$30 off During Our Annual Pro Sale. View Details »

All the things I learnt as a junior developer (so you don't have to)

All the things I learnt as a junior developer (so you don't have to)

Being a junior developer is scary. But what should you do to make sure your junior developer journey is productive? My talk will give you some career advice that you can take, or pass to your juniors - through the lens of all the lessons and mistakes I've done.

Spoken at pyconAU 2023 in Adelaide

Terence Huynh

August 20, 2023
Tweet

More Decks by Terence Huynh

Other Decks in Technology

Transcript

  1. All the things I learnt as
    a junior developer
    (...so you don’t have to)
    Terence Huynh
    Software Engineer at Atlassian
    terencehuynh.com

    View Slide

  2. But what if I’m not a junior?
    There’s something for everyone.

    View Slide

  3. L E S S O N O N E
    It is very easy to burn
    yourself out.

    View Slide


  4. …a state of physical or emotional
    exhaustion that also involves a
    sense of reduced
    accomplishment and loss of
    personal identity.
    “Job burnout: How to spot it and take action”
    from the Mayo Clinic
    https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642

    View Slide

  5. ACWells / Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/man-computer-tired-zoom-meeting-6982044/)

    View Slide

  6. What can you do?
    • If you need a break, take a break.
    • Take some time off - consider a mental
    health day.
    • Never feel guilty about taking some time
    off.

    View Slide

  7. View Slide

  8. What can you do?
    • If you need a break, take a break.
    • Take some time off - consider a mental
    health day.
    • Never feel guilty about taking some time
    off.

    View Slide

  9. L E S S O N T W O
    It goes both ways.

    View Slide

  10. Ask what your company
    can do for you.

    View Slide

  11. What junior developers should be looking for?
    • A plan in place to help you grow as a
    developer
    • A working environment that is nurturing
    and supportive
    • Access to a corporate buddy or mentor

    View Slide

  12. How can you help me achieve
    what I want to do?

    View Slide

  13. View Slide

  14. L E S S O N T H R E E
    Sometimes, you have to make
    your own experience.

    View Slide

  15. Other ways to demonstrate experience
    Contributing to open source or
    working on a project.
    Volunteer! Help a charity, or become an
    organiser of a community or meetup event

    View Slide

  16. This presentation is creating
    my own experience…

    View Slide


  17. As video conferencing replaces
    phone calls, many workers find
    they have more face time with
    multiple colleagues not less.
    “Is public speaking fear limiting your career?”
    Tim Smedley, BBC Worklife
    https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170321-is-public-speaking-fear-limiting-your-career

    View Slide

  18. Charles Deluvio/Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/photos/wn7dOzUh3Rs)

    View Slide

  19. View Slide

  20. L E S S O N F O U R
    Do something, not nothing.

    View Slide


  21. I'd rather end up wishing I
    hadn’t, than end up
    wishing I had.
    “Anna Karenina”
    Leo Tolstoy

    View Slide

  22. … and here’s why.

    View Slide

  23. Josh Parnham for Terence Huynh (https://www.instagram.com/p/B17Ph1Djaa-//)

    View Slide

  24. Obligatory summary
    1. It is very easy to burn yourself out.
    (never feel guilty for taking a mental health break)
    2. It goes both ways.
    (ask what your company can do for you)
    3. Sometimes, you have to make your own opportunities.
    (seek alternative pathways)
    4. Do something, not nothing.
    (staying quiet never works)
    Yes, you can take a pic of this.

    View Slide

  25. terencehuynh.com
    buymeacoffee.com/terencehuynh
    TWITTER
    @terencehuynh
    MASTODON
    @[email protected]
    LINKEDIN
    linkedin.com/in/terencehuynh

    View Slide