8 things I’ve learnt as a Web Developer

I’ve only been a web developer for a couple of years, but I’ve learnt a lot during this time. Below are 8 things I’ve learnt, in no particular order or importance.

8. Don’t jump to conclusions

Don’t automatically dismiss a fellow developers coding decisions without first understanding the reason (s) why they implemented it the way they have (hopefully they will have left some form of documentation). In most cases there will be a logical reason, it might just not be apparent at first.

7. Don’t worry that it takes a while

Don’t worry if you think it’s taking too long for you to implement something that you think everyone else can implement in shorter period of time. We all get stuck on one thing or another. Don’t worry about it.

6. It’s not just you

It’s not just you that spends extra time after hours perfecting your code and bug fixing :)

5. Look around

If you work in a team, always find out what they’re working on. You can save a lot of time and be social by having a quick catch up early in the morning to see what your fellow colleagues are working on. They might have suggestions, past experience or related projects which relate to your task that can be of assistance.

4. Your best friends

Google and stackoverflow are your best friends. Don’t forget to leave a comment or up vote the persons work that helped you out. It goes a long way and they just saved you a bunch of time :)

3. Share the knowledge

While you might think what you worked out is simple and there are already a bunch of posts on the internet about this problem/solution, still share your knowledge. You will most likely have a unique situation or explanation that really resonates with certain people. Everybody has a different way (s) of learning.

2. Ask questions

Don’t be affraid to ask questions. I had this problem especially when I was starting out. If you require more information about a task you’ve been asked to complete, just ask. Rather than pondering the email you’ve received and deliberating on the request, just clarify with the sender. Most people won’t mind, especially if you are new, and will prefer that you’ve taken the time to ensure that you understand the request.

1. Mistakes

Everyone makes them. Don’t beat yourself up to much about it.

And don’t forget. Pop culture references and cats go a long way to making you a happy dev. At least in my case anyway :)

Have your own suggestion on what you’ve learnt or would simply like to send me a picture of cat (perhaps with Captain Kirk or Picard), then please leave a comment below :)