Software Eng Career

I had little experience with programming before I turned 18, so jumping into a Software Engineering Degree at University was daunting. The first year was humbling to say the least, but it got better. One thing I regret not doing earlier was coding a lot on the side, and simply relying on University courses and subjects to teach me everything. The best coders in my classes were the ones who enjoyed it.

The job market was a lot tougher than I thought. Turns out a lot of companies don't really care about your degree, but more about side projects and willingness to learn. This was long before AI too. I made an excel sheet of all the companies I applied for. I'm pretty sure it went past 200 over the span of a few months. For some people those were rookie numbers.

I've had good bosses my whole career. In terms of managerial style, they're all quite similar under the hood. Some appear more laid-back and casual than others.

I enjoy Agile ways of working more than freeballing development tasks. I definitely thought Agile was a waste of everyones time, but now that we lack it in my current workplace I can see the benefits much clearer. I can't say which type is better. They're all good in their own ways.

If you're gonna take away one thing from this it would be to not rely too much on university. Don't be afraid to take learnings into your own hands and definitely don't be reluctant to start something new out of fear.