In addition to current comments:

**Automated testing**:

- AI tools: Making resilient tests enables you to refactor the code and validating that you are not breaking it
- Applying **Test Driven Development** makes a lot of sense using AI code generation tools, said that, there are a lot of different opinions about it. My suggestion is: try it and make your own opinion.
- Testing enables CI/CD

**Refactoring:**

- With code generation tools, you need to be able not only to identify *code smells* or "bad code", but also to know how to properly update it, keeping the same behavior
- This complements a lot with automated testing

**Collaboration**:

- This is a "soft" or "power" skill, which basically is: be nice, share your knowledge, help others, learn to give and receive feedback.
- Main reason: with a solid team, everything; without a team, even you have "rock stars", nothing.

Probably the most important one:

**Resilience**:

- In changing times, we need to be able to adapt and use challenges as growth opportunities.
- Adapt, or dead. The law of life.

If you are able to keep learning and evolving through economic and technology changes, is most likely you will have more success (not only as engineer, but in the life in general).

Senior Software Engineer

Juan Correa

I have not worked at Meta, but IMPE, once you have identified what the company, or project, or team is expecting from you, try a way to measure if you are meeting those expectations. 

You mentioned:

> I have received feedback around learning to independently scope out timelines and to be more effective at communicating about work.

If possible, request for examples or ways that you could measure "to be more effective at communicating about work".

Probably this are some examples:

1. When you ask for help, how do you ask? 
   1. I love to help my teammates, specially when they **ask in a way that is easier to me to help them**: Sharing your question as concise as possible, with examples of what you have tried ("I tried A and B"), what are your thoughts ("I think this could be because of..."), or sharing your hypothesis. 
   2. Don't wait too long time to communicate that you are blocked, the "too long time" will depends on your project. For example, don't wait 3 days to ask something that should be done on 5 days, if you are blocked.
   3. If you don't feel secure asking questions, this is a warning signal of the dynamics of the team. Make sure to share your concerns with your manager in a proactive way ("Hey, sometimes I don't feel good to be asking too much because the team is busy, so I'm trying to ask the minimum necessary, but what do you think about this?".
2. Take notes of everything and share them with your team.
   1. Taking notes is also a study method. Maybe the notes information will be obsolete in 6 months, but by writing them, you have kept on your brain.
   2. Before asking something already discussed, check your notes.
3. Before sending a PR:
   1. Make yourself a code review and try to identify possible scenarios that you didn't considered.
   2. Test your changes before submitting your PR.
4. Analyze what is your attitude:
   1. Think that you are being paid for learning :D
   2. Try to learn as much as possible
   3. Make sure you are building relationships with your team and manager

> I am still struggling to be confident

Personally, I am struggling with confidence even after 9 years of experience 😂

> We suffer more often in imagination than in reality. Seneca

I'm not saying this is your case, but sometimes I have found myself thinking on imaginary scenarios more than the real ones.

It is normal to received feedback. What I would put attention is if you are receiving the same feedback frequently, that could means that you are not addressing it properly. 

> How do I ship code faster? How do I trace through react components or hack files efficiently?

Is shipping code faster the way you could address your feedback?

Estimations comes from experience, is perfectly normal to improve them over the time. Initially, you need to become familiar with the project, so you can provide a more accurate estimation.

My suggestion: Don't push yourself too hard in order to accomplish an estimation. Rather than, do an internal retrospective about what you have learned on a first iteration. Normally, an estimation is considering working hours, so if you push yourself working more, the estimation was not correct.

Try to improve the estimations more. 

You will ship code faster organically while you are learning and getting more experience.

Even tho, here are some tips to write code faster:

1. Make baby steps changes so you can identify faster if you are breaking something. This needs automated tests so you can have faster feedback.
2. Learn how to debug and follow the code. You mentioned React, so you could use the React devtools extension. 
3. Inspect the HTML code in the browser and look for ids or classes names, copy them and search them in the repository, this is a good way to find the corresponding components.
4. Take easier tasks first: try to solve changes like updating a copy or stuff like that, if possible. 

I hope this helps you 😃

It could be subjective (and prejudiced).

I would say no: Each person has a personality and a style, and we should not be afraid to expose it in public.

What we should always take care of is respect. 

I would suggest:

- When working remotely and using communication tools like Slack or Teams: No hello! If you need something from someone, please go to the point directly. It's nice if you want to greet, but please don't greet and wait the answer, you could greet and include what you need at the same time. More about this: <https://nohello.net/>
- Use video calls wisely: If possible, use chat as first option when possible. Ask yourself if a video call is really necessary. We are busy, and it's easier to respond a message than stop what we are doing, and enter to a video call just to answer something that could be a message or an email.
- Take notes: if you ask for something, it's possible that it will be a recurrent question, so make sure that you take notes about the answer, so the next time you can check your notes. Bonus: If is a recurrent question across your team or organization, making a documentation could be a good way to address this. From a FAQ to onboarding or setup projects, depending the nature of the question.
- Before asking: Depending on the context, it would be a good idea to do an effort trying to solve OR trying to understand what is happening, so when you ask your question, you could include what have you done. This is something that I like to do when a junior asks me something. Depending on the context, I usually answer: What have you tried so far? or what do you think? so I can transmit the mental process when you are facing something unknown. But yeah, this is contextual.

