Hey there, dev.to community!
I’ve been coding for years, but some days, I still feel like a junior developer. Because, well, I’m human! That feeling keeps my early days vivid in my memory. Back then, my excitement to build things was off the charts, but I realize now I burned that energy recklessly. Neighborhood pressure, greed, feeling like time was infinite, chasing every idea… I’ve been through it all. In this post, I’m sharing four lessons I learned from my mistakes with junior developers (and those who still feel like juniors at heart). I bet you’ll see a bit of yourself in here!
Neighborhood Pressure: “What Will They Say?”
Building something on your own is awesome, but sometimes our brains play tricks on us. As a junior, I’d think, “If I put this code on GitHub, everyone will laugh!” or “This project isn’t cool enough.” As humans, we’re always chasing the best, sometimes even perfection. But is that drive coming from within, or is it the “neighborhood pressure” pushing us? We create imaginary scenarios in our heads, like “They’ll say this, they’ll say that.”
Then it hit me: Even if you create the universe, someone will say, “This isn’t it.” Don’t get mad at those who leave harsh comments. They’re the fuel that unintentionally pushes you forward! Sure, you might have supportive people around, but at the end of the day, you’re alone in your head. Scary? Nope, it’s liberating! Because no one’s dissecting your code. Harsh feedback is just an obstacle that moves you forward. Remember: The obstacle is the path itself.
Tip: Don’t fear criticism—embrace it. Forge your own path and let go of the “what will they say” anxiety.
Greed and Time: Tame Your Ambition, Master Your Time
If you’re a developer, learning is a lifelong sport. You should fear becoming outdated. But trying to learn every new framework, every library? That’s greed. I used to jump on everything: ‘Unity? Let’s make a game! Ruby? Why not! Blockchain? I’m in! Embedded systems? Sure!’ The result? Half-baked knowledge and unused projects. What’s the point of learning if you don’t apply it? Chasing the “Everyone’s learning this!” hype on social media might make you look shiny, but it won’t cut it in the industry.
Time is the biggest casualty of this greed. As a junior, I acted like time was infinite. I’d wrestle with a bug for hours, only to crash from exhaustion. Then I got to know myself: My focus drifts every 25 minutes. Is that a flaw? Nope! Now I get up for water every 25 minutes. That’s my style. I know folks who code uninterrupted for 5 hours—awesome! But everyone’s got their own rhythm.
Tip: Rein in your learning ambition and focus on what your project needs. Find your work rhythm: Need a break every 30 minutes? Great, plan around it. Own your time—it doesn’t come back.
Drawing the Line: Avoid the Graveyard of Half-Finished Projects
This is one of my biggest traps. I’m still taming the beast inside me! When building something, keeping it within realistic boundaries is crucial. As a junior, I tried to turn every project into a “world-changer.” For a recipe app, I thought, “Why not add 3D WebGL plate animations?” The result? Half-finished projects and “I’ll come back to this” lies.
Recently, I built a tic-tac-toe game. Two-player mode, AI opponent mode… It was done. But I didn’t stop. “Let’s make a killer homepage!” I said, and spent 3 days messing with WebGL for a next-gen Atari vibe. Then, “Why not add more AI modes?” Thankfully, I stopped there. I used that time to write this post instead. I built something and learned my limits. Would 10 extra AI modes have been cool? Sure, but who cares? The product was ready, and no one might’ve even noticed! 😄 What mattered was that I finished it.
Another trap I hit? Chasing every “brilliant idea.” Well-meaning folks come up with, “Dude, let’s build this app!” It’s usually just a sentence. Unresearched, untested. You take it on, but it derails you from your main path. Once, I got hooked on such an idea and spent weeks researching. Turns out? Someone else had already built it. A road paved with good intentions, you know the rest…
Tip: Set your project’s scope upfront. Don’t chase every idea—finish your own work first. Instead of leaving a trail of half-done projects, bask in the confidence of a completed product.
AI and Unfamiliar Code: The Cooked Fish Trap
The way we learn new things has changed a lot. As juniors, we’d hunt for mentors, take unpaid gigs, and learn by falling and getting back up. Now? We’ve got AI! It’s a fantastic helper but also a dangerous trap. AI can hand you a “cooked fish,” but the real goal is learning to fish.
For my tic-tac-toe project, I asked AI to mentor me. I used this prompt:
Act as an experienced software developer mentor. Guide me through the project step by step without writing code directly; instead, explain which technologies to use, the steps to follow, and what I should research. For each step, clarify why you chose this approach and suggest reliable resources to explore. Use a friendly, motivating tone that fits wild and fun projects, but encourage me to learn independently. Ensure the project is feasible, technically achievable, and has a clear outcome to avoid incomplete or impractical work. If I get stuck, offer a specific example or hint, but only after I’ve had a chance to research and try on my own.
This turned AI into a guide. It suggested technologies and pointed me to research resources. But was it always right? Nope! Sometimes I ran into outdated info. For example, it recommended a library, but a quick Google search led me to a newer alternative.
The biggest trap? Copy-pasting code you don’t understand. Imagine a developer stuck on a project. They grab a code snippet from AI or a forum, paste it, and it works! Awesome, right? Not so fast. That code might leave a security hole in database queries because they didn’t get what it does. LLMs can mess up. They might pull code from an error-riddled StackOverflow post. This stalls your learning and can land you in hot water. If you’re lucky, you just waste time. If not? Security experts throw a party. 😄
Tip: Use AI as a mentor, but question its suggestions. Before copying code, read it and Google what it does. Don’t risk your learning process.
Closing: Keep Building, But Stay Human
I’ve worked with code gods, even folks who’d rip the Backspace key off their keyboard, claiming, “I don’t make mistakes, so why bother?” But the greatest virtue is owning your flaws. Growth comes from facing those gaps.
Maybe you weren’t born with god-given talent. That means you and I have to work the hardest. But this journey doesn’t have to be painful. Keep building, keep growing. Your projects, yourself, your quality of life, your hobbies, your relationships—improve them all. Developers can be introverted beasts, but don’t lose your humanity along the way.
Go build something now! Start a small project today. Finish it. Share it. Even if no one looks, you did it. That’s worth everything.
