The first three months as a software developer are the most challenging because everything is new to you: the people, the company processes, and the codebase.
This article will show you what to expect in your first three months as a software developer.
Bear in mind that a lot depends on the size of the company.
Let's start.
Introduction to the team
You will have an introduction to the team you will be working with.
If the company uses Scrum, the introduction should happen during the standup meeting, which is a 15-minute meeting where team members gather to explain what they did the day before, the plan for the current day and if there are any blockers.
Since you'll be a new joiner, this meeting could last more than 15 minutes.
The company may send a welcome pack to your home address, with a tote bag, water bottle, and other gadgets, as a warm welcome to the organization.
You should get to know the members of your team and your manager.
This phase is usually relatively informal.
Related: Brief Introduction to Scrum
Setting up the Development Environment
Setting up the development environment means installing the applications necessary to do your job as a software developer.
During this process, you may have to ask for passwords and permissions to access some applications.
Typically, you'll install an IDE and gain access to the codebase, project management tools, database, cloud, monitoring application(s), and other services.
This process can take 2/3 weeks (sometimes even more). It's shorter if the company has well-written and updated documentation.
Related: Top 10 Technical Terms Every Software Engineer Should Know
Getting to Know the Company’s Processes
Depending on the size of the company, employees may undergo a week-long onboarding process. Employee onboarding allows employees to familiarize themselves with the company's internal structure, values, and policies.
The People team is usually responsible for onboarding employees into the company.
They will show you how to use the internal company's portal to:
Company structure (the hierarchy).
Company's policies.
Company's culture and values.
Company benefits (annual leave entitlement, sick leave policy, pension, etc.)
Work on Minor Tickets
Navigating a new codebase is tough. It takes months (in my humble opinion, a minimum of 6 months) to understand what's going on with the codebase and how different services communicate.
A "ticket", in short, is a task.
It's an excellent idea to ask questions about the codebase during this phase.
For example, you could ask about the following:
The deployment process of the company
Code review process of the company
During your first three months, you should familiarize yourself with the company's testing methodology, how different applications communicate together, the tools the company uses to deploy applications, how requirements are gathered, etc.
You must get as many doubts cleared as possible when you first start and document all your questions.
Conclusion
This article taught you what to expect during your first three months as a software engineer.
How did you find your first three months as a software engineer? What would you add to this article? Let me know in the comments.
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Until next time!
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