Reflection on Profession Experience as a role of Junior Software Developer
Job Role: junior software developer
Table of Contents
organisation and their experience.. 3
key personal and employability skills. 3
Effective communication and problem solving initiatives. 5
Experience during placements. 5
Reflection on leadership approach.. 7
Introduction
I don’t come from a long line of traditional computer programmers, at least not in my family’s history. Despite the fact that I am not a computer science major and that I am not particularly gifted in the mathematics department, I had no intention of learning how to programme while still in high school. A single computer science session introduced us to Pascal, and that was the end of it. It was a brief period of time in which I thought programming to be an interesting undertaking. After all these I joined as a junior software developer at a mid-size company named ABC Technology. When my attention was drawn away from this, our teacher lectured us on dull subjects that I found tedious. Anyway, let us get back to the subject of history and sports. –
Preparing for placement
A serendipitous enrollment in coding bootcamp helped me progress from being an inexperienced developer to becoming a technical lead at the Financial Times in just seven years. That a significant number of other people are in the same position as myself has dawned to me and has been a consoling realisation for me. A group of individuals that are unsure of how to advance their careers in the business as a whole. There is some uncertainty as to whether or not this is the correct location or road for them to be on at this time. It is unavoidable to have the sensation of being an impostor. In the hopes that even the faintest spark of doubt will creep into your consciousness (Rezer,2019).
Learning experiences
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve asked myself if it’s truly worth it to keep going. I’m not sure what the answer is. Keeping up with the fast-paced nature of the job through reading and learning on a regular basis is a constant challenge.
Programming was a subject that I was initially dubious about, but it has since turned into a personal love of mine. To say that money had no influence on my decision to pursue a career in the entertainment industry would be an understatement of the highest order. For me, it was a perfect fit because I’d always wanted to work in the arts, and this area is open to people of all ages, educational backgrounds, and educational levels, which was important because I was looking for something challenging. Having the ability to grow in your job and having the opportunity to make a difference in the world are both possibilities for you. As a result of my failure to progress at the rate I had intended, I’ve contemplated giving up on multiple occasions. Although it was difficult, I was able to persuade myself to continue on each occasion, and I am glad for that ability. It was a great feeling when I finally overcame whatever it was that I had been struggling with for months. After all was said and done, it became clear that I would require a lot more time than I had thought to thoroughly absorb everything I had learned.
organisation and their experience
Getting used to being perplexed and stopping myself from being annoyed when things no longer made sense took some time for me to learn. Many hours are spent staring at the computer screen, bemused and perplexed, when it comes to the development of complicated products. The fact that we construct programmes and systems out of thin air is another motivation to stick around. It’s the closest thing we can get to sorcery without turning to magical means.
With the avalanche of courses accessible, it is critical to have a well-structured resource to draw from when dealing with the overwhelming number of options. While I went through a bootcamp, it is possible to construct a study plan on your own without assistance. Schedules and maps can be extremely important resources when you are looking for a guide (Nguyen,2018). In order to learn a new skill, it’s better to start with something absolutely unrelated and work your way up from there, according to industry professionals. The fact that they speak different languages is not a hindrance in their relationship. You should spend a few weeks writing code to see if you can see yourself doing it for a living when you finish school. If you think you can pull it off, go for it. It is nearly impossible for many developers, particularly those who like a more social work environment, to perform properly without the support of the debugging tool.
key personal and employability skills
No matter how excited you were and how calm you were when you encountered your first infinite loop, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The majority of those who wish to pursue a career as a software engineer attend between three and four years of college to do so. To attain that degree of expertise as a self-taught coder, the only way to do it is through repetition (Negrilă,2019). The fact that there is no such thing as a universal language does not mean that you should choose one merely because you or a friend enjoys it should be taken into consideration. Make some queries and find out more about the roles that are currently available in your area. Language becomes more of a tool for communication rather than an end in itself as one acquires experience, although understanding the fundamentals is extremely crucial when one is just starting out.
self-awareness,
When I first started programming, PHP and JavaScript were the programming languages that I used. A year after starting my studies, I was able to secure an internship opportunity as a result of my involvement with these tiny community organisations in my neighbourhood. No requirement exists for you to stick with the same programming language for the entirety of your professional career. All that is required to get things started is a platform from which to launch them (Ma,2018). For a junior software developer it comes to arithmetic and algorithms, I wouldn’t even try to begin to learn anything.
communication,
When it came to dealing with challenges, I lacked a genuine interest in learning more about the situation. Getting things started, completing the task at hand, and moving on to the next task on my list were all things I looked forward to. I wasn’t striving to grasp anything; rather, I was merely attempting to command the computer to produce the outcomes I wished instead.
