Habits to start forming from Day 1 of your Software Career

You are about to start you new job as software engineer, you are super excited for the new work, meeting new people and enjoying the new compensation that comes with the job. That feeling of a new job is always special. To succeed and grow in your new role, these are the most important habits that you should start from the day 1.

Setup a recurring 1:1 meeting with your manager on weekly basis. Also setup a recurring 1:1 meeting with your skip manager on monthly basis. This will ensure that you are well connected with your leadership. These meetings will act as a forum to bring visibility into your work, and you will get a chance to regularly get feedback & discuss your growth aspirations.

Before starting any project, make a habit of writing a detailed design doc first. Get that doc reviewed from your leads and the wider team. You will get to know about certain unknowns that more experienced people in the team would know. You will end up saving a lot of time later in the project cycle.

Make a habit to document everything you do. Keep a list of tasks that you have accomplished daily. This document will help you give status updates in your sprint meetings. It will also help you prepare a report of all the work done by you which can be used during performance reviews and promotion cycle.

Take care of your health. Your work involves sitting in front of computer screen for long hours for many years to come. Have a comfortable chair. Ensure that the height of the chair aligns properly with your monitor. If you wear glasses, take good lens which cuts blue light. Make arrangements so that you drink enough water throughout the day.

If you have any questions regarding your new software job, ask it in the comments section and I will be happy to answer them for you.

What is the one piece of advice you would give your younger self in tech ? Read all about it.