How to talk like a Senior Developer (even if you are not there yet)

Summary

In this video, Bogden, a self-taught senior software engineer, explains how developers can express themselves like senior developers by using advanced technical terminology. He compares how junior and senior developers discuss common topics like task deferral, state mutation, side effects, scalability, and more. By using precise vocabulary, developers can demonstrate expertise in interviews and technical discussions. Bogden emphasizes the importance of not only having the right skills but also communicating them effectively, providing practical examples to help viewers level up their language and understanding.

Takeaways

• 😀 A senior developer uses precise technical terminology to communicate more effectively in discussions and interviews.
• 📝 Junior developers may struggle with expressing their knowledge due to a lack of proper technical vocabulary.
• 💡 Replacing 'do later' with 'defer' shows a deeper understanding of execution timing.
• 🔄 The word 'mutate' is preferred by senior developers instead of 'change' when discussing state changes.
• ⚠️ Senior developers use 'side effects' to describe unexpected outcomes in code, whereas juniors may refer to them as 'unexpected things.'
• 📊 The term 'scale' is used by seniors to discuss system growth, while juniors might say 'increase' or 'grow.'
• 🔍 Senior developers describe functions or tests as 'deterministic,' whereas juniors might say they give the same result each time.
• ⚖️ Seniors use 'round-robin' to describe load balancing or task distribution strategies, rather than just 'taking turns.'
• 🎛️ 'Granularity' is a senior-level term used to talk about controlling detail levels in data or logging, as opposed to discussing 'big or small things.'
• 🔄 The concept of 'idempotency' is key for senior developers, referring to operations that can be repeated without side effects, while juniors might describe it as 'doing the same thing every time.'

Q & A

What is the main challenge faced by many developers in technical interviews according to the speaker?

Many developers struggle to express their knowledge in technical discussions or interviews due to a lack of proper vocabulary or technical terminology.

What is the key difference between how junior and senior developers express their ideas?

Senior developers use more precise and technical terminology, while junior developers tend to use simpler language that may not fully convey expertise.

Why is the term 'defer' preferred by senior developers over 'do later'?

'Defer' is more specific and indicates delaying execution in a structured way, which demonstrates a deeper understanding of how tasks are managed in programming.

How does the term 'mutate' differ from 'change' in the context of software development?

While 'change' is a general term, 'mutate' specifically refers to altering the state of an object or data structure, implying direct modifications, which is commonly used in advanced development contexts like React.

What terminology do senior developers use to describe 'unexpected things' happening in the code?

Senior developers refer to 'unexpected things' as 'side effects,' which indicates unintended changes in other parts of the system due to the execution of a function.

Why is 'scale' a more appropriate term for senior developers than 'increase'?

'Scale' conveys a broader concept of handling growing demands efficiently, such as increasing traffic or data, whereas 'increase' is more about a simple, linear growth.

What is a 'deterministic' behavior in programming, and how is it different from 'gives the same result'?

'Deterministic' behavior means that a function or algorithm will consistently produce the same output given the same input, which is a more technical way to describe repeatable behavior.

How do senior developers describe a process where tasks or data are evenly distributed across servers?

Senior developers refer to this process as 'round robin,' a load-balancing strategy used to distribute requests or data evenly across multiple systems.

What is meant by 'granularity' in software development, and why is it important?

'Granularity' refers to the level of detail in logging, data responses, or processes. Senior developers control granularity to ensure the right balance between performance and information depth.

What does the term 'idempotent' mean in software development, and why is it important?

An 'idempotent' function or operation means that performing the same action multiple times will not result in unintended side effects. It's crucial in scenarios like API calls where repeated actions should have consistent results.

How do senior developers describe 'timing issues' that occur when multiple actions happen simultaneously?

Senior developers refer to these as 'race conditions,' which occur when multiple processes access or modify shared data in an unpredictable sequence, leading to errors.