Fundamentals, Documentation, and Discomfort: Keys to Dev Growth

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

During my 10 years as a software engineer—mostly in startup environments—I’ve seen developers of varying skill levels come and go. I’ve noticed a few things that hinder growth, and I realized I suffered from them early in my career. This post is meant to help you reflect on your own habits and ask, “Am I doing any of these?”

Fundamentals

Why fundamentals matter

Understanding the fundamentals of the language you work with provides a solid foundation for learning new languages, concepts, and frameworks efficiently.

Litmus tests

• Can you explain this technology to a non‑technical person?
• Can you build something functional without relying on a framework?

Many developers learn the framework first, leaving critical gaps in their knowledge of the underlying language.

Documentation

Reading docs vs. relying on AI

Using AI for code generation can be more of a hindrance than a help. The old advice—“Don’t just copy and paste code from Stack Overflow”—is more relevant now that AI often replaces Stack Overflow as a source of snippets.

You can still use AI, but consider turning off agent/code‑generation mode. A better approach is to:

1. Read the proposed code.
2. Ask questions about it.
3. Type it out yourself once you understand what’s happening.

Typing forces your brain to process the syntax and logic, helping you internalize the solution rather than passively accepting it.

Benefits of reading documentation

• Better debugging: Understanding the source code makes debugging easier.
• Edge cases: Documentation reveals critical edge cases or deprecated features that AI might miss.
• Collaboration: You can work alongside AI to solve problems instead of being fully dependent on it.

Discomfort and Growth

Situations that cause discomfort

• Working with constantly changing requirements or scope.
• Being asked to develop using a tool, language, or platform you’ve never used before.
• Engaging in high‑stakes architecture debates with senior colleagues.

Why discomfort is valuable

Navigating changing scope is integral to software development, as business needs dictate direction. Discomfort often signals learning something new. The more you become accustomed to it, the less hesitant you’ll be to grow, ultimately improving performance and accelerating your career.

Tips for Improvement

These are some practices that helped me improve as a software developer. I hope you find something here that can help you get better.