Miguel Caravantes

13 Lessons from 13 Years in Software Engineering: 0. Good code is wasted on a bad company 1. Understand the business, not just the tech 2. Be both a mentor & mentee - simultaneously 3. Imposter syndrome stays forever - get used to it 4. It's always a trade-off, sometimes hidden 5. Side projects are the best way to learn 6. Write things down for your own clarity 7. Write a technical book - at least one 8. Be the go-to person for something 9. Titles don't mean anything 10. Act like a leader from day 1 11. Simple is hard to achieve 12. Always be useful What should I add to the list? ♻️ Repost so that more developers see this. 🔔 Follow Miko Pawlikowski 🎙️ for more.

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JetBrains just announced they're moving to a single, unified IntelliJ distribution starting with version 2025.3. No more choosing between Community and Ultimate - it's one IDE with features unlocked by subscription. Why does this matter? • Some previously paid features (Spring support, database tools) are becoming FREE • The open-source commitment remains, but with a twist • This signals bigger changes in how dev tools compete in the AI era I spent time analyzing the announcement and its implications. This isn't just about IntelliJ - it's about the future of IDEs in a world where AI assistants are changing how we write code. Full analysis here → https://lnkd.in/gBpSNWUu Curious: How many of you are using IntelliJ Community Edition today? What's your take on this change?

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Your JSONB query isn’t slow. You’re just using the wrong index. Let’s say you’re storing events like this: { "user_id": "123", "status": "completed", "source": "mobile" } And you're filtering like this: SELECT * FROM events WHERE payload @> '{"status":"completed"}'; You indexed the whole payload column with a B-Tree. That won’t work. Postgres can’t optimize deep JSONB lookups with B-Tree indexes. So it falls back to a full scan on every query. To fix this, you need a GIN (Generalized Inverted Index) Now Postgres creates an inverted index: - It breaks each JSONB object into keys and values. - It maps them to row IDs. - So instead of scanning every row, it jumps directly to matches. Pro tip: Add the jsonb_path_ops option for even leaner indexes, if you're not using containment queries. Faster. Smaller. Cleaner. ------------------------------------------------------------ Jobright provides the latest System Design jobs. Check it out here 👇 https://lnkd.in/emR7tBw5

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AI is making code reviews faster (and better). Here’s how: Without AI, by the time a PR is reviewed, the engineer has often moved on. Context is cold. Iteration is slow. That's why CodeRabbit provided not just code reviews in pull requests, but in the IDE. They've just taken that a step further by releasing a CLI purpose-built for code reviews in the terminal. This shifts reviews to another place closer to where code is written (and generated). Here’s what it unlocks: • Catch issues before they spread ↳ Review diffs locally and flag bugs, logic gaps, and “AI slop” before a commit or PR. • Increased Automation ↳ It’s the first CLI that can hand off review context to your AI coding agent for automated fixes, when you choose. • Works with all CLI coding agents ↳ Seamless integration with Claud Code, Cursor CLI, Gemini, Codex, etc. • Stay in flow ↳ Code, review, commit, without leaving your terminal. Remember, the more eyes reviewing, the better. The earlier those reviews occur, the better. Best part? Code reviews in the CLI are free (rate limits apply). Try the new CLI here: https://lnkd.in/gXpqQsUM Thanks to CodeRabbit for building a great tool and partnering on this post. 💬 Are you using AI in your code reviews? ↓

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Your coding skills are worthless if no one understands what you're saying. Here's how to transform from a technical expert to a strategic powerhouse: 1/ Decode Business Objectives ↳ Understand what truly matters to leadership ↳ Connect your data directly to company goals 2/ Speak Their Language ↳ Translate complex algorithms into dollar signs ↳ Show impact, not just technical complexity 3/ Master Data Storytelling ↳ Create narratives, not just spreadsheets ↳ Make your insights compelling and memorable 4/ Deliver Actionable Insights ↳ Every chart should trigger a decision ↳ Recommend clear, executable strategies 5/ Build Contextual Intelligence ↳ Look beyond numbers ↳ Understand the broader business ecosystem 6/ Simplify Technical Complexity ↳ Explain like you're talking to a curious 5-year-old ↳ Cut the jargon, focus on clarity 7/ Learn Business Dynamics ↳ Study industry trends ↳ Know what keeps executives up at night 8/ Network Strategically ↳ Build relationships across departments ↳ Be more than just the "tech person" 9/ Continuous Learning ↳ Stay curious about business strategy ↳ Read beyond technical journals 10/ Quantify Your Value ↳ Track how insights drive decisions ↳ Prove your worth beyond code Technical skills get you hired. Strategic communication gets you promoted. Combine analytical depth with business acumen, and you become unstoppable. ♻️ Repost to help data professionals unlock their true potential. Follow Tuan Sihan for frameworks that turn data nerds into business heroes.

