First day as a Junior Software Developer

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Charlotte Skinner
Charlotte Skinner
Junior DeveloperDevelopment

So I have just had my first day as a Junior Software Developer, and it surpassed all expectations! This is a run-down of how the day went:

  • 9:30am start - given a quick tour of the office, shown to my desk
  • HR chat about the usual admin related things that need to be spoken about when you're starting at a new place of work
  • Met my team: I work alongside 6 other developers of varying experience, they were all so lovely and welcoming!
  • Inductions: I have around 14 induction sessions (no joke) with members of each team in the company. To begin with I had a chat with my line manager about the company values, expectations and an outline of my probation targets. I found this meeting so valuable, as it allowed me to see how I fit into the company and their expectations of me. I also felt incredibly supported - obviously the company needs me to meet targets, they are a business after all! But they also care about my personal growth, training and aspirations too.
  • Start working! So to begin with I am shadowing the current Junior on the team, he is showing me the ropes and helping me get my computer set up with the software and sites i'll be using on a daily basis. He then assigns me some 'easy' tickets to start with - 'easy' for me meant a couple of hours looking into documentation and looking on Google to work out how this part of the software works and therefore how I can change it to meet the clients request.
  • Lunch! Our break room has the comfiest sofas, a table-football table and (when it's sunny) gorgeous views over the gardens in the center of Brighton. We are located so centrally that the shops and parks are located just a few minutes walk away.
  • Back to work! I carry on working on the tickets I was assigned before.
  • Training: As a team we have weekly training sessions where we go through a group of videos on Pluralsight, learning about a particular development skill or language. As we are watching these as a team, we can pause and ask questions about the material to help eachother with learning. Pluralsight is a great learning resource for web development!
  • Finish at 6pm

Everything I had heard about tech companies in Brighton is true. They are all such vibrant, inspiring places to work and are filled with people who feel genuinely appreciated for the work they do. I cant wait to see how my career pans out here!