I'm a Software Engineer working at AWS, with over 7 years experience. The last few years of my life has taught me a lot. If I could talk to my younger self or any other junior engineer for that matter, here's what I would tell them:
[1] Learn fundamentals, not frameworks. Frameworks change quickly, but core concepts stay with you your whole career. Strong fundamentals make you adaptable, confident, and effective anywhere.
[2] Design before coding. If you can’t explain your solution clearly, then the implementation will be unclear too. Draw it. Write it. Challenge it. Then build it. Good design reduces rework and gives you a direction worth building.
[3] Read code, not just write it. Study the systems you work in and understand why things were built the way they are. Reading code builds real context — and context makes you faster, wiser, and more effective.
[4] Write for humans first, computers second. Choose clear names, small functions, and simple logic, and follow the practices set by your team and engineers before you. Maintainable code makes everyone’s job easier.
[5] Know when not to build. Not everything needs more code, sometimes the best solution is removing or reusing what already exists. Favour simplicity, avoid premature abstractions, and keep your systems lean. Code is a liability.
[6] Write things down. Design docs, architecture notes, and thoughtful PR descriptions show your thinking. Writing brings clarity, and clarity helps the entire team move faster.
[7] Don’t shy away from operations / devops. Many engineers avoid this work, but understanding how your code runs in production is one of the most important parts of the job — build it, own it, run it. It leads to safer judgement.
[8] Become great at debugging. Most engineers can build features, but not many fewer can fix issues under pressure. Learn how to troubleshoot calmly using logs, tracing and systematic problem solving.
[9] Own your career path. If you’re in a job that doesn’t help you grow, work with your manager to change that. If things still don’t improve, find a place that supports your goals. Your career is yours to steer.
[10] Communicate clearly and earn trust.
Be honest about what you know and what you don’t. Listen carefully, share progress early, and follow through on what you promise.
[11] Keep pushing yourself and don’t give up too quickly. There will be tough days and difficult problems. Stay patient, and keep pushing through. Growth often happens right after things start feeling uncomfortable.
Resources to level up as software engineer:
→ The Pragmatic Engineer with Gergely Orosz for industry insights.
→ System Design One by Neo Kim for system design fundamentals.
→ Coding Challenges with John Crickett for real world project ideas.
→ Connect with engineers like Anton Martyniuk, saed, Alexandre Zajac, Demitri Swan, Sanchit Narula, Daniel and Mohamed A. for daily engineering wisdom.
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