How to Build the 5 Skills Junior Developers Lack
I’ve seen quite a few junior developers pass through the ranks recently. As a memorable example, Maria came as a “freebie” from her consultancy company and stayed a few months learning from her consultancies training documentation.
Pull requests complete: 0
I honestly think that she brought negative value to our team, and such deals should not be allowed to get in the way of us delivering features and value to the customer.
I accept such notions age me these days
Here are the 5 skills that I’ve seen junior developers lack, and the main ones that stop them from moving on in their career
Typing
Look. I’ve seen kids come into development jobs holding their Dvorak keyboards like some sort of RGB-assisted lightsaber.
What do I notice about this type of junior developer?
They lack keyboard skills
You may purchase the best keyboard Best Buy (lol) has to offer (at a discount), but it does not mean that you will be faster at typing.
The junior developers I’ve worked with recently use a two-finger typing style. Some chat about the latest and greatest software development tools but haven’t yet locked down the human-computer-interaction piece of development which is the most important.
Advice from The Secret Developer: Bin the Dvorak, and learn to type. Fast. I’ve heard The Typing of the Dead is good (buy it, use it and git gud)
Communication
Sometimes it feels that the developers I work with have no friends and just sit at home beside the computer with coffee and ramen.
I feel seen
So The Secret Developer might think this is normal for a software developer in 2023, but it’s really important to communicate for a junior developer coming up through the ranks. I don’t mean just being silent in meetings. I mean some developers aren’t great to talk to.
What have you been working on recently?
Silence
Change tack to make a bond. What about sports?
Seen the game at the weekend?
Mumbles
Perhaps they don’t want to talk about personal stuff. Ask them something “developer” like
Have you seen Apple’s Vision Pro? Do you think developing for it might be a good idea for our company?
I don’t know anything about Apple products.
So, it goes on.
With some of these developers, even though we work in the same company performing similar tasks it feels impossible to make any kind of connection.
I’ve tried it all. Even my special skill (complaining) doesn’t work.
Worse, it’s not me. Put a group of these developers together and they will simply stand in silence. It’s miserable.
Advice from The Secret Developer: Get some friends and practice talking to them
That’s too much to ask
Teamwork
I’m sure someone (is it you?) will leave a message in the content about how they work alone and are happy.
I think we’d all be happier if we worked on our own
That said, almost every junior developer works in a team. We have Agile teams working together to create a great customer experience at our place. I’m not sure how you’d do that if you’re so siloed that you don’t think you work with any other people that just might be an issue.
For some junior developers, I’ve seen it can cause issues. They don’t want to conform to our coding standards, and they do not communicate about the work they’re doing. I think in their Agile teams they project the idea that they’re a great team player but from a technical point of view they come some way short.
Advice from The Secret Developer: You’re working in a team. Act like it.
Engagement
It’s not even a skill
You know what. I’m sick of the silence in meetings as people in Agile teams seem to be uninterested in what the rest of the team delivers.
You should be engaged with your product, your team, and your delivery. If not, what is the point?
Advice from The Secret Developer: Perhaps like what you are doing, and show it
Inquisitiveness
I might have called this curiosity when thinking of the signs of a great developer. Here I’m calling it inquisitiveness as I think this encapsulates something that new developers lack but so often need:
Interest in how things work
Motivation to find things out
Excitement about problem-solving and implementing solutions
Advice from The Secret Developer: Do something else if you are not interested in development. It just makes sense!
Conclusion
I’m sure you read this and think you’re flawless.
I get it, I’m awesome too
Yet I feel it might be worthwhile working on skills that make you a better developer. Also, you might like to work on your superciliousness and develop some humility. How does that sound?