Moving forward with a negative state of mind is not an option, and you should stop doing so as soon as possible. In this case, it is preferable to commit an entire week on one problem rather than attempting to solve 10 distinct problems and only succeeding in making one of them function well.
Interpersonal
When you have completely grasped a concept, you begin to develop intuitive abilities in that particular field. If you don’t take action right away, you’ll be forced to deal with the same issue again later on. There were plenty more after that. I’ll give an update as soon as it becomes available (Maria,2020). It is inevitable that if you are just concerned with the end result, you will be disappointed if it does not come to pass. When coping with an issue, it is important to learn to appreciate the journey in order to get the most from it. It is possible that you will be required to dwell on a difficult subject for several days, if not several weeks, due to the nature of your employment (Przestrzelski,2018).
Research
It will take some time, though, before this adjustment in perspective becomes completely realised. Others have more stringent criteria, whereas others have less stringent restrictions. As a junior software developer Continue to code and investigate, and don’t be anxious about the competition, says the author. No matter what field of expertise or business one works in, doing an interview can be a nerve-wracking experience for everyone. After a two-hour talk with someone you’ve never met before, you’ll be able to predict your own future with certainty. You have the backing of everyone who has been involved in the interview process, and I’m here to tell you that (Thomas,2021).
Effective communication and problem solving initiatives
The organisation is wanting to hire an engineer, the individual conducting the interview is looking to expand his or her team, and you are looking for employment opportunities. A bonus will almost definitely be awarded to the individual who recruited the candidate. Because it requires a major investment of time and effort, no one is concerned if you do not complete the procedure. Everything you have to do is exhibit your familiarity with the subject matter at hand, and you’ll be fine. What should you do if you have a question that has not been satisfactorily responded to? Perhaps, after some deliberation, you will be able to come up with a good answer to your problem. Make an educated guess and explain a rationale for why you believe it is a good one in your response. If you’re utterly inexperienced with the subject matter, be completely honest with yourself about this. It is preferable not to respond to the question with plain lies in this situation. This will not create a positive impression on interviewees who have been with the company for a lengthy period of time.
Experience during placements
We were interviewing people to determine how well-rounded they were as individuals, and when I first started performing the interviews, I was told by my director that this was the purpose of the interviews. It is not necessary for them to be specialists in every subject. The majority of interviewers, based on my findings, use the same method when conducting interviews (Kurczewska,2020). Making a living as a self-taught software developer is not always straightforward. Some of my information was called into question on a frequent basis, which was frustrating. Because bootcamp graduates are essentially coders rather than professional engineers, there is no reason to place your trust in them. Given his previous work experience, do you have confidence in his abilities to execute a good job?
Code translation is the process of converting user interface and user experience design wireframes into actual code that will be used to generate visual elements for a programme.
working in collaboration with the user interface/user experience designer to bridge the gap
between graphical design and technology execution,
An example of testing software is unit and integration testing, which may be comprised of a range of various components such as unit and integration testing, regression and information security testing, and user acceptance testing, among others.
It is advised that code repositories or libraries be formed in order to ensure that they are kept in great condition.
- the development of application packages, which is necessary for the successful and efficient deployment of the application.
The management of smaller portions of code, which may involve version control, sharing, and on-going maintenance, is referred to as code refactoring.
- Improve the overall user experience by redesigning our website’s aesthetic and user experience in accordance with industry-accepted best practises.
In order for the internal systems to be scalable, the data must be integrated from a variety of back-end services and databases.
My key roles and responsibilities:
- Contributing to the design of the application on both sides by aiding in the defining of how it will seem and function
- Create new features that are targeted on the requirements of the end user.
- Produce reusable code and libraries that can be reused in the future if the situation calls for it.
- First and foremost, be certain that the UI/UX concepts you want to use are technically feasible in the first place.
- By optimising the application, you have the potential to greatly increase its speed and scalability. Double-check that any user input has been correctly verified before submitting it to the back-end.
