This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Michael Mangialardi
What is this article all about?
It might be easier to begin by saying what it's not:
This is not an enumeration of tips and tricks to land your first job (there is already plenty of stuff on that topic).
This is not a list of professional "networking" skills (I find that stuff boring, no offense).
This is not an aggregation of purely technical advice (because the role of a JavaScript developer is not purely technical).
Rather, I want to dish out practical advice for what to do when you've already landed your first gig.
In short, I want you to be feel motivated, driven, and confident in answering the simple question of "what's next?"
The Journey
Specifically, I want to provide an answer to that important question beginning at the start of a new job, and then work our way from there.
A Disclaimer
JavaScript is a broad enterprise, and there are so many different niches (and therefore positions) that one may find themself in.
I cannot possibly cover practical advice at that scale. Therefore, I will assume a specific scenario.
Even if said scenario does not describe your situation, I still hope the advice can be practical and helpful in a general sense.
I'll leave it to the reader to adopt and mold the advice to their specific circumstances.
With that aside, let's end this introduction and get started already.
Ok, I got my first job...now what?
You're now a JavaScript developer writing code for a web application product.
You work with a group of developers, some more frontend-focused and some more backend-focused.
You have a software developer manager that you check in with once a week.
There's also a product team composed of a Product Manager, UI/UX Designer, and a Technical Product Manager.
Tip #1
You were hired for a reason. Remember that.
Tip #2
You don't impress peers with your technical skills.
Tip #3
Make your first career milestone being able to complete assigned work with minimal help (but initiate asking questions until you get there).
Tip #4
Read PRs of more experienced PRs and learn from them (even if you weren't assigned to do the review).
Tip #5
Be yourself. A personable teammate is a very attractive quality.
Tip #6
Expect long code review feedback cycles. That's normal in this stage.
Alright, I can complete tasks with minimal help...what's next?
Tip #7
Make it your next milestone to complete assigned work with better efficiency.
Tip #8
Improve efficiency by paying attention to common points made when others review your code.
Tip #9
Improve efficiency by targeting and resolving bottlenecks.
Tip #10
Remember that, in part, improving efficiency just takes experience (which takes time).
Alright, I can complete tasks with improved efficient...now I should ____?
Tip #11
Make it your next milestone to improve the quality of your code.
Tip #12
Get very good at providing thorough code reviews.
Tip #13
Always take time refactor your code after you get it working, making your code easy to review.
Tip #14
Write clean code.
Tip #15
Get comfortable with reading open source code.
Tip #16
Imitate patterns found in open source code.
Tip #17
Imitate patterns found in your codebase.
Tip #18
Do pair code reviews.
I'm writing cleaner code so I should focus on ____ next?
Tip #19
Make it your next milestone to help improve the team's efficiency and culture.
Tip #20
Initiate meetings to help developers focus on professional development (I've always liked the format of doing a show-and-tell where developers can shared a recent thing they've learned).
Tip #21
Observe and address bottlenecks in the review and deployment process.
Tip #22
Observe and address recurring bottlenecks in project planning and execution.
Tip #24
Initiate suggestions for better coding patterns and technologies.
Tip #24
Initiate trying different ways of thinking and working (i.e. pair on all code reviews for one project).
Tip #25
Aim for initiating one technology improvement and alternative way of working for each project.
Tip #26
Observe and address needs for greater emphasis on career development.
Tip #27
Observe and address needs for greater ways to motivate developers besides completing a project.
Tip #28
Observe and address needs for greater ways to have fun as a team.
I'm clearly becoming a tech leader, I also should ____?
Tip #29
Make providing input during product meetings as high a priority in your role as writing code.
Tip #30
Share your learnings with a broader audience using a developer's content model.
Tip #31
Focus on a niche interest/skill in your realm of development and get really good at it.
Tip #32
Work on side projects that sharpen your niche skill.
Tip #33
Stay up to date with latest trends in the industry (via Twitter, Bytes, Dev.to, newsletters, etc.
Tip #34
Outwork everyone.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Michael Mangialardi
Michael Mangialardi | Sciencx (2021-12-14T14:06:42+00:00) 34 Tips for Professional JavaScript Developers. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2021/12/14/34-tips-for-professional-javascript-developers/
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