How To Code Like An Experienced Software Engineer!

As a junior developer, bridging the gap to senior-level coding isn't just about years of experience—it's about adopting specific practices that elevate your code quality. This guide covers essential habits that senior engineers consistently demonstrate.

1. Write Self-Documenting Code

Senior engineers write code that explains itself. Variable and function names should clearly express their purpose.

function calc(a, b) {
    return a + b;
}

function calculateTotalPrice(basePrice, taxAmount) {
    return basePrice + taxAmount;
}

2. Optimize for Readability First

Write code for humans first, computers second.

function p(d,t) {return d.filter(i=>i.t===t).map(i=>i.v).reduce((a,b)=>a+b,0);}

function calculateTotalPriceByType(products, productType) {
    const filteredProducts = products.filter(product => product.type === productType);
    const prices = filteredProducts.map(product => product.price);
    return prices.reduce((total, price) => total + price, 0);
}

3. Document Why, Not What

Code explains what happens. Comments should explain why decisions were made.

// Bad comment - explains what the code does
// Loop through users and increase their score
users.forEach(user => user.score += 10);

// Good comment - explains why a decision was made
// Give returning users a 10-point bonus to encourage platform loyalty
users.forEach(user => user.score += 10);

4. CamelCase vs PascalCase: Know When to Use Each

Senior developers understand the importance of consistent naming conventions:

5. Be Consistent

Follow the conventions and patterns established in the codebase.

# If the codebase uses snake_case for functions
def calculate_total_price():
    pass

# Don't suddenly use camelCase
def calculateTotalPrice():  # Inconsistent!
    pass

6. Document Design Patterns Thoroughly

When implementing design patterns, document them clearly so others can understand and extend your work even when you're not available.

/**
* Observer Pattern Implementation for Notification System
*
* This system follows the Observer pattern where:
* - NotificationSubject is the subject that maintains subscribers and notifies them
* - NotificationObserver is the interface that all subscribers implement
* - Different notification types (Email, SMS, Push) are concrete observers
*
* Usage:
* 1. Create observers for each notification channel needed
* 2. Register them with the subject using registerObserver()
* 3. When an event occurs, call notifyObservers()
*
* Example:
*   NotificationSubject subject = new NotificationSubject();
*   subject.registerObserver(new EmailNotifier());
*   subject.registerObserver(new SMSNotifier());
*   subject.notifyObservers(new UserEvent("user_signup"));
* 
* Future extensions:
* - To add a new notification channel, implement NotificationObserver interface
* - To support different event types, extend the UserEvent class
*/
public class NotificationSubject {
    private List observers = new ArrayList<>();
    
    public void registerObserver(NotificationObserver observer) {
        observers.add(observer);
    }
    
    public void removeObserver(NotificationObserver observer) {
        observers.remove(observer);
    }
    
    public void notifyObservers(UserEvent event) {
        for (NotificationObserver observer : observers) {
            observer.notify(event);
        }
    }
}

public interface NotificationObserver {
    void notify(UserEvent event);
}

With thorough documentation of design patterns:

• New team members can understand the architecture quickly
• The system can be extended consistently
• Code reviews focus on implementation rather than architectural choices
• Teams maintain consistent patterns across the codebase

7. Leverage VS Code Extensions for Enhanced Productivity

Senior developers optimize their development environment with carefully selected extensions. VS Code's extension marketplace offers powerful tools that can significantly improve code quality and efficiency.

Essential VS Code Extensions:

• ESLint/SonarLint: Catch potential bugs and enforce style guidelines in real-time as you code
• GitLens: Enhance Git capabilities with blame annotations, history exploration, and powerful comparison views
• Prettier: Enforce consistent code formatting automatically across the team
• Code Spell Checker: Prevent embarrassing typos in code, comments, and documentation
• Path Intellisense: Auto-complete filenames in import statements
• Error Lens: Highlight errors and warnings inline where they occur
• indent-rainbow: Visualize indentation with alternating colors to make code structure more readable
• REST Client: Test API endpoints directly from your editor without switching to external tools

// Before ESLint/Prettier
function    badlyFormattedFunction(param1,param2){
if(param1>10)return param1+param2
else{
    return param1*param2;
}
}

// After ESLint/Prettier (automatically formatted on save)
function badlyFormattedFunction(param1, param2) {
    if (param1 > 10) {
        return param1 + param2;
    } else {
        return param1 * param2;
    }
}

Senior engineers don't just use these tools, but customize them to suit project requirements. For instance, they:

• Create custom ESLint rules for project-specific standards
• Configure multi-stage Prettier settings across projects
• Set up extension sharing via .vscode folder in repositories to ensure team consistency

8. Use Version Control Properly

Make small, focused commits with clear messages that explain why changes were made.

# Bad commit message
git commit -m "Fixed stuff"

# Good commit message
git commit -m "Fix cart total calculation when discount code is applied"

9. Deliver Complete Solutions, Not Just Working Code

Senior developers finish what they start, ensuring their solutions are fully polished before moving on. They understand that code completion goes beyond making features work.

While junior developers might feel pressure to mark tasks complete when they're "mostly done," seniors recognize how this builds technical debt that inevitably catches up to the project. They prioritize transparency about completion status—even if it means extending timelines—rather than accumulating problems.

True completion includes testing edge cases, providing documentation, meeting all requirements, and handling errors gracefully. This approach might seem slower initially but prevents countless hours of fixing later.

// Junior Approach - Just Making It Work
const fetchUser = async (id) => {
const res = await fetch(`/api/users/${id}`);
return res.json();
};

// Senior Approach - Complete Solution
const fetchUser = async (id) => {
try {
    if (!id) throw new Error('ID required');
    const res = await fetch(`/api/users/${id}`);
    if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP error: ${res.status}`);
    const data = await res.json();
    if (!data.id) throw new Error('Invalid data');
    return data;
} catch (err) {
    console.error(err);
    throw err;
}
};

10. Use Code Reviews as Learning Opportunities

When receiving feedback, focus on growth rather than defending your approach.