Everything or Nothing
When I started programming, I naturally began with PHP. It was around the year 2000, and I was just 15 years old. While I was studying in high school, I also worked at a computer shop, repairing computers. At that time, PHP was the most popular programming language, and most websites, especially those for downloading music, movies, etc., were built using PHP and MySQL. Many of these sites were quite similar, which piqued my interest in understanding how they were built. I soon discovered they were using a framework called PHPNuke. This discovery led me to create my own website, www.elrinconadejero.com (which no longer exists), and I was very pleased with the results.
I remember those days when I would modify the CSS and all files directly via FTP. If you told a developer to do that now, they’d probably laugh at you 🤣. The first release of Git was in 2005, and I didn’t start using it until 2010. So, you can imagine what my development process was like back then 💣. In 2008, I began studying mechanical engineering (a story for another post), and at the same time, I took web development courses focusing on PHP, JavaScript, and CSS2 (float: center, vertical-align: middle, margin: auto… yet still not centered). My desire to build websites quickly led me to explore more frameworks, which is when Ruby on Rails came into the picture. Learning Ruby was an amazing experience, and I loved it. By my third year of university, I realized I wanted to be a software developer. However, I knew I needed to finish what I had started, and I did. I’m very proud of that achievement. This didn’t stop me from continuing to learn, as I took courses on Linux, Git, JavaScript, Docker, and more.
My First Job as a Software Developer
One day, I saw that my university was offering a course on CakePHP, and I thought, why not? I already knew PHP, so I gave it a try. During the course, the teacher, who I’m still in contact with, recommended that I apply for a junior developer position at a company. I took his advice, applied, and got the job. This role significantly boosted my career. I learned a lot about Git, task management, and object-oriented programming. I also had great colleagues and a fantastic mentor. While I was happy, I still wanted more. During those three years, I continued learning other technologies like NodeJS and Angular. Eventually, I found myself no longer happy at the company, so I started looking for other opportunities. Fate brought me to Luxembourg, where I joined the best startup ever, Salonkee. At Salonkee, I mainly worked with NodeJS and AngularJS, and it was there that I began to truly understand how JavaScript works.
Honestly, I wish I had first thoroughly learned all the design patterns and when to apply them in different contexts. For a good guide, I recommend refactoring.guru.
During these years, I often missed having someone on my team who knew more than I did and could continue teaching me. That’s why I had to keep learning on my own, using courses like those in the list below. Of course, my apologies if you don’t speak English.
Books I also recommend:
But if you can read Spanish, I highly recommend this book:
Should I Consider Myself a Senior After 10 Years of Coding?
I don’t believe it’s about the number of years you’ve been in a position. You can spend many years doing the same thing and not learn anything new. If you feel like you’re not learning, there’s no one around to teach you, and you’re not happy, it’s a good indicator that it might be time for a fresh start.
I think that feeling hasn’t hit me yet. Some people might consider me a senior, but I can’t label myself that way just yet. When I need to solve a problem or build something from scratch, I know how to approach it, but it doesn’t always come naturally. Sometimes, I need to double-check with documentation, colleagues, or close friends.