this year…what the heck happened?! Time has been flying by and before we know it, it’ll be 2025. Let’s make these last few months count and end the year strong.

Have a great weekend and as always, happy coding!