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Ask HN: SWEs working from home, what advice do you have for WFH junior devs?

4 points by luuuzeta ↗ HN
One of the concerns I always hear people complain about when working from home is that a software engineer or developer in a team might not get the help they really need, especially if they're starting in the industry. For example, they might not get proper mentorship, might be passed over when it comes to promotion, etc.

What have you done to leverage this clear disadvantage and continue progressing in your career?

9 comments

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JoeMayoBot
Here are a few tips that might give you some ideas:

1. If you're doing a daily scrum (or standup) there are a few things that are common: What have you done? What are you working on? and What are you having problems with? Don't be shy with the what are you having problems with because someone might volunteer to point you in the right direction. 2. Be on Slack/Teams and in meetings and don't be afraid to ask questions. 3. Hopefully, your team is doing code reviews. Interact with feedback during your reviews and ask questions and get clarity. Read other people's reviews too. You'll learn who the best reviewers are and learn to tag them occasionally so you can get the high quality feedback. 4. If you get the chance to do on-sites or meet for team gatherings, be eager to go so that you meet in person. Relationships are important. 5. Be there for the other devs (especially the ones that are Jr like you). Everyone has to help each other - that's how this thing works. 6. Remember to find a balance that respects other people's time because they have work to get done too.

luuuzeta
1. Great! This is something that might team does. We've alternate async and sync stand-ups.

2. Right, always on Slack during work hours. Also be available to jump on quick Hurdle/Zoom meetings.

3. My PM encouraged me to do this more often. I was hesitant because being a junior I didn't think my opinion held any weight, but I'm trying to do this more.

4. Gotcha! I'll keep this in mind :)

5. Thanks for mentioning this, and this is something I like about my team. I'm the most junior among all the devs in my team but they're always willing to help.

6. Certainly!

Thanks a lot for your advice :)

gardenhedge
Ask to tag along to meetings so you can learn. If you see an opportunity that is available, like doing a proof of concept with a new technology, offer your services without waiting to be asked. When you do work, demo it to your team and ask for feedback. Cameras on when other people have them on - I'm not the biggest fans of cameras but it would be good for a junior for people to put a face to a name.
luuuzeta
Oh these are good ones.

>When you do work, demo it to your team and ask for feedback.

I always ask for feedback for my PRs, however they're small enough they can be covered with a few screenshots or simply looking at the code. So do you think it's still worthy to schedule demos for them?

>Cameras on when other people have them on - I'm not the biggest fans of cameras but it would be good for a junior for people to put a face to a name.

Me neither but I always try to have my camera on.

Am4TIfIsER0ppos
Don't. Working from home leads to nothing but work. Wake, eat, work, eat, work, eat, more computer, sleep.
cbeach
Working in the office leads to nothing but work and train journeys. Wake (earlier), eat, 1h30m on train, work, eat, work, 1h30m on train, eat, sleep (less).
giaour
I dunno, cutting the commute out of métro, boulot, dodo frees up some time for hobbies and family.
luuuzeta
Oh no, I manage to squeeze more activities into my days and I've a hard stop by 4:30PM-5PM. I exercise, read, watch stuff, run errands, etc. after I'm off.