What To Expect On Your First Software Developer Job
Introduction
In this article, we will discuss the daily routine of a software developer and what you can expect on your first developer project.
Main Responsibilities of a Software Developer
As a software developer, your primary duties will involve identifying and resolving issues in the codebase.
Working to developing new features and tests.
Documenting your work and reviewing code written by others on the team.
Let's take a look at each of these responsibilities in greater detail.
Participating in Team Discussion Meetings
Developing software products involves many moving parts.
It is important for the entire project team to be aligned and informed throughout the application development process.
Regular "scrum" meetings are held to facilitate this, where each team member provides status updates and identifies any obstacles that may hinder project progress.
This helps keep everyone on the same page and working together efficiently towards project goals.
You want to be an active partificant in these meetings.
Share you input, feedback, and ask questions on what you need help with.
Just keep it brief.
Debugging Codebases and Fixing Bugs
As a new software developer, you can expect to spend a significant amount of time fixing small bugs and debugging errors in the codebase.
You will be given a list of tickets or issues that need to be addressed, which will help break down the work into manageable tasks.
Some of these tickets may involve identifying and resolving bugs in the application.
Building New Features
As you gain more experience and become more comfortable with your job, you will be given more responsibility with the codebase.
This includes building out new features, which are crucial components of any software product.
Building out new features may take longer than repairing small bug fixes.
This is a good thing, because as a junior developer you have the opportunity to contribute significantly to the project and showcase your skills.
Writing Tests for the Applications
Testing is a crucial aspect of software applications as it ensures that they function as intended.
It is essential to verify that software works correctly and meets the requirements before release.
As developers, we do this testing with automated tests in the code.
As a software developer, one of your key responsibilities is to create various types of tests such as unit tests, integrated tests, functional tests and more.
Writing Documentation
Documentation plays a very under-appreciated role in software development.
It's important that developers document the key features and processes of an application, along with detailed instructions on how to run the project locally.
When starting a new project, it is important to review the documentation thoroughly.
If you come across any discrepancies or gaps in information, it is recommended that you bring them to the attention of your team.
This presents an opportunity to update and improve the documentation for future reference.
Performing Code Reviews
Software development is a collaborative effort, and it's important that all team members have their code reviewed by peers.
Even us senior people, like me.
After making changes to the codebase, you'll need to create a pull request for review.
This ensures that the code is reviewed by the team and any issues are identified before merging code into the main branch.
A pull request is a basically a set of proposed changes to the codebase.
Once a pull request is submitted your team members will review your code and offer feedback.
Conclusion
Building software products involves various components, and it's not just about writing code for 8 hours straight.
Your workdays will be filled with a range of activities such as attending meetings, pair programming sessions, debugging, reading and writing documentation, as well as testing the software.
These tasks are all crucial to ensure the successful development and delivery of high-quality software products.
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