Growing as a Developer

You will outlive IDEs. At some point you’ll find them bloated, slow, clunky. That’s good. But there are moments when using an IDE is still better than not using one. You will learn to distinguish when that happens.

Don’t fall for the noise of hype. Most of what you see and use every day has been already invented a thousand times. But listen to the signal of hype and learn to separate chaff from grain.

We work in an industry that does not value wisdom. Most of your managers will not understand a word you say, no matter how many years of experience you have, yet they will have the power to fire you anyway. Live with it. Strive to find a place where you will be heard. At 35 you will be old already for this industry, sadly.

If you do not touch type by the age of 30, make sure you learn it. It’s going to help you a lot.

You should coach somebody. It makes the world a better place.

Exercise. Seriously, sitting in front of a computer all day brings back pain, headaches, overall fatigue, and it makes you grumpy. Standing desks are good but not enough. Get a treadmill or an elliptical bike and exercise, at least 30 minutes every day.

Programming jobs pay well. But don’t take a job because of the money. It’s a decision that sooner or later backfires on you, and you’re going to regret it.