At the beginning of my career I received the demands and wanted to code! I’m in doubt if it was because I’m very anxious or if it’s because I’ve always really enjoyed coding.
The fact is that I always had a lot of rework, and I always asked a lot!
Asking is not a problem, especially at the beginning of the career when you have to let shyness aside and always question the most experienced developers. The problem is that as I developed a part of the demand, a question arose … I was developing a little more … and so I questioned my work partners several times! I mean, a boring one!
Today when I demand some activity for some newer developer, I always ask him if he has doubts and I tell him to understand what I asked and to ask me all the questions at once … I confess that even trying to be patient is very annoying to be interrupted several times. So my first tip is before you start a task read about it, write down your doubts and ask at once. That’s not to say that an answer will not lead to other doubts this means that you will not be annoying as I was! Also understanding the demand before you start working on it will prevent you from reworking, so you can deliver your activities faster and with better quality. Ask! Understand and only after make!
I always go to meetings with a notebook. It is grafts full that are often only intelligible to me. But without them I can’t make a coherent data model. I do not use any formal modeling in this step, but I put on paper the previous version of the model according to my understanding. These drafts are sometimes even teamed up, and help me visualize my database. After I make these drafts I start to model the database. So my second tip is scribble before modeling! Make drawings, show what you understand discuss before modeling. And needless to say, we’ve always modeled the database before we develop! Ever!!!
The third tip is to understand the business context! Don’t be one more executor! Understand what your company does! Get to know its business! Know the your application purpose and context.
Knowing the company can present you with excellent opportunities. Imagine that day when you are going to work upset … You are looking for the dream job … Suddenly find out that another area needs a beginner developer with your profile, for a more rewarding or better paid activity … Anyway, how have you been for a long time waiting. Be sure, the company will give preference to those who know the business.
Test, install configure, and learn other database types. I understand that your company only works with SQL Server and Oracle … but why not also know MongoDB? The moment a project comes up or even a new job you will already have knowledge, even if theoretical! Study! Knowledge is never lost! Aligned with this tip I will post a post series about MongoDB database. Install, test, search, install again … Anyway try it! This is my fourth tip.
Be sure that with these tips and many others that I will post here you will be closer to creating the best applications and being recognized for it!
Have a nice week!
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This article is available in Portuguese.