Tips for Ensuring Success in New Software Engineering Jobs

The field of software engineering is constantly evolving, and with the increasing demand for innovative technology, more and more companies are seeking skilled software engineers to join their teams. Starting a new job in this field can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially if you're just starting out or transitioning to a new company. However, with the right mindset and preparation, you can ensure your success in your new role. In this article, we'll share some tips to help you navigate your new software engineering job and thrive in your career.

Big News: Starting a New Job

Hi readers,

Last month, I left my previous employer (Hypertherm) and started a new job this month at Divisions Maintenance Group as a Sr. software engineer. As it is fresh in my memory and that I am still being onboarded, I would like to share what I’ve been doing/planning on doing at work. Hopefully, my recommendations will help you start on the right foot.

Recommendations for Starting a New Job

1. Be Kind and Treat Others with Respect

Before starting in the technology industry, I used to think that as you grew in seniority (senior/staff/principal/CTO), you were expected to be strong and powerful to govern your software projects. Hopefully, you won’t be thinking like me if you’re just starting your career. If I were to think about the best advice to give to someone, I would say to just be kind. Seriously. The mindset and the culture in the team and the company are so important; disrupting it or being arrogant/mean with your coworkers, might mean that things won’t fly well for you. You’ll start on the right foot by simply being kind to people and treating them with the respect that they deserve. Always remember that.

2. Have a Positive Attitude towards Your Tickets

When you start a new job, you will typically be given small tasks. Even if you are not given the “fun” stuff right off the bat, show that you can do those very well. Show right away that you are excited about these small jobs. This is a way for you to learn things from the ground up! Trust takes time to earn in a new team. Be grateful for every opportunity that you get to provide value for your team. When working on your software tasks, do your absolute best to make sure it is quality work.

• Make sure that your branch name is meaningful. Respect the guidelines of your team. Usually, I’d put the ticket number along with a summary of what the branch is doing.
• Make sure that your code is clear and easy to follow. When naming your variable or class or method, make sure that their intent is effortless to grasp. Do not forget to add helpful and declarative comments for obscure portions of your implementations that could be harder to understand.
• Do test your code. When fixing a bug or implementing a new feature, your changes always risk the integrity of the codebase. Adding tests to your pull request shows that you care about making your implementation more robust.
• Apply defensive programming to your code. Thinking of the edge cases and making sure your code is not prone to runtime failures will make you shine in your team.
• Make things easy for your reviewers when submitting a pull request. Add the context on the ticket and your solution to the description of your pull request.

3. Defining Success with Your Development Manager

A new job can bring a lot of stress and anxiety for people. You don’t know where you stand and you’re trying to give out a great first impression. In your first days/weeks, I would recommend finding an opening in your manager’s calendar to organize a sit-down with them. During that meeting, you can discuss your future in the team and how best to guarantee your success. By doing so, you show your new boss that you’re effectively taking responsibility for your career. That allows you to know the valuable aspects your new boss would like to see out of you while you’re starting. Additionally, you can schedule with your team leader a few meetings in your first few months to see how you’re performing.

4. Be Empathic towards Your Customers and Team Problems

As a software engineer, your main preoccupation is to solve business problems with automated systems/applications/tools. To function well, you need to understand what your team and your product are trying to accomplish and the problems that are being solved. When you are writing code, keeping that in mind will make you more practical at your job. Feeling empathy towards who your customers are AND the problems that your team is facing and will face is a great way to thrive in your organization.

5. Do Not Judge the Existing Code

It is very easy to take a peek at the living code and start taking shots at it. Instead of telling your teammates why the code you’ve been taking a look like is bad/poor/whatever, you can take some notes about the code and organize a meeting with your manager to discuss coding guidelines.

6. When in

Last month, I left my previous employer (Hypertherm) and started a new job this month at Divisions Maintenance Group as a Sr. software engineer. As it is fresh in my memory and that I am still being onboarded, I would like to share what I’ve been doing/planning on doing at work. Hopefully, my recommendations will help you start on the right foot.

Firstly, it is essential to be kind and respectful towards your coworkers. Being strong and powerful may seem like the way to go, but it can disrupt the team's culture and cause issues. Treating people with respect will ensure that things run smoothly for you. Additionally, it is important to have a positive attitude towards your work, even when given small tasks. Trust takes time to build, so being grateful for every opportunity to provide value will show your worth. When working on software tasks, ensure that your code is clear, easy to follow, and has helpful comments.

Defining success with your development manager is also crucial. Taking responsibility for your career and discussing your future in the team is an excellent way to guarantee your success. Additionally, empathy towards customers and team problems can help you thrive in your organization. Instead of over-optimizing your solution, focus on the matters at hand while leaving room for growth. Lastly, managing your time and setting boundaries between work and personal life will help prevent burnout and ensure you are more effective as an engineer.

In conclusion, every job is different, but these recommendations can help you do your best while starting your new job. Remember to be kind, have a positive attitude, define success with your development manager, be empathic towards customers and team problems, do not judge existing code, ask questions when in doubt, organize pair programming sessions with your team, find places where you can add value, set up boundaries between work and personal life, and manage your time effectively.

In this note, the author, Kevin, shares his recommendations on how to start a new job as a software engineer. His first advice is to be kind and treat others with respect, as the mindset and culture in the team and company are crucial for success. He also advises having a positive attitude towards small tasks and doing one's best to make sure that the work is of quality. Furthermore, Kevin emphasizes the importance of defining success with one's development manager early on in the job and being empathetic towards customers and team problems.

He also suggests not judging the existing code but instead taking notes and organizing a meeting with the manager to discuss coding guidelines. Asking questions and organizing pair programming sessions with teammates can also be helpful in learning and building relationships. Kevin encourages new employees to find places where they can add value and set boundaries between work and personal life to avoid burnout. Finally, he recommends managing one's time by setting up priorities and letting colleagues know they can still message when necessary.

Overall, Kevin provides practical advice for those starting a new job as a software engineer. He stresses the importance of being kind, respectful, and empathetic, while also being proactive in learning and contributing to the team.

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