Preparing for your first Developer role : 10 things I wish I knew

Getting my first dev role was the most exciting thing ever but there are some things that I wish I knew before I started.

1. Plan your daily tasks.

   Planning your tasks will make everything easier this will let you keep track of what you need to do and prioritize the tasks accordingly.

2. You might never develop a new system.

   Most companies already have systems built which means most of the time you will be maintaining code, this will help you get better at understanding/reading other developers' code and you'll still learn a lot.

3. Debugging tools.

   Familiarise yourself with debugging tools like the Visual Studio Debugger, how it works and how you can use it to your advantage to fix or find bugs faster.

4. Code reviews.

   Every once in a while your team lead or senior dev will review your code, these are to help you become a better developer :). Be ready for the feedback and take it as constructive criticism.

5. Ask for help.

   Ask for help, do not sit and struggle with a task or bug for hours. Asking for help will help you get to the solution faster and move to other tasks.

6. Version control.

   Familiarise yourself with Version control tools, this will help you collaborate better with your teammates. And you'll know what to do should you overwrite someone's code or mess up your local code.

7. Software Development Methodologies.

   Familiarise yourself with the most used Software Development methodologies, knowing these will help you understand how projects/teams are run.

8. Have hobbies.

   I know you want to eat and breathe code but it is okay not to code every day, have hobbies and rest whenever you can. You can still become a better developer even if you have a life outside of coding.

9. Read documentation.

   Not reading documentation is like skipping a tutorial at the beginning of a game and later going back to it because you just realized that you can't just wing it. Reading documentation will save you a significant amount of time and effort because you'll get to understand how to use a certain tool correctly from the beginning.

10. You will never stop learning.

    You'll learn something new every once in a while, new tools will be released a lot and you will want to learn about them and be updated.

    Tip: Don't try to learn everything, it's okay to not know everything.

I hope this will help you prepare better for your first dev role.

Happy Coding :).