Karan Saxena’s Post

my recent focus is improve my reviews and things like that

You'd be surprised at how many junior developers aren't putting much effort in; taking long breaks (1+ month); or just doing the bare minimum possible that they think they can get away with. The divide between good developers (at any level) and lazy/low-effort ones is becoming more clear. So for all of you putting serious effort into becoming a developer, you're doing awesome - just keep up the momentum.

You know when people say 'start small'? Well, I started by... breaking everything. 😂 When I first dove into Fullstack development, I was obsessed with building things fast, and sometimes that meant things broke faster. But that’s how I learned: by pushing limits, testing assumptions, and occasionally turning my code into a “what-not-to-do” tutorial. The lesson? Failure is part of the process. The best part of being in tech is that every mistake is an opportunity to build something better. The key is to keep pushing forward, fixing the bugs, and leveling up. To all the devs out there—what was your *first* coding failure? Drop your stories in the comments! 👇

Thoughts of a Junior Dev #5: 💭 "The duck has a point… " I never knew the “rubber duck” analogy was such a real thing… but it really is. “Rubber duck debugging”, how I understand it, is an analogy of problem solving in programming, where programmers debug their code by explaining it to an inanimate object, usually a rubber duck. Sounds silly at first, right? Basically, the principle behind it is, when verbalizing and simplifying complex coding problems, solutions become more clear. If you're lucky enough to have a more senior dev act as your “rubber duck” you’ll have one of the best experiences when solving problems. Just one clarifying question from them can change your trajectory to the solution. I've realized that this methodology, however, stretches further than only solving a bug in the code. For me at least, there is a bigger picture: I’ve realised that true power lies within the ability to navigate your thoughts through a problem and its dependencies as a whole - not only to understand it, but to see the best route to the solution and impact. Maybe the trick is to build a philosophy to try and see the problem (or enhancement, feature, etc.) in its entirety rather than looking at the current step in time. Do this by asking questions like: “How does this feature benifit the user?”, “What is the less complex approach to the solution?” or “How can the code be structured to be reusable, as maintainable as possible and future proof?” I've seen this philosophy lead to solutions that are more thought out as you'd have the outcome or final product in mind. And in my experience, this might even lead to solutions that require little to no code to work. Anyone agree or disagree with this? Would love to know your experience.

Now, I'm not saying code reviews are not needed. But I do have my doubts. You see, it feels too much like dogma: "they" say you must do something, and you do it without asking "why?". We do know that there were times without code reviews. We also know of indie developers, who are capable of producing top quality software without code reviews. Are we maybe doing something just because that's how we were doing it at our last places of work? #softwareengineering #softwareindustry #softwaredevelopment #codereview

Here's the hard truth about building personal projects as a Backend Engineer. I saw many engineers complaining about my code screenshot yesterday because it has plenty of `any` types. However, that code helped me secure $300 from a client yesterday first and I improved it today for the final deployment on Thursday. Lots of engineers are so engrossed with Clean Code and others. It's great. In fact, I preach about it every day and every time. However, here's the sad truth I have learned over the years: building products as an employee and building my personal projects. Clean code is great when working with a team of software engineers, and you have time. However, when you're the only engineer working on your product with lots of paying customers reporting bugs and feedback, experiencing all kinds of errors, and requesting new features. You will forget Clean Code and just get things to work. Getting things to work and keeping your paying users happy is the ultimate. Clean Code without anyone paying for it is nothing. This post is a summary of "Get it working, Improve and optimize later" --- Anyways, I help you become a great backend engineer at Mastering Backend. Improve your backend engineering skills with my weekly newsletter https://backendweekly.dev

Habits of Successful Software Developers 1️⃣ Write clean, maintainable code. 2️⃣ Keep learning new tools and trends. 3️⃣ Communicate effectively with your team. 4️⃣ Solve problems, not just write code. 5️⃣ Build real-world projects.

If you’re like most developers, you know the pressure to ship fast can be intense. But how do we ensure our work doesn’t come back to haunt us as technical debt or buggy code? Here are 3 effective strategies for maintaining quality: 1️⃣ Start with Code Reviews Think of code reviews as your first line of defense. They’re not just about spotting errors; they’re an opportunity to ensure your code is understandable and maintainable by others. 2️⃣ Write Reusable Code from the Beginning It’s easy to cut corners when the deadline is tight. But investing just a bit of time to make your code reusable can pay off big down the line. Imagine needing a similar feature next quarter; instead of starting from scratch, you have a solid base to build on. 3️⃣ Set Realistic Deadlines And Stick to Them Let’s face it, unrealistic deadlines lead to rushed code, which often means bugs and endless debugging sessions. I recall a previous project where my team and I were so focused on meeting a deadline that we hurried to release a feature without adequate testing. It was delivered on time, but the bugs that followed set us back more than if we’d taken a few extra days to ensure quality. When speed takes precedence over quality, we’ve all seen the results: bugs, outages, and frustrated users. Finding the balance between quality and speed isn’t always easy, but it’s a skill worth mastering. ⁉️ How do you balance the pressure to deliver quickly with the need to produce quality? 🍀 Share your thoughts in the comments, and if you found this helpful, please remember to like the post! #TechCareerGrowth #CodeQuality #ProductivityTips #SoftwareEngineering

7 Things Senior Developers Need to Know in Order to Succeed 1. New tools and technologies are always fun, but the time for implementing them is not right when they release. Give a tool some time to season before making it a part of your production stack. 2. Nothing is black and white. Tabs vs spaces, Vim vs Emacs, Functional vs Procedural vs OOP, Rust vs the world. Everything has its place and use case, and what works for you might not work for someone else. There’s a reason all of these technologies exist. 3. Junior devs are just as important as you. They may not know as much, but they can bring fresh eyes and new ideas. Sometimes it’s a good idea to put aside experience and just listen. 4. Write down the ideas you have in the off hours and implement them the next work day. Work-life balance is important, and not everything has to be done right now. 5. Documentation is invaluable. Not only does it help others understand your code, but it also serves as a future reference for yourself. Don’t assume you’ll remember why you made certain choices six months down the line; document as you go. 6. Code readability trumps cleverness. Writing clever, convoluted code may feel satisfying, but in the long run, clear, maintainable code is more valuable. Your future self, or whoever has to maintain your code, will thank you. 7. Learn to manage technical debt wisely. Not all tech debt is bad; sometimes it’s a trade-off necessary to move fast. However, knowing when to tackle debt and when to leave it is key to keeping your codebase sustainable. #SeniorDeveloper #TechLeadership #DeveloperTips #CodingWisdom #CareerAdvice #SoftwareEngineering #TechCommunity #CodeQuality

It’s easy to write code and move on. But real growth happens when you take ownership of what you build. After you ship a feature, follow up on it. Is it being used? Are users happy? Are there bugs you didn’t catch? Taking responsibility for your work means more than just writing good code. It means caring about how your code performs in the real world. If something’s not right, fix it. Improve it. That’s how you become a better developer. You’re not just a coder. You’re a problem solver. And the problems don’t end when your code gets deployed. They evolve. And so should you.