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10x engineers are a myth. Here's what actually matters: We love this fantasy. - One developer doing the work of ten. - Coding at superhuman speed. - Never making mistakes. The best engineers I know: - Document everything - Mentor juniors patiently - Delete more code than they write - Ask "stupid" questions in meetings - Take breaks to avoid burnout Sure, some engineers are incredibly fast or sharp. But even they hit a ceiling alone. And if the rest of the team can’t follow, maintain, or learn from their work? That’s not 10x. That’s a bottleneck. Real 10x impact? Making your entire team better. Speaking of making teams better - that's exactly what tech leads do. I help engineers develop these leadership skills with my newsletter. Link in my profile 👆

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Heads up, Android devs! 👋 So I just finished diving deep into Android 15's new 16KB page size requirement, and honestly? It's bigger than most people realize. Starting November 1st 2025, if your app targets API 35+ and uses ANY native libraries (your own .so files or ones from SDKs), you're going to need to rebuild them. No exceptions. I'll be real with you - when I first heard about this, I thought great, another compliance hoop to jump through. But after testing it out, I'm actually excited about the performance improvements. We're talking: - Apps launching 30% faster - Camera opens 4-6% quicker - Way less CPU strain - Better battery life The tricky part? Figuring out if you're even affected. Pure Kotlin/Java apps are mostly fine, but if you're using any third-party SDKs, there's a good chance they bundle native code you don't even know about. I spent the last few weeks testing this migration and put together a complete walkthrough - everything from updating your build tools to testing on actual devices. The deadline feels far away, but trust me on this one: don't leave it until October. I've seen too many last-minute scrambles with Android updates. Full guide is in the comments if you want to get ahead of this 📝 Anyone else already started preparing for this? Would love to hear what challenges you're running into. #AndroidDev #Android15 #MobileDevelopment #android

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3 top tips for Junior Software Developers: 1. Never let a mentor touch your keyboard: If you can't find something or don't know what to search for, have them guide you, not do it for you. Embrace the struggle. 2. Present solutions, not just problems: As a junior engineer there will be a lot you don't know, can't do or haven't experienced. Communicate how you think you might be able to overcome them, or what you might need to help solve it. Go beyond 'I don't know'. 3. Get involved with other areas of the business: One way to really stand out is to have domain knowledge deeper than code. Ask to spend a week answering calls with Customer Service, take a day to learn how Marketing does outreach, and walk through your Client archetype with the Sales team. I bitterly miss the feeling of unending learning and wonder that comes with being a Junior Software Engineer.

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How to break into software engineering (without a job) (And why you don’t need to wait for someone to give you a shot): I’ve been mentoring aspiring software engineers for years. One of the most frustrating traps they fall into? Thinking they need a job to get experience… But can’t get a job without experience. The classic “experience trap.” Here’s the truth: You don’t need a job to get experience. You just need projects with real-world pressure. Here’s how you break in, without begging for interviews: Let’s assume: • You have foundational coding skills • You’re applying to junior dev roles • And you're stuck in that “no one’s hiring me” loop Here’s how you flip the script in 2025: Build one real product from scratch. Not a tutorial. Not a clone. Not another “to-do app.” Build something that: • Solves a real problem • Gets used by real people (even if it’s 10 users) • Forces you to ship, fix bugs, get feedback, improve That’s real experience. Now do this: • Make it open source • Write a short case study on what you learned • Document the process like a dev blog • Share it on LinkedIn and Twitter • Apply again, with proof of execution Suddenly you’re not a “junior with no experience”... You’re a self-starter with a shipped product, user feedback, and proof you can learn and deliver. Most aspiring devs think they need: • To get picked by recruiters • A lucky internship • Or a CS degree with a referral But let’s be honest. You didn’t get into software to wait for permission. You got into it to build cool stuff and solve real problems. You can: • Build your own product • Ship it • Document everything • Apply with confidence And break the “experience trap” once and for all. It’s not about waiting to get hired. It’s about creating your own experience.

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Stop writing messy C# code that makes your team cry. I've spent 13+ years watching developers struggle with the same patterns. Over time, I've realized this: Clean code isn't about grand rewrites. It's about consistent, small improvements that compound over time. Let me share the 6 steps I use daily to turn spaghetti into systems people actually want to maintain: 1. Remove unused code ↳ Dead code is cognitive overhead ↳ If it's not running in prod, it shouldn't be in your codebase ↳ Git has your history - let it go 2. Simplify nested if-else ↳ Guard clauses at the top ↳ One level of nesting max ↳ Extract complex conditions into well-named methods 3. Reduce method length ↳ Each method should do exactly one thing ↳ Extract till it's crystal clear 4. Automate repetitive tasks ↳ If you've done it three times, automate it ↳ Create snippets for common patterns ↳ Let tools handle the boring stuff 5. Improve names to add clarity ↳ Variables should tell what they hold ↳ Methods should be verbs ↳ Classes should be nouns 6. Improve project structure ↳ Related code lives together ↳ Clear boundaries between modules ↳ Solution structure matches domain concepts What devs often get wrong is that they wait for permission to write better code. But you don't need: - A dedicated refactoring sprint - Approval from your boss - The perfect architecture You just need to make one small improvement today. Then another tomorrow. Because clean code isn't a destination. It's a daily practice. Start small. Stay consistent. Watch your codebase transform.

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I worked with enums on daily basis. And I'm sharing my 4 best practices to keep your project clean: - Explicitly specify storage type - Use description attributes for display names - Helper method for description attribute - Safe parsing with TryParse What would you add to this list?

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