Hi lovely readers,

Today I wanted to take you with me in my experience as a .NET developer. In total, I’ve worked at a digital agency, a company that makes web applications for different clients, for 2 years. I did two internships there and worked there part-time while studying for my bachelor's.

I write this blog post to help out brand new developers who want to know how it is to be a (.NET) developer in a non-remote company. This doesn’t mean that it’s everybody’s day-to-day life, it highly depends on location, how old the company is, and the culture inside the company.

However, would you still like to know what my day-to-day to looked like as a junior .NET developer, then continue reading.
The morning

The morning

My typical day began with flexible starting times. Since I worked part-time and had the privilege of flexible hours, I often adjusted my schedule to suit my needs. However, no matter what time I began, I always ensured I was online or at the office by 9:45 AM, ready for the daily standup.

The daily standup, a staple in the team's routine, served as the morning ritual for us. During this meeting, we'd discuss our progress, upcoming tasks, and any potential roadblocks. It was important to stay in sync with the team's objectives and start the day on the same page.

Mondays had a slightly different flavor. We either did sprint reviews or sprint planning sessions, depending on where we were in our two-week sprint cycle. They involved reviewing the work completed in the previous sprint or planning the tasks for the upcoming one.

As a junior .NET developer, my choice of tasks often leaned toward those that could be completed within my part-time schedule. I frequently picked up .NET or React tickets that were relatively shorter in duration. This would often be small bugs or additional small features that should be added to already existing projects. Additionally, I'd dedicate some of my morning hours to writing documentation or assisting in automating projects by creating Docker Compose files. These tasks not only helped me learn but also contributed to the team's productivity.

The afternoon

Post-lunch, I'd dive back into work with a renewed focus.

Sometimes in my afternoons, I would join past sprint retrospectives. These sessions allowed us to reflect on the previous sprint, highlighting what went well and identifying areas for improvement.

Occasionally, I'd partner with another developer for pair programming sessions. These collaborations were a fantastic learning experience as they provided insights into different coding styles and problem-solving approaches.

As the afternoon continued, I continued tackling coding tasks, resolving technical challenges, and ensuring that my code was written cleanly. If I had questions there always was a coach, or colleague who could help me out. Communication played a crucial role in my role as a junior .NET developer. Whether it was interacting with clients, participating in team discussions, or providing regular updates to project managers.

My workday typically wrapped up around 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. Before leaving the office, I'd take a moment to plan for the next day, ensuring that my code was committed and up-to-date and that the hours I spent on a client were logged.

That’s a wrap!

That’s about it. It isn’t as scary as you might think as you begin. I hope this helps some of you. See you later!