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What is the biggest misconception about working in technology? #Fall25
I am currently a college junior going into tech soon, software development specifically. Anyone with tips or advice drop it below please and thank you.
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Kamran’s Answer
I think (at the moment) AI will my job is a misconception.
Think like this, "Deep work replaces shallow work all the time"
If you're doing Deep Work and producing fine output you are good
Think like this, "Deep work replaces shallow work all the time"
If you're doing Deep Work and producing fine output you are good
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Dima’s Answer
Most of tech isn’t about building flashy features—it’s about debugging, reading other people’s code, surviving meetings, and convincing everyone your stuff actually works. Being a dev isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about knowing where to find the answer fast and celebrating the little wins no one sees.
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Akshat’s Answer
One misconception is that "you need to know everything to be a good developer". Instead. the correct approach should be - "you need to know where to look for the answers"
Development's core is more about conceptual thinking, adaptability and resourcefulness - all supported by knowledge. Your knowledge continues to grow, but how you use your skills to navigate through ambiguities and keep solving problems is what matters the most.
Development's core is more about conceptual thinking, adaptability and resourcefulness - all supported by knowledge. Your knowledge continues to grow, but how you use your skills to navigate through ambiguities and keep solving problems is what matters the most.
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JIZHOU’s Answer
1. You need to spend enough time to prepare for the interviews, but your daily works are mostly not related with them.
2. You don't need to develop anything fancy to become a good performer; You need to keep the code you delivered robust and follow all the conventions, and mostly, solve the problems for your boss not creating more for him/her.
3. At most you will spend half of your time on coding or developing -- attending meetings to align requirements, discussing design with architects and your fellow engineers, deployment, monitoring automation, and finally writing documentation with take another half. If you spend 80% of your time coding, then you need to reconsider your working strategy unless you are working for small startups.
2. You don't need to develop anything fancy to become a good performer; You need to keep the code you delivered robust and follow all the conventions, and mostly, solve the problems for your boss not creating more for him/her.
3. At most you will spend half of your time on coding or developing -- attending meetings to align requirements, discussing design with architects and your fellow engineers, deployment, monitoring automation, and finally writing documentation with take another half. If you spend 80% of your time coding, then you need to reconsider your working strategy unless you are working for small startups.
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Mateusz’s Answer
Hi Petra, here are some common misconceptions:
1. You need an engineering degree to work in technology. This isn't true. There are many roles in tech that don't require engineering, like UX design, product management, content design, and technical writing.
2. AI is taking over jobs in tech. This isn't entirely accurate. AI can make tasks more efficient if used well, but it doesn't replace humans. However, companies can achieve more with fewer people in the AI era.
3. In tech, you mostly work alone. This is false. Most work is done in teams, requiring collaboration with others. Social skills are just as important as technical skills, especially now with AI advancements.
Learn how to use AI tech effectively
Develop social skills as well as tech skills
Learn about different roles in tech
1. You need an engineering degree to work in technology. This isn't true. There are many roles in tech that don't require engineering, like UX design, product management, content design, and technical writing.
2. AI is taking over jobs in tech. This isn't entirely accurate. AI can make tasks more efficient if used well, but it doesn't replace humans. However, companies can achieve more with fewer people in the AI era.
3. In tech, you mostly work alone. This is false. Most work is done in teams, requiring collaboration with others. Social skills are just as important as technical skills, especially now with AI advancements.
Mateusz recommends the following next steps:
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Electrical Engineer, Software Developer, and Career Mentor
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Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
Many people think being a software developer is just about coding, but that’s not true. It's about working with others, tackling tough problems, and making systems and products function smoothly. You have the chance to turn ideas into reality and create solutions for important challenges in society.
If you're just starting, focus on learning the basics like data structures, algorithms, version control, databases, operating systems, and networking. Build projects to