5 things I've learned in the first 26 days of being a junior developer.

I apologize for not blogging for a whole week, life is flying by!

I promised to always be open and honest about my experiences in trying to get hired as a junior developer and my experiences every after learning the ropes to hopefully one day becoming a really good/senior developer.

5 things I've learned in the first month of working as a junior developer are:


#1 Being slow sucks, and shortcuts are king!

If you can find anyway to make things quicker or more productive, do it! No excuses, I am about 30-40% faster and more productive with my time since starting at ZipList, from just opening and saving files to sending emails, everything happens fast and you need to be faster!

#2 No one knows EVERYTHING, no matter how good you are!

I honestly believed at one time, that maybe one day if you tried hard enough and worked long enough, you could basically never have to look stuff up. I think the truth of it is, if you never look things up, you must not ever be learning anything new. At the speed at which everything on the web is constantly changing, you just have to get good at learning new skills and acquiring knowledge fast.

#3 Developers need breaks!

I thought walks were a complete waste of time. I mean, I AM being paid to work, not walk. I have come to the conclusion now though, that no one can stare at a screen all day and give his/hers 100% best without taking a short break to give your mind a chance to breath. It's not lazy, it's being productive. Something I struggle with, because if I'm feeling stretched or behind, the LAST thing I want to do is to take a break. Breaks are for wimps right?...maybe not :-)

#4 Working as a developer is like working at a Library... only quieter!

I didn't know what to expect changing careers and starting out as a junior developer, but I was am still surprised at HOW quiet it is. No music, no noise, just the sounds of fingers stroking the keyboard with an occasional chuckle from a developer as a funny picture is posted in the IRC (the developer chat room basically). It's not bad, just different.

#5 I have to eat less!

Bending over all day shoeing horses day after day sucked, BUT now that I'm sitting on my butt hour after hour day after day, I need to eat less :-) I've gained 3 pounds since starting at ZipList,  and I thought I WAS eating less, apparently not enough less :-)