I went from junior to senior engineer in under two years. Many have asked me how I did it and how they can succeed at their first dev job. Here's what worked for me.

Take notes. This helped me a ton because senior devs would only have to show me something once and I’d have my notes to fall back on.

When someone shows you how to do something, save it. Even if you have to stop them to do it, copy and paste the command so you have it later.

If you get stuck on something, don’t spend too long on it before you ask for help. Try to figure it out first, but then ask so you aren't spending hours feeling frustrated.

Try to find one solution on your own before you ask for help.

Break problems into tiny tiny pieces. When you have a huge task, just write down the first thing you have to do. This can make even a daunting task seem more approachable.

I still do this.

Take initiative and volunteer for tasks where you can provide value. Even if it's not coding. I helped rework the hiring process and help organize teams very early on because I love organizing stuff.

Keep notes of your accomplishments. You'll be surprised at how much you forget you did six months later. You can also read this when imposter syndrome takes over.

You can use this later to advocate for yourself for a promotion or during your review.