Surviving and Thriving as a Junior Software Engineer: Insights from the Pros - PART 1

Navigating the software engineering employment market may be difficult for inexperienced engineers, especially when top positions are in high demand. To throw some light on the best techniques and suggestions for success, I sought out senior software engineers with expertise in the labour market to give their experiences and ideas.

I developed a thorough guide on developing resilience, standing out to potential employers, and landing dream employment in the software engineering industry through a series of questionnaires.

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced as a junior software engineer in your first role, and how did you overcome them?

Samuel: No senior software engineer to directly ask questions, Stackoverflow was always there to give pointers and solutions.

Tobi: As a junior engineer I didn’t know how to navigate a lot of problems I had implementing features, because I learnt how to code from tutorials and courses I found myself googling a lot of things that weren’t covered in the tutorials. I overcame this by practicing more and asking more questions on online forums even if they sounded stupid. I also decided to spend more time watching developer conference videos and reading official documentations because those provided more fundamental knowledge I needed to grasp the underlying software engineering concepts.

Funsho: Going with the first solution that comes to my head, eventually learnt how to bounce solutions with senior engineers to hear their thoughts on the solution

Chris: finding an industry standard way of doing things, there’s lots of opinions, I took opinions from respected and experienced industry leaders and stuck with them as long as it fits my usecase. secondly, finding your first job as a junior can be hard, i focused on having live products no matter how tiny they were, because they were a way of showcasing my talent.

2. What strategies or approaches have you found most effective for networking and building professional connections in the Software engineering industry?

Samuel: Tech Meet-ups, reaching out to them on social media, it always helps.

Tobi: For networking I would say to attend as many developer events as possible. And when you attend those events, try to exchange contact with people, tell people what you do and what your interests are, what gets you excited and where they can find your work. LinkedIn is also a good social platform for building connections and fortunately LinkedIn users rarely decline connection requests. Connecting with professionals in your industry on LinkedIn can be a good way to start conversation with them.

Funsho: Help people, render as much help as you can to people around and you will make a lasting impression

Chris: I’ve been lots to conferences and meetups, it helped give me the ginger as I saw people who told their own stories of how they grew in their careers, it also helped me know what topics to focus on, because the industry has a lot of content.

3. What advice do you have for junior software engineers who are struggling with imposter syndrome or feelings of self-doubt?

Samuel: We all get imposter syndromes, always remember to take it easy on yourself. no one knows it all, and always ask questions when you’re stuck or want to understand something further.

Tobi: I think imposter syndrome is a normal thing. I think we’ve all had to deal with it at some point in our lives. It can be difficult at the beginning but you shouldn’t give up, show your best works to people so that they can see your potentials and communicate with those you work with you strength and the areas where you don’t have extensive knowledge. Don’t be scared to ask for help and be able to demonstrate your improvements over a period of time.

Funsho: Remind yourself of the complexity of problems you have solved in the past and how proud you are, be patient with yourself

Chris: I was once told that I did not have any future in Software Engineering during an internship, it only drove me more to get better. almost everyone has impostor syndrome, my way of coping is I try to remind myself that 1. No one knows everything and you can’t know everything 2. The things you don’t know, you can always learn, so when I see something I don’t understand i research on it in my spare time 3. If you’re at a job and you have impostor syndrome and feel like you’re not good enough, always remember that they knew your level of competency before they hired you, they didn’t think you were under-qualified, so why should you ?

4. What advice do you have for junior software engineers who are looking to grow their skills and advance in their careers?

Samuel: Don’t stop learning and focusing on those basics building blocks, they end up being the things you use every day.

Tobi: To grow your skills as a junior engineer you need to keep practicing, build as many projects as possible whether they are useful or not. Look for open source projects to contribute to. You would learn a lot from looking at other people’s code. Try to replicate a good project or feature you want to know how to build, follow everything line by line and research how it was achieved. There are some online forums where you can share your code and ask for reviews and you can get feedback from others on how it can be better.

Funsho: Stick with one technology in early years

Chris: don’t jump on just any shiny new framework/architecture because it’s trending or popular, sometimes look for the value in it and consider if it may apply to your use-cases before investing your time

5. What role do you think education and certifications play in landing software engineering roles in the competitive market, and what specific programs or certifications do you recommend?

Samuel: There are cases where Educational Certification in Computer Science is needed, but Tech is generally not limiting. As long as you’re a good fit for that position. However, you must be wiling do to the work. Certification I would recommend; Google Certification in your field, AWS, just to mention a few

Tobi: I don’t think employers usually ask for certifications when interviewing for roles. But there are certifications that can boost your software engineering career with it curriculum. Go for knowledge not just certificate. Go through certification curriculums and see if taking the program would help you move from point Zero to One on the topic it covers and if there are enough exercises to practice what you want to learn from the program.

Funsho: Any education that can develop your critical thinking skills

Chris: hmmm, I can’t entirely say, but I went through Udacity courses and though it was pricey, the curriculum and teaching was quite good. i can’t speak for education because CS wasn’t my major in school, but courses have helped me a lot.

The tips and insights offered by senior software engineers make it abundantly evident that success in the software engineering sector demands a combination of diligence, commitment, and strategic thinking, from developing technical skills to creating professional networks.

Thank you for reading part 1 of this software engineering article series, featuring insights and advice from top industry professionals. In part 2, we’ll dive into specific strategies for landing roles and opportunities in today’s competitive market

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the senior software engineers who kindly volunteered their time, wisdom, and experience to enable the creation of this article. Their perspectives and insights are essential for junior software engineers navigating the competitive software engineering employment market, and I do appreciate their efforts.

“If you ever talk to a great programmer, you’ll find they know their tools like an artist knows their paintbrushes.” — Bill Gates

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