Lessons from My First Year as a Software Engineer

A year ago, I transitioned from being an intern to a full-time Software Engineer at bld.ai. Looking back, it's been an incredible journey filled with challenges, growth, and valuable lessons. Here's what I learned.

The Learning Curve is Real

Week 1-4: Overwhelming

My first month was intense. I went from writing code for assignments to contributing to production systems that thousands of users depend on. The codebase seemed massive, and I felt lost.

What helped:

• Don't try to understand everything at once
• Ask questions (even "dumb" ones)
• Keep a learning journal of new concepts
• Pair programming with senior engineers

Month 2-3: Finding My Rhythm

By month two, I started recognizing patterns in the code. I could navigate the codebase without getting lost and began understanding the architecture.

Key milestone: I shipped my first feature independently - a screen recording Chrome extension with React and Django backend.

Month 4-6: Contributing Value

At this point, I felt confident enough to:

• Review others' code meaningfully
• Suggest architectural improvements
• Take on more complex features
• Mentor the next intern

Technical Lessons

1. Code Quality Matters More Than Speed

Early on, I rushed to complete tasks to prove myself. My code worked but was hard to maintain.

Bad Example: ```javascript // My early code function processData(d) { let r = []; for(let i=0;i<d.length;i++) { if(d[i].status==='active') { r.push({ n: d[i].name, v: d[i].value * 1.1 }); } } return r; } ```

Better Approach: ```javascript // After learning from code reviews function calculateActiveUserValues(userData) { const MARKUP_PERCENTAGE = 0.1;

return userData .filter(user => user.status === 'active') .map(user => ({ name: user.name, adjustedValue: user.value * (1 + MARKUP_PERCENTAGE) })); } ```

Lessons:

• Descriptive variable names
• Comments for "why", not "what"
• Think about the next developer (might be future you!)

2. Testing Saves Time

I resisted writing tests initially ("it works, why test?"). Then I spent 3 days debugging a production issue that tests would have caught in 5 minutes.

Now I:

• Write tests before fixing bugs
• Aim for meaningful test coverage, not 100%
• Use TDD for complex logic

3. Git is Your Friend

I learned git properly after accidentally force-pushing and losing a day's work.

Essential skills:

• Meaningful commit messages
• Feature branches
• Interactive rebase for clean history
• Never force-push to shared branches

4. Documentation is Not Optional

I built a feature with zero documentation. Six months later, I couldn't remember how it worked. Neither could my team.

Now I document:

• Complex business logic
• Non-obvious technical decisions
• API contracts
• Setup instructions for new developers

Soft Skills Matter

1. Communication > Code

The best code is useless if you can't explain it. I learned to:

• Write clear PR descriptions
• Present technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders
• Ask for help effectively ("I tried X and Y, got Z error, thinking it might be...")
• Give constructive code review feedback

2. Time Management Under Pressure

Mistake: Taking on too many tasks to impress management. Result: Burned out, shipped buggy code, missed deadlines.

Better approach:

• Under-promise, over-deliver
• Break large tasks into smaller chunks
• Say no to scope creep
• Take breaks (they improve productivity!)

3. Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

Everyone on the team seemed smarter than me. I felt like a fraud who would be "found out."

Reality: They had more experience, not more intelligence.

What helped:

• Celebrating small wins
• Keeping a "brag document" of achievements
• Remembering that everyone was once a beginner
• Focusing on progress, not perfection

Career Growth Moments

Securing $50,000 Funding

My biggest achievement was presenting our Chrome extension to investors and securing $50,000 in funding. This taught me:

• Technical skills + business acumen = career acceleration
• Storytelling matters in presentations
• Confidence comes from preparation

Learning Vue.js in a Week

At my new role at 3Pillars, I had to learn Vue.js quickly. I:

• Built a todo app in Vue to understand basics
• Read existing codebase to learn patterns
• Asked questions to senior Vue developers
• Shipped my first Vue feature in 7 days

Lesson: Learning new technologies quickly is a superpower.

Mistakes I Made

1. Not Asking for Help Soon Enough

I spent 2 days on a bug that a senior engineer solved in 10 minutes after I finally asked.

Lesson: Ask after 30 minutes of being stuck, not 2 days.

2. Ignoring Code Reviews

I took code review comments personally at first.

Better mindset: Code reviews make you better, not feel bad.

3. Neglecting Side Projects

I stopped building personal projects, thinking work was enough.

Result: Skills stagnated outside my work scope.

Fix: Built this portfolio during military service to keep learning.

Advice for New Engineers

Technical

1. Master the fundamentals - Algorithms, data structures, system design
2. Read code more than you write - Learn from others' codebases
3. Build projects - Hands-on beats tutorials every time
4. Learn one thing deeply - Better than knowing many things superficially

Career

1. Network early - LinkedIn, tech meetups, conferences
2. Document your wins - Keep a work journal
3. Find mentors - Ask senior engineers for coffee chats
4. Teach others - Best way to solidify knowledge

Personal

1. Take care of health - Burnout is real
2. Develop hobbies - Life outside code
3. Be patient - Growth is non-linear
4. Celebrate progress - You know more than you think

What's Next?

Looking ahead, I want to:

• Contribute to open source
• Write more technical blog posts
• Learn Rust and system programming
• Mentor junior developers
• Maybe start a tech YouTube channel?

Final Thoughts

My first year taught me that being a software engineer is about:

• Continuous learning
• Problem-solving mindset
• Team collaboration
• Building things that matter

If you're starting out, remember: Everyone who's successful now was once where you are. The difference is they kept going.

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