Mindset

At Rocksoft we put an effort to stay innovative. You need to accept that in IT industry it’s necessary to constantly learn and improve. The world is changing very fast. We can observe it right now by looking how fast AI is evolving. As a developer you can’t just learn some programming techniques and pray it will be enough until retirement. You can be sure it won’t. If it’s something that doesn’t scare you or maybe even makes you excited (because you won’t get bored) then this is a field which may be a good fit for you.

The market

Let's not kid ourselves, senior and regular developers are needed more than junior developers. That’s because they can just jump into a project and after some introduction they can start working and instantly bring value. With junior developers it’s not that simple. They need to be led by more experienced developer(s) and their code must be validated more often and more thoroughly than code written by more experienced developers.

Juniors are needed

Number of senior and regular developers is very limited. They don’t grow on trees. Every experienced developer was a junior in the beginning. They were taught and they got experience at work. So, juniors have to be hired and brought up, to fill the need for experienced developers.

Becoming a junior

Programming is mostly about practical skills and experience, not certificates, especially in the beginning. There are tons of information in the Internet and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Our recommendation is to choose one programming language and explore it deeply. As you get enough knowledge to start, build a project. It would be the best if that project could be used for the real-life scenario by you or someone else. Keep building projects and learn during that process. If you want, you can always go back to old projects and apply new techniques that you learned during the process. Remember, when it comes to starting a programming career, it’s more important to have more projects done than tutorials watched.

Overcoming difficulties

Staying motivated and overcoming difficulties is crucial. There are times when you might feel stuck or frustrated. But remember, programming is hard. Even the most experienced developers hit a wall sometimes. Don't be upset too much when your code doesn't work or when you can't understand a concept. This is not a sign that you're not meant for programming. Rather, it's a part of the process and an opportunity for growth. Practice patience and perseverance, seek help when needed and keep pushing forward. You're not alone in this journey.

Juniors at Rocksoft

The learning doesn't stop here. We are continuously looking for ways to innovate and stay ahead. If you are up to embrace a seamless journey from junior to senior, then join us in this endeavour!

Internships are happening

We do not only talk about the need for juniors. We also do our part to train new adepts of programming. In April we are going to have 5 students in our office for a month. They will see in practice how it’s like to work as a developer in a software house and you will probably hear from them after their internship. Stay tuned!

Learning by teaching

One of the best ways to increase your knowledge is by helping others. At Rocksoft, we strongly advocate peer learning as juniors can greatly benefit from another perspective that is closer to their understanding level. Not only will this add depth to your understanding but also improve your communication skills which are crucial in a team environment.

The magic of community

Software development is not just about lonely coding. Being part of a community is immensely helpful. Participation in online forums, open-source projects, and coding chat groups can accelerate your learning. Here you can ask for help, advice on your projects, or engage with discussions regarding the latest technologies.

Mentoring

Personally, I’m a frontend mentor in Zero To Junior and the approach above is mainly what describes the learning paths we have there. Learn some theory and then use it in a project. There is no other way to learn programming than playing with the code, finding solutions to make things work and acquiring new skills during that process. Combined with learning by teaching and helping others inside a community it’s a quite efficient way to achieve necessary skills to become a developer.

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