My distinct sense during the marathon was that I was being chased down and eliminated on a regular basis. It is clear that this individual does not understand the notion of a breadth first search! In this world, it was a daily battle for me to maintain my sense of self-worth and dignity. What brought me to this place was my interest in coding and developing novel solutions to problems. But the days passed, and no one ever informed me that I was required to leave my job at the time it occurred. Following that, months went by with nothing happening at all. After then, it felt like a lifetime had passed. After a while, it dawned on me that this is my profession and that I am precisely where I am supposed to be at this particular moment in time. The feeling that you don’t know enough about a variety of topics continues to plague you. Never. Despite the fact that I was a tech lead, I had some worries about my abilities. The amount of information available in our profession is so vast that a lifetime just cannot cover it all. It is unavoidable that you will not be aware of certain events and that you will lose track of certain items. That is also entirely acceptable (Bishti,2021).
However, I feel that computer programming is more of an aesthetic endeavour than it is an academic endeavour, rather than the other way around. We can see in the figure to the right that our job is more comparable to that of a writer or an artist than it is to that of a scientist as a result of this. The idea of learning a new language and putting it to use in order to create something useful and functional is a wonderful one. It is possible to automate operations through the use of an application programming interface (API), a graphical user interface (GUI), or a simple scripting language. However, while completing leetcode projects is one means of improving your leetcode talents, it is not the only one that may be employed in order to achieve this objective. When I initially started programming, my first impression was of crawling through dirt and slime. I quickly realised that this was not the case. I was entirely and utterly wrong. Whenever you found yourself in a situation where even a minor misspelling may result in an error notice being shown on the screen, it was a little unsettling. Given that I learned early on in my high school years to associate the colour red with failure as a result of my upbringing, I felt a horrible stab of grief in my stomach whenever a computer programme did not operate properly throughout its development (Broadley,2018).
The fact that you are self-taught does not excuse sloppiness, but neither does it justify it either. It is vital for everyone of us to seek to better ourselves, to broaden our knowledge, and to progress as individuals. That you are a pleasant human being with access to the necessary information is all that is important in this situation (Gault,2018).
Starting with a single subject of study will help you to gain the most amount of knowledge feasible in that particular sector of expertise. To achieve this, all that is required is the use of JavaScript and React, Java and Spring, C# and ASP.NET, or a combination of these technologies (Gutierrez,2021).
However, once you’ve gotten the hang of things, you should branch out and learn other abilities. Every software, no matter how simple, is comprised of numerous independent components. Learning about the various components of the stack will be valuable to you no matter where you go in your career. Because the market appears to favour persons who possess a diverse variety of competencies, you should avoid specialising in a single sector. A jack of all crafts, on the other hand, is not desirable because difficult situations necessitate a specialised expertise. You want to be in the centre of the field of play when you’re playing. Roughly speaking, narrow specialisation is the ability to become an expert in a single technology while maintaining a vast knowledge base (Young,2021!).
Reflection on leadership approach
However, even though I am not a trained junior software developer, I have sufficient knowledge and experience to put up my own continuous integration pipeline and CloudFormation configuration. The fact that I am not a database wizard does not prevent me from establishing a schema and creating the indexes that are required in a database. As an engineer, having a varied range of competencies will allow you to be more self-sufficient in your professional life and career. I grew up in a startup environment, so I’m aware with the challenges that entrepreneurs face. Because the information technology industry in my area is so small, I was able to immediately make contacts with other business owners because of its modest size (or they tried to). The fact that the company was always evolving and releasing new services meant that freelancers were in great demand all the time. When I was younger, I had a fantasy of what it would be like to be the CEO of a firm. Despite the odds, I’m putting forth significant effort to develop something worthwhile, and I’m surrounding myself with like-minded individuals who are likewise concerned about their own futures. It served as a means for me to express my displeasure with the way things were going in my life at the time of the recording.
In the past, I held two part-time jobs for two distinct companies at the same time while holding a full-time job at the same time. Just a few months before my fatigue set in, I’d only been running at this speed for a few weeks at the most. As a junior software developer My choice to make certain changes in my personal life was prompted by this encounter. As a result of this experience, I have a greater understanding and admiration for the industry. Designing an implementation, rather than simply stringing together functionalities, is a key component of the project’s overall goal. Most of the code I’d written up to this point had been completed in the wee hours of the morning while high on coffee, which was a good thing in the long run. Everything went perfectly for me throughout my visit. It was the first time I had to deal with a situation of this magnitude, and it was a learning experience. When it came to designing and constructing a house, I possessed little knowledge or experience in these areas. Testing was only a last-minute afterthought, at the very least. I worked on a large number of projects over the course of several years, and the vast majority of them were built around an isolated droplet on Digital Ocean.
