Working 40 hours a Week is Nothing if You Enjoy what You’re Doing - Looking Back on 2011

I finally got out of college and moved into my first full-time job. Many people say that in the first 6 months of your first job, you’ll learn more than you did in most of your college years. Boy were they right.

I’ve learned a great deal about software development in the real world in the past few months. I’ve been lucky enough to be a major part of a team through a full development cycle on some highly visible projects. I’ve also had a chance to start a project from scratch and watch what it turns into, learn what type of problems come up, and see how problems are solved. From the experience I have already taken in, I have plenty of things I would like to improve next time I get the chance.

Here are some lessons learned:

1. Communication is key in solving problems.
2. Ask questions! Even dumb questions have a chance to uncover a situation that no one else has thought of yet.
3. When no one else will step up and get things done, take the opportunity yourself. You’ll be glad you did later.
4. Be open and willing to accept any comments anyone has about your work.
5. Keep your own comments to yourself unless explicitly asked for them.
6. Learn everything you can. You never know what solution you will find today that will help you later on.
7. Working 40 hours a week is nothing if you actually enjoy what you’re doing

Team dynamics are a very interesting part about industry software development. Discovering how other people work and what they require to get things done is a pretty difficult process. It’s also absolutely essential to producing great quality products, though. Understanding team dynamics allows you to see different perspectives on how to go about programming, which is never a bad thing.

With the above in mind, there is a bit of a grey area that is also important to note. It is still important to not let your coworkers determine how you perform. It’s very easy to get bogged down with what everyone else is doing. You shouldn’t let anyone else’s work ethic or problems determine how you do your job. Simply do the best you can, and you won’t have any problems.

So what should I accomplish this year?

• Figure out the key to marketing Android Apps. I still haven’t found the key to getting the word out about my two applications (RB Recorder and Work Tracker).
• Learn what all the fuss about HTML5 really is-- and if it’s really going to go anywhere.
• Move into iOS programming.

Happy New Years!