The Junior Fogginess

Hey there, fellow juniors! If you've ever found yourself lost in the thicket of a new programming language or trembled at the foot of Mount Everest that is a fresh tech project, you're in the right place. Allow me to set the stage: I'm a junior developer, who once broke into a cold sweat at the sight of a new variable declaration. Now, I'm here to share with you a story about venturing into unknown territories and overcoming the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Imagine, if you will, a family friend appears at your doorstep and says, "Hey, buddy. Would you make me a Saleor mobile app?" Being the only techie in sight, I found myself face-to-face with the challenge of not just building an app, but deploying Saleor API on Heroku, which is a Django-based app, deploying Saleor Dashboard on Vercel which is a React-based app, creating a database on DigitalOcean (since I got some free credits there lol), managing the backend, and front-end, and ensuring everything were modular and scalable (I did say Everest, didn’t I?). The roller coaster ride of excitement, anticipation, and self-doubt was a ride I didn't sign up for, but one that I was buckled into nonetheless.

I started with what I knew - the first step - UX/UI. Was it my comfort zone? Not by a long shot. But did I throw in the towel? Nope. Instead, I made up my mantra: "One button at a time, one text input at a time, one screen at a time." The sketches weren't Picasso's, and the high-fidelity prototypes might have offended some design purists, but they got the job done.

Slowly but surely, the fog started to lift. The unknown stopped being a terrifying shadow and started being an exciting opportunity. Each component brought its challenges, its aha moments, and its little victories. The more I pushed, the clearer the path became.

Now, before I spill all the beans about this roller-coaster journey which includes loads of screens and interactions (you’ll have to stay tuned for the thrilling episodes in upcoming articles for that), let's circle back to the takeaway here. The truth of the matter is, even the most seasoned developers face their share of foggy uncertainties. The trick isn't to know everything; it's to start somewhere, anywhere.

A huge part of this journey is embracing the errors. Don't shun them; celebrate them, for they are stepping stones leading you toward mastery. And when you stumble upon a better industry standard - don't hesitate to pull out your code and give it a nice makeover. Refactor until that code sparkles! It may seem like a chore and you might groan thinking about the layers you'll have to peel back but trust me, the pay-off is substantial. And when you're standing on the decision of this choice, ask yourself: would you let your laziness or ego win, keeping you stagnant? Or would you rather arm yourself with patience, ready to redo the work again and again until it aligns with industry standards, matching the craftsmanship of the pros?

In this ever-evolving tech landscape, there's no room for "not now" or "not my job." Every tiny task, each moment you believe you're squandering, is laying the foundation for your impending proficiency. So, fellow juniors, the next time you find yourself staring at a dense fog of unknowns, just remember: all you need to do is take the first step. Believe me, the panorama on the other side is spectacularly worth it.

Best,

NBR0KN