More tips:

- On my personal experience, when I have an onboarding, I learn faster by doing a small ticket or change, something relatively easy so someone that is starting can solve.
- If possible, propose to do a pair programming. If is not possible because any reason, propose shadowing with another developer while is doing a task.
- Transparency and honesty is cool: Sharing how you are feeling it's desirable and opens the communication with your team. Like in a relationship, if there is not a good communication, the problems will come.

While this is something that have worked for me, I'm always open to feedback from the community :D

**Win**: Getting my last 2 jobs from personal recommendation aka referrals from ex colleges (they recommended me because they knew what I'm capable to do), which gave me external feedback and a sort kind of validation, which is not my primary concern but always grateful to receive.

**Loss**: Got confortable and be closed to more job opportunities.

Your only limit is your mind. 

Software engineering *is not memorization*, regardless that, sometimes in the interviews you are expected to remember syntax or stuff like that. 

Following the Alex's advice: Make a list of the companies that you really are excited to join and the ones that are like "meh". 

Get experience first with the "meh" companies. 

From my personal experience: Take the interviews **as a free skill evaluation** from a company **where you will learn more** about yourself and challenges that you are not used to in your daily life. The job offer is like the bonus price. 

The attitude is elemental, feeling frustrated is fine, is part of the process, we all need a vent sometimes, is nice that you have a support community :D 

Keep building your resilience and skills, if you persist and keep learning on each "battle", is a matter of time that you will win the "bonus" price uwu

Senior Software Engineer at Unemployed

One of the best intellectual (brain training) learning experiences I have had so far is studying:

- Aristotelian logic.
- Philosophy (Objectivism).

Reading Aristotelian logic is one of the best learning experiences:

- Principles of Aristotelian logic.
- Deduction process (syllogisms).
- Logic fallacies.

Also, you can relate that with modern logic theorists, like symbolic logic (related to discrete mathematics, I remember that there were some programming languages that uses this kind of logic). 

For philosophy, my suggestion is not be dogmatic with a philosopher or a philosophical theory (it happens).

For brain training purposes, the *Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology* book, from Ayn Rand. This is like the upgraded version of Aristoteles philosophy. Goes more beyond: how we humans actually know that we know, and even if what we know really is true and how could we know it (Metacognition).

My personal recommendation is: if you have not studying philosophy, start with Greeks, their influence on Western history is among the most important in the world.

Here are some links you may find interesting:

- [Introduction to objectivism video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlJD0i_WwdQ&ab_channel=AynRandInstitute)
- [Aristotle Organon book (Amazon)](https://www.amazon.com/Organon-Aristotle/dp/3849692949)

I hope this helps! 

developero apps

I will share part of my own personal experience.

My main formation is as an autodidact, I got my first job as junior software engineer after months of self taught work, for example: I made my blog using PHP with an admin panel, even I didn't really needed to built it myself, I did it for:

1. Showing a "real world" project that actually runs and brings value to some people.
2. I could post tech topics, building my personal brand.

I skipped a lot of hobbies and family time. More than I actually wanted. And the costs were:

- Deterioration in my family relationships.
- I hurt specially my girlfriend relationship.

When I got the job offer, I was happy because of my effort, but my mental health and relationships were negatively affected. It was some kind of pyric victory.

If would repeat that process, I would take it easier and try to enjoy the process.

Yes, I love the ambitious mentality, but with the years, it's better to have a balance in your life:

- Your social relationships.
- Your family relationships.
- Your job.
- Your personal time.

Now, regarding your case, here are my tips:

1. Quality over quantity. Identify which time of the day you are more productive and can have a strong focus time working on something, and use it for studying or building. My case (and the majority of the people), the first hours of the day are the most productive time, so can do the most challenging tasks on those hours.
   1. In my case, I used most of my time building and studying, I wouldn't spent the same amount of time if I would need to repeat that experience.
2. Use the rest of the time for your hobbies and family, so you take care of you relationships at the same time you are rocking your career.
3. Exercise: There are mental health benefits of doing exercise, if you want to be more productive, you want to have a healthy brain.
4. Eat healthy food: Personally, I struggle with this 🐷 but this is important if you think in a long term.

Remember: Invest and take care of your mental health, because your mind (your brain) will help you to get everything else that you want: money, position, knowledge, etc.