This article was translated by AI from the Chinese version.
Some Random Thoughts
It has been a while since I last updated this blog. I have been learning too many unrelated things recently, so let me write a non-technical post first and get some feelings out of my system. Maybe I will write more technical posts when I have time.
What It Felt Like to Work in a Team
For each feature, our team opens a small group chat. There are back-end developers, a front-end developer (me), and senior members who review our work.
The main struggle is simply that my skills are still limited. From time to time, the seniors give my work a serious review, and I temporarily lose confidence in my technical ability. :(
Before this, I was used to very casual development. In a team, every decision needs a reason. You have to keep thinking about what a feature should actually do. That takes some getting used to.
So if you are about to join your first development team, try to manage both your wording and your mental state. Do not let one review completely break you.
What Coding Felt Like
The Pain
I was assigned to an unfamiliar team project. At the beginning, I could not understand anything because I was not capable enough yet. I kept browsing folders, searching for unfamiliar things, and wondering whether my code was conventional, fast enough, and readable enough.
It was painful, honestly. I hope that one day I will become experienced enough to review beginners myself.
Tips for an Unfamiliar Project
Start with the layout inside the src folder and compare it with front-end project structures you already know. That usually gives you a rough idea of where things live. For a folder you have never seen before, search what it is for, assuming the project uses sensible names.
It also helps to run the project while you explore it. Matching actual pages to the folder structure makes the project feel much more concrete.
If you have investigated and still cannot understand something, ask a senior developer. You might not explain the question perfectly and get corrected a little, but mental resilience is part of the job.
In a standardized project, variables and functions are often wrapped in a module and connected through export and import before they reach the file you are looking at. Use search, such as VS Code’s global search, to look up a variable name. You can usually find its types, store, definition, and usages, which tells you where it came from and where it goes. It is also useful for finding leftover console.log() calls.
I Give Up
I surrender. Front-end development has defeated me.
Postscript
This is so embarrassing to reread at the end of 2025.