I just celebrated my first year at Eastmont Group and as a full-time web developer. When I was in the middle of web dev bootcamp, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I landed my first gig as a developer. But, if perhaps you’re reading this and you’re like me, hopefully what I’ve learned over the past year will help you along your own path.

With that said, here a few things to keep in mind…

1. Never stop learning.
Web development isn’t a skill that stays the same over time. It’s constantly changing and therefore you have to constantly learn. I think most web developers enjoy the learning aspect, otherwise they’d be miserable in their roles. I remember hearing over and over again that Google and Stack Overflow are your friends and I’ve totally found that to be true. I’ve found whatever problem you encounter has, more than likely, already been encountered (and solved) by someone else. You just have to be willing to dig to find the solution.

2. Stay active and engage with other people.
Being a web developer is a very sedentary (and isolating at times) job. You spend all day staring at a screen and after you’ve maxed out your brain power for 10+ hours, all you want is a cold beer, a pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream (or whatever flavor you prefer) and a few hours of Netflix.

Don’t do it though. I remember seeing this article in Fortune magazine a while back and was startled at the findings.

So, no matter how fried you are from work, take breaks during the day, talk to other people, go to Meet-Up groups and events, and EXERCISE. You’ll feel better and you might find it helps you get mentally “unstuck” if you’re stumped on a problem—which leads me to point 3.

3. Stay determined but know when to take a break (see point #2.)

4. Learn your keyboard shortcuts.
Sure, this one might seem obvious. But, it’s something that’s been a lifesaver for me so I wanted to mention it. Here’s a great resource on Sublime Text keyboard shortcuts that I’ve found to be very helpful.

5. Keep your options open.
“Do you want to do front-end or back-end development more?” That was the question that was asked on a regular basis towards the end of my web dev bootcamp and it stressed me out. Why? Because I had no clue which one I’d rather do!

I discovered that I actually like both front-end and back-end and I am fortunate to be able to do both in my job. So, don’t stress out if you’re not sure. Take everything in strides and you’ll figure it out along the way.

 

These five tips aren’t mind-blowingly complex or earth shattering. But, they are things that have helped me along the way. And, hopefully they’ll help you as well!