Developers, like any professionals, make mistakes. Sometimes it can be difficult to admit to standard errors in your own work, but by paying attention to them, you can quickly improve your professional skills. In this short article, we have compiled a list of the 5 main mistakes made by beginner developers.
Mistake 1: Not asking questions
Sometimes developers are afraid to ask questions so as not to ruin their first impression, and try to solve any problems on their own. Sometimes this can end in disaster. A task that is supposed to take two days to complete sometimes remains unresolved a week later. This means that it is important and necessary to ask questions when you encounter an obstacle. The sooner, the better.
Mistake 2. Ignoring the big picture
When you focus on the structure of the code, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture of the project. Novice developers often prefer not to look at technical documentation and work only in areas they are familiar with. This can lead to suboptimal or even incorrect decisions at the design and implementation level. A professional developer must at least have a general understanding of each customer’s field of activity in order to make the right decisions.
Mistake 3. Trusting your assumptions
Incorrect assumptions when modeling the subject area can lead to serious problems in the application’s operation. Sometimes they require rewriting code, wasting time and money, including the customer’s. Making assumptions is natural and even necessary, and it is impossible to completely avoid mistakes. It is good to keep this in mind and carefully study the system design before you start writing code.
Mistake 4. Not justifying your decision
Sometimes, when looking for a solution to a specific problem, you may find a suitable piece of code on GitHub or StackOverflow. One that you can simply paste into your own code and be happy that the system is working without a hitch. However, this is not enough — you must be able to explain why this solution works. Blindly copying code may save time, but it can put you in such an awkward position that the time saved will not seem like sufficient compensation.
Mistake 5. Avoiding responsibility
Being willing to take responsibility for your actions is a sign of maturity. Unfortunately, many people lack this willingness: they forget to check the code or exceed the agreed deadlines without any explanation. An irresponsible developer can hardly expect to be given more serious and interesting tasks, so their prospects for growth look extremely vague.
Taking care of your professional image is not at all superfluous. If you realize that you will not be able to complete a task on time, inform all colleagues involved as soon as possible and set a new deadline. Be prepared to take on more challenging tasks — this will highlight your responsibility and willingness to grow professionally.