Four ways I’ve grown from a trainee to a junior software engineer
In my first two years as a software engineer, I can pinpoint my progression through four key lessons.
When I began my journey as an app developer, it felt like a constant game of catching up with technology. Whether you’re at the start of your career or years into it, you’ve probably experienced the same at some stage - or multiple stages. Technology advances rapidly!
Before my placement year at university, I found the thought of working in a corporate environment daunting. In hindsight, I know I gained so much knowledge that year, and began to build a network of industry peers.
I began working as a trainee engineer at Brightec in 2022, since then I’ve been promoted to a junior software engineer. This blog explores what I’ve learnt along the way.
1 - At Brightec, we aim to ‘fail fast’
We’re experts at what we do, AND we accept that getting it wrong is part of that journey. The quicker we fail, the faster we can get on the right path. Challenges and mistakes are a great opportunity for growth. I don’t think we could be as experienced as we are if we only knew how it felt for things to go right all the time.
It can initially feel uncomfortable, but it soon becomes part of the process.
Every developer has a story about bugs they accidentally introduced to a code base, systems they broke, or even major failures they experienced. My first ever project was supposed to be a simple styling tweak, but I did it manually instead of automating the process, leading to errors. After receiving feedback from my mentor, I learned how to automate similar tasks, reducing the chance of human error.
It’s natural to worry about making mistakes, but mistakes are an essential part of learning. Bill Gates once said, ‘It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.’
What mattered in my example above wasn’t the mistake itself but how I responded to feedback. I used that ‘failure’ to improve a valuable skill. A skill that made me a better software engineer. I’ve never made the same mistake again.
2 - The best way to grow is outside of your comfort zone
As a team, Brightec love to learn! We’re curious about new technologies, the latest trends and gadgets and predicting where things might be heading.
This enthusiasm for exploring things slightly outside of scope in our own time or during R&D inspired me not to shy away from things I didn’t know. Sticking to what you know might feel safer, but you grow by exploring new programming languages and taking on unfamiliar tasks.
‘By changing nothing, nothing changes’ - Tony Robbins.
I’ve picked up a lot by listening to my colleagues in technical discussions. Even if I didn’t always have something to contribute, sometimes my questions have even helped others to think differently or understand how our clients might feel if they are unfamiliar with a technology we’re using. We are all always learning.
3- Mistakes might not be anyone’s fault
One of my biggest learning curves was when, as a team, we kept troubleshooting a particular issue for a project. The usual workarounds didn’t bring any success and we came to realise that the issue was caused by an automatic JDK upgrade when I recently updated Android Studio.
That experience taught me that issues can arise that are beyond your control. I didn’t make a mistake, but I learned that whenever I upgrade software, I should check all configurations to ensure nothing breaks.
4 - No one expects you to know everything
I used to approach tasks with ‘How do I do this?’ Often getting stuck on the starting block with, ‘I don’t know.’ But you have to get stuck in at some stage; work needs to be done, and projects need to be built.
With my mentor, I started to explore, approaching work with an attitude of ‘How can I figure this out?’
The key difference is, are you willing to learn? No one expects you to know everything, but they do expect you to want to learn.
Jonny, now one of our senior engineers, blogged about his experience of starting in a new industry. I find it super inspiring to read other people’s stories, especially when they're someone I can learn from.
What would be my final piece of advice for anyone starting out as a mobile app developer? Step out of your comfort zone, take on challenges, and trust in your ability to learn.
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