Lived Experience of a Junior Software Developer

This is a diary thesis of a junior software developer in his first ever IT job in a logistics company. The observation period covers a 10-week period from Nov.1, 2021 to Jan. 7, 2022. The author’s main task is to update the company’s Customs Clearance and Order Tracking web portal, an online service for processing customs declarations. JavaScript and React were the most commonly used technologies in this assignment. Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics were observed throughout the process of designing and Scrum was implemented to manage the project. There was also collaborative design within cross-functional teams to deliver to the users a well-thought of online service to cater to their needs. The thesis will contain daily analyses of a beginning-stage actor in the IT field which contains the day’s goals, problems encountered and things that have been done successfully. There will be weekly analyses as well to detail the skills developed and reflect on what lessons had been gained or things to improve on. This thesis will provide insight for those interested in the experiences of a junior software developer with no prior experience. The tasks assigned were those familiar with the author’s skillset. Also, as a foreigner in a Finnish company, this thesis will be an open book as to how it is like first-hand. Although Finnish is the mode of language, people are very understanding when it comes to social situations and also try to include everyone in conversations. There are more information with regards to the common problems encountered at work like being stuck or hitting a programming wall and ways to solve them. There are also some communication tips to enhance social skills in speaking in Finnish. The thesis also provides important learnings related to programming, user experience and user interface design. At the end of the observation period, the web portal was launched successfully and with it comes development with regards to the improvement of skillset. Having spent only six months at work was very beneficial but not to the point that it will make people an expert at things. There is always something to learn and things are developing rapidly in programming. However, with time, patience, and the burning desire to code, to be an experienced specialist after a couple of years is not impossible