How to Level Up as a Developer

A comprehensive guide progressing in your career
as a software developer.

Watch the presentation: https://youtu.be/bf5QVjgi9JU

1. Brett Chalupa, 2022 How to Level Up A comprehensive guide progressing in your career as a software developer
3. Why do you want to level up?
4. So let’s get into this!
5. Five Key Ways to Level Up Which I’ll go more in depth on! 1. Write more code
6. Five Key Ways to Level Up Which I’ll go more in depth on! 1. Write more code 2. Study programming
7. Five Key Ways to Level Up Which I’ll go more in depth on! 1. Write more code 2. Study programming 3. Learn from those more experienced than you
8. Five Key Ways to Level Up Which I’ll go more in depth on! 1. Write more code 2. Study programming 3. Learn from those more experienced than you 4. Improve non-technical skills & relationships
9. Five Key Ways to Level Up Which I’ll go more in depth on! 1. Write more code 2. Study programming 3. Learn from those more experienced than you 4. Improve non-technical skills & relationships 5. Make yourself indispensable
10. Leveling up can take years.
11. But beware of complacency.
12. Look at those around you.
13. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change
14. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change 2. Speed at which work is completed (and shipped)
15. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change 2. Speed at which work is completed (and shipped) 3. Less time being supported by teammates, more time supporting teammates
16. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change 2. Speed at which work is completed (and shipped) 3. Less time being supported by teammates, more time supporting teammates 4. Self-starting important work that the biz may not prioritize
17. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change 2. Speed at which work is completed (and shipped) 3. Less time being supported by teammates, more time supporting teammates 4. Self-starting important work that the biz may not prioritize 5. Depth of understanding of internal codebases and tools, as well as libraries, frameworks, and languages used
18. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change 2. Speed at which work is completed (and shipped) 3. Less time being supported by teammates, more time supporting teammates 4. Self-starting important work that the biz may not prioritize 5. Depth of understanding of internal codebases and tools, as well as libraries, frameworks, and languages used 6. Understanding of how the work you do fi ts into the business strategy of the project, team, and biz
19. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change 2. Speed at which work is completed (and shipped) 3. Less time being supported by teammates, more time supporting teammates 4. Self-starting important work that the biz may not prioritize 5. Depth of understanding of internal codebases and tools, as well as libraries, frameworks, and languages used 6. Understanding of how the work you do fi ts into the business strategy of the project, team, and biz 7. Communication skills
20. Qualities That Increase as Experience Increases 1. Quality of work increases (stability, correctness, and test coverage) — easier to change 2. Speed at which work is completed (and shipped) 3. Less time being supported by teammates, more time supporting teammates 4. Self-starting important work that the biz may not prioritize 5. Depth of understanding of internal codebases and tools, as well as libraries, frameworks, and languages used 6. Understanding of how the work you do fi ts into the business strategy of the project, team, and biz 7. Communication skills 8. Sustainable pace of work
21. Your first step: talk with your manager.
22. Your manager’s job is to support and mentor you.
23. Say this to them: “I’d like to work towards leveling up and becoming an (X Level) developer. I know it’ll take focus and dedication, but I’m ready. Can you help guide and support me through that process?”
24. Identify what skills you need to focus on learning and growing.
26. Establish regular check-ins where you can share your progress and get feedback.
27. Keep track of what you’re learning and share it with your manager.
29. Find a mentor.
30. Find a new job.
31. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
32. Study programming every day.
33. Share what you learn.
34. Focus on the fundamentals.
35. The Fundamentals to Focus On 1. The standard library of your language 2. The frameworks and libraries you use 3. Data structures and algorithms 4. Writing tests for your code 5. Performance & benchmarking 6. Your platform (HTTP, the web, iOS, whatever)
37. Learn a new language.
38. Contribute to open source.
39. Start & finish side projects.
40. https://bit.ly/projectbookbc
41. Improve non-technical skills.
42. Go to meetups, attend conferences, watch webinars, and get involved with people!
43. Valuable Non-Technical Skills 1. Clear and empathetic written and verbal communication 2. Habits, productivity, and focus 3. Networking, being social, being interested, being kind and friendly! 4. Project management 5. Product management 6. UX Design — the fl ow through the software 7. Care about your work
44. Non-Technical Skill Resources
45. Be reliable.
46. Make yourself indispensable.
47. Find a niche and become the expert.
48. Ask for more challenging projects.
49. Do the work that needs to get done that doesn’t get prioritized.
50. Document all of the things.
51. Be patient.
52. Your Homework 1. Talk with your manager 2. Find a mentor 3. Start a side project 4. Study daily 5. Code more
53. You’ve got this!