Future goals
As a junior software developer I’ve come to realise that the high level of workmanship present in this industry is one of the aspects of working in it that I find most appealing. To realise that my principal aim was not to start a business, but rather to develop software was extremely tough for me to accept. When I was a software engineer, I was more concerned with scalability than I was with product market fit when it came to creating new software products. As a result, my commercial ambitions were placed on hold, and I made the decision to concentrate on my engineering career for the time being rather than pursuing them.
I’m in the exact same situation as you right now. In the area of technology, I have two options: management or future progress in the field. Managerial positions are the more traditional choice. As a junior software developer There are no short cuts to success, and becoming a manager is not a natural progression to the top of the corporate food chain. The majority of people do not want to be a part of this group and do not believe they should be a member of this group.
Conclusion
For as long as I can remember, I’ve fantasised about becoming a manager of some sort. My leadership style altered significantly after I became one of them, and I became aware of this transformation. It is my desire to be in the same room with the folks who will be carrying out the attack that distinguishes me from my fellow assailants. It was difficult for me to take a step back and look at the project from a higher level of abstraction and understanding.
Sadly, it took six months before I was able to enjoy the sense of fulfilment that I had hoped for when I first began out. Being a leader is an extremely gratifying experience, without a question. The fact that I did this enabled me to make an impact that I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to make had I not done so. A project that had been greatly overestimated was completed, and as a result, one of my subordinates was promoted as a result of his efforts. For me to make a difference, I’ve always believed that providing code would be a more successful strategy than doing so in person.
References’
Bishti, S., Lautensack, J., Türp, J. C., & Wolfart, S. (2018). Does professional experience save teeth? A survey among prosthodontists. Clinical oral investigations, 22(2), 1001-1008.
Broadley, T., Martin, R., & Curtis, E. (2019, March). Rethinking professional experience through a learning community model: Toward a culture change. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 4, p. 22). Frontiers.
Gault, J., Leach, E., Duey, M., & Benzing, T. (2018). Enhancing the value of professional experience in undergraduate education: Implications for academic and career counseling. Journal of Employment Counseling, 55(4), 144-154.
Grimmett, H., Forgasz, R., Williams, J., & White, S. (2018). Reimagining the role of mentor teachers in professional experience: Moving to I as fellow teacher educator. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 46(4), 340-353.
Gutierrez, A., & Nailer, S. (2021). Pre-service teachers’ professional becoming in an extended professional experience partnership programme. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 49(5), 517-532.
Jonathan-Zamir, T., Weisburd, D., Dayan, M., & Zisso, M. (2019). The proclivity to rely on professional experience and evidence-based policing: Findings from a survey of high-ranking officers in the Israel Police. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 46(10), 1456-1474.
Kurczewska, A., Doryń, W., & Wawrzyniak, D. (2020). An everlasting battle between theoretical knowledge and practical skills? The joint impact of education and professional experience on entrepreneurial success. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 8(2), 219-237.
Ma, K., & Cavanagh, M. S. (2018). Classroom ready?: Pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy for their first professional experience placement. Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online), 43(7), 134-151.
Maria, H. S. Y., Mei, W. L., & Stanley, L. K. K. (2020). The transition challenges faced by new graduate nurses in their first year of professional experience. GSTF Journal of Nursing and Health Care (JNHC), 5(1).
Negrilă, M. (2019). The influence of professional experience on people’s tendency towards workaholism. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, 6(1), 213-221.
Nguyen, H. T. M., & Loughland, T. (2018). Pre-service teachers’ construction of professional identity through peer collaboration during professional experience: a case study in Australia. Teaching Education, 29(1), 81-97.
Przestrzelski, B., Roberts, C. A., & Perry, L. A. (2018, June). The Industry Scholars Program: An Immersive Professional Experience for Undergraduates. In 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
Rezer, T., & Kuznetsova, E. (2019). Practice-oriented training as a mechanism of professional experience development. In EDULEARN19 Proceedings 11th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies: Palma, Spain. 1-3 July, 2019 (pp. 2107-2110). IATED Academy.
Thomas, M. A., & Talbot, D. (2021). Exploring epistemologies: Deepening pre-service teachers’ ways of knowing through international professional experience. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 49(2), 163-176.
Yang, H. (2019). The nexus between pre-service teachers’ emotional experience and cognition during professional experience. The Australian Educational Researcher, 46(5), 799-825.
Young, A., Cavanagh, M., & Moloney, R. (2018). Building a whole school approach to professional experience: Collaboration and community. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 46(3), 279-291.
