Asking questions

I believe that asking questions is one of the best and quickest ways to improve as a developer, especially for juniors.

Think about it. If you're new to development, or even if you've been a developer for a long time, our industry is constantly changing. There's new tools coming out all the time, and the way we build websites today are radically different from how we did it even just 5 years ago.

How are you supposed to keep up with all of this without asking questions and learning from others?

One of the biggest mistakes I see juniors make is trying to solve everything on their own, and feeling too proud to ask for help. This is especially important when working a job, where spending a lot of time on something, or going down a wrong path, could easily have been avoided by simply reaching out to a more senior dev and asking for advice. Most people love to help, and as long as you've tried your best beforehand, there's no shame in asking.

Even if you're learning on your own, make it a habit to ask questions on Twitter, StackOverflow, Discord groups etc. You're not stupid for not knowing something - what's stupid is being stuck on a tiny issue for hours, when a 5 minute chat with someone else could've helped you progress past it.

I guarantee you this habit will pay off hugely in the long term. Just be respectful of the other person's time, ask nicely, and they'll be much more likely to help you out 👍

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