When can I consider myself a junior programmer?

In this article we will answer a very common question from programming beginners – when can I consider myself a junior programmer?

Hey you, how are you? So let’s see what parameters you can have or be based on to consider yourself a programmer!

One more controversial question about the programming area, and the main answer to it is: it depends

But we are going to cover the most important ones for you to have a north and be able to reach a conclusion about your skills

Gone farther  the tutorial loop

A junior programmer no longer sees basic tutorials of the same language, or that he thinks he has learned

If you have difficulty with condition structures, repetition and functions in a certain language, for example

You didn’t learn the basics of it and therefore you can’t be considered a junior programmer having it as your main tool

A junior programmer is one level above these tutorials, he should already be feeling comfortable creating projects in a language

That is, you can already make a CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) with PHP

This is already a more complex part of the language as it involves more responsibilities and can have a real application with this software

So try to get out of the tutorial loop and challenge yourself to create projects

Problem solver

A junior programmer must also be able to solve the problems that are handed to him.

Without depending on teammates, that is, he has project autonomy, other developers don’t need to keep checking his every step

Note that I’m not saying that this prevents you from asking questions or searching on Google, for example

Just that you don’t depend on someone else to analyze the problem and build a solution

This part of the analysis is also not entirely necessary, as a junior programmer has more of an execution role than a planning role.

A full programmer, in my opinion, is considered when a person is already able to plan a project in its entirety, raising all the possible problems and necessary requirements, in addition to being able to build the same

So if you are depending a lot on others to complete your tasks or they usually come back a lot for quality feedback

You shouldn’t consider yourself a junior programmer really, try to improve the quality of your code

How long does it take to be a junior programmer?

Again, it depends!

In programming we have a great aggravating factor that can hinder us in our career, which is ourselves

We need to discipline ourselves for constant learning and try to shorten this time to be a junior or be further than a junior in our career

If you don’t have the habit of studying daily, becoming a junior programmer will always be a long way off.

You will depend on what you learn on the job

And are you learning there?

I’ve worked with countless junior programmers and interns who were doing repetitive tasks for months.

It’s not the company’s fault they don’t grow, it’s their own

Because it is obvious that they are not evolving by making emails every day, for example

They should look for ways to learn technologies used in the market or other languages ​​in their time outside of work.

Only in this way will they manage not to be stagnant

So if you think you’ve been stuck in one position for a long time, try to see in a macro view what’s happening

How to shorten the path?

Having a clear and objective study plan, in addition to needing goals to fulfill each of the topics

In parallel, do projects to further enhance your learning, and practice with real-world situations.

Define your roadmap based on jobs in your region you would like to work or based on your taste/vocation

But keep in mind that learning what companies need is the shortest path

Want more information about Dev Career? Click here!