Tips for Succeeding in Computer Science

A collection of learnings from my 15-year Software Engineering career at companies like Meta, Pinterest, and Walmart. 1. To learn how to code, you must write code in an unstructured environment. Tutorials can help initially, but don't get stuck in tutorial hell: these engineers can't actually solve problems. 2. The only way to learn how to write good code is to write a bunch of terrible code first. It is fundamentally about the struggle. 3. Debugging is effectively playing a game of detective. Becoming an expert debugger in a large, complex codebase will make you extremely valuable to any company. 4. For software engineers, most of what you learn in school won't be relevant on the job. The biggest value of a university education is your network. Invest in getting to know students and faculty. Don't worry too much about grades. 5. Networking is about building long-term relationships built on trust and value. Give more than you take and your network will grow rapidly. Remember this phrase: "Your net worth is your network." 6. Everyone in tech faces imposter syndrome. Consider imposter syndrome as an opportunity to learn from people who are further along. Actively seek out feedback and talk to people. 7. Tech interviews are immensely broken and your interviews will probably differ from your job. View interviews as a learning opportunity where you get to meet some other cool, smart people. 8. Realize that the average person will spend < 10 seconds scanning your resume. No one is as interested in you as you, so you need to keep things short. Your resume should be 1 page long. 9. Feedback is the secret to rapid career growth. Make it easy for others to give feedback by introspecting and asking for specific parts of your behavior. A lazy “Do you have any feedback for me?” will often be met with a similarly lazy “Nope, you’re doing great!” 10. If you're not sure what company to join, go to a larger, well-respected company (FAANG) as your first job. Junior engineers benefit from the consistency and stability of Big Tech. 11. Onboarding is a magical time when you get a free pass to ask as many questions as possible, request people's time, and build foundational relationships. Work with a sense of urgency when you're new to a company. 12. The relationship with your manager is the most important relationship you'll have in the workplace. You should proactively drive meetings and feedback with your manager; don't wait for them. 13. Getting promoted as an engineer is not just about skill or output. You also need scope and trust. Most promotions are deliberately planned months in advance. If a promotion is important for you, bring it up with your manager well in advance. 14. Most engineers don't negotiate their offers, but they should. The most important tool for negotiation is leverage. This means competing offers. I put this all together in a 1.5-hour video here: https://lnkd.in/gAH4Q2pD

Remember when we thought being amazing at coding was enough? Yeah... I learned the hard way that wasn't true. If you're wondering why your Python skills aren't getting you promoted, let me share what I wish someone had told me earlier. Being great at tech stuff is just step 1. Here's what actually got me promoted 3 times in one year: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭 – 𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 • Finish projects on time • Learn how your team's "hidden rules" • Be known as someone who gets stuff done 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮 – 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 • Figure out what's needed before your boss asks • Understand why you're doing each project • Say yes to tasks that stretch your skills 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯 – 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 • Connect your work to saving money or making money • Learn how your company actually makes a profit • Explain your results so anyone can understand 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰 – 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗼 • Make friends with people in other teams • Share what you know with others • Help new people learn the ropes Here's what I figured out: Most smart data people stay stuck because they think better code = better career. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀. To move up, you need: Good tech skills + Business impact + People skills. Work on all three at the same time? You'll get promoted while others wonder what they're missing. Stop being the smartest person who never gets ahead. Start building the complete skill set that actually gets you promoted. Follow me, Jaret André for real, practical career advice that actually works.

10 things I wish I could tell my younger engineering self. That would have accelerated my career by years. 1.Technical excellence alone won't get you promoted. Visibility matters as much as ability. Document your wins, communicate your impact, and make your contributions visible to decision-makers. 2.The team you join matters more than the company. Great managers accelerate your growth. Toxic ones stunt it. Choose your boss, not your brand. 3.Being the smartest in the room is overrated. Making everyone around you smarter is what creates real impact and recognition. 4.Learn systems, not just languages. Technologies change yearly. System design principles last decades. 5.Code reviews are career opportunities. They're not just about catching bugs. They're chances to demonstrate how you think and influence architecture. 6.Most career growth happens between 5pm and 9am. The side projects, the learning, the networking - these after-hours investments compound dramatically. 7.Clean code isn't about aesthetics. It's about empathy for those who will maintain it after you're gone. 8.Career capital comes from solving hard problems. Seek out the challenges everyone else avoids. That's where your value multiplies. 9.Relationships determine opportunities. Technical communities, not just technical skills, create career options. 10.Your mental health is a technical requirement. Burnout isn't a badge of honor. It's a systems failure that compromises your most valuable asset - your mind. I can't go back in time. But maybe you can avoid these lessons the hard way.