Reality usually is not as sunshine as people make it seem. A lot of time, you will be using outdated technology. Most new technology will take years to be put into place. This can change from company to company, but most companies will only use proven technology in many cases and tend to steer away from anything risky.
A developer’s job is a double—edged sword— balancing what is good enough vs. what is better? Should you update a codeset that hasn’t been touched in 5 years? When was the last time the unit test got updated? Should we upgrade to the next version? These are just small parts of what comes up during the job.
A Day
An average day-to-day developer gives you a task that’s either too broad or too narrow, and it’s your job to figure out which it is. You hope to have assistance from a senior developer or a tech lead that can steer the team in the proper direction. Finding someone that can give you advice is always helpful. Networking is critical when it comes to a company and being successful in it.
Roads Built
Reality isn’t beautiful, but it’s not all bad. There are roads and roadblocks to overcome and to play a part in that is part of something bigger. Finding those who want to build a road instead of a roadblock is a developer’s journey. A developer’s job is never done, and there’s always something to work towards. Help those who show interest in growing, work together, and communicate with each other.
Building a product takes a team. A team requires knowledge of what is to be made. This is where business and management come into the picture. We make roads that we must walk to complete what must be done. As such, we want these roads to be smooth as possible. That is where we must communicate clearly with each other on processes, solutions, and potential outcomes at every step.
A Developer
A developer will often struggle with wanting to do better. However, policies tend to keep the doing better to a limited scope and usually limited to a specific range of approved ways. Policies help the company control the what, who, and how. This can, in the end, hurt developers’ mentality to want to be better at their job. Finding a balance is essential.
A developer is more than just a programmer, a designer, or an architect. A developer is a bridge that everyone in the field has to cross at some point in time. The rollercoaster of becoming a developer is just the start. So please go out and enjoy it.