Sitting with a half-dozen senior technologists at my local user group, we were joined by half as many junior developers eager to learn. After all, they came to a software craftsmanship meetup—they were ready to soak up knowledge.
The seasoned developers among us started chatting about our work challenges. We felt so smart, sharing our hard-earned wisdom. Then, one of the junior members asked a simple yet profound question:
"Do you have any career advice?"
Naturally, we responded with advice tailored to the problems we’re dealing with today—problems shaped by 20+ years in the industry. I can’t recall exactly what we said, but looking back, it didn’t matter. It was meaningless to someone just starting out.
That realization hit me. Our advice was for people with decades of experience, not for someone navigating today’s entry-level job market—a landscape vastly different from the one we entered.
So, I paused and reframed the conversation.
I asked the junior developer, "What’s your language?" Whatever they said, I told them it was perfect. Because it is—it’s their language. It’s the foundation of their journey, and there’s no point arguing otherwise.
I shared what I hoped was more practical advice:
- Focus on your toolkit. Master your language, learn to write tests, and understand your build scripts.
- Spend time optimizing your environment. Learn your IDE, terminal, and editor.
- Find resources that teach fundamentals in a fun and engaging way. I love Dave Farley’s work, but I also recommend checking out someone like The Primeagen on YouTube. Keep an open mind!
- Explore tools like ChatGPT—but learn their limits as well as their strengths.
- Attend user groups, webinars, and meetups. Surround yourself with people who share your curiosity.
- Be patient with Agile, TDD, or any process your company uses. Pay attention to the pain points—they’re often signaling something deeper.
For those of us further along in our careers, it’s tempting to offer advice that mirrors our own paths or solves the challenges we face today. But we must remember: there’s a 20-year gap between their now and our today.
People need space to learn how to learn. They need room to discover what we often take for granted. Let’s not forget what it felt like to not know yet.