Junior Developers. The unsung heroes.

As a junior developer, you may feel like I do and wonder how you could contribute positively to a team of experienced developers. I’d like to take this time to highlight some essential qualities we can bring to the table that can significantly benefit any team.

Fresh Perspective

One of the most significant advantages of having a junior developer on your team, to help capitalise on the knowledge some senior team members have, is a fresh perspective. We can bring a new approach that more experienced developers may not have considered. We may have a different way of looking at problems or solutions, which can lead to innovative solutions that would not have been seen otherwise.

Eagerness to Learn

Often very motivated and enthusiastic about their work, junior developers are eager to learn as much as possible from their more experienced colleagues. This means they are usually very receptive to feedback and willing to take on new challenges. This can re-energize a team to success.

Willingness to Take on Low-level Tasks

As someone new to development, many aspects are new to junior team members. Vital tasks fall under the category of something you are meant to practice or spend more time on. This makes Juniors more open to jobs that seniors may find tedious. Junior developers are often willing to take on low-level tasks that more experienced developers may not want to do. This can include things like bug fixes, documentation, refactoring and testing. While these tasks may not be glamorous, they are essential to the success of any project, and having someone willing to take them on can be a huge asset.

Conquer that negative self-talk that can creep in, focus on the positives, we have a lot more to offer then it may seem at first glance.

If you can think of any other glowing attributes that we can bring to the table, please add below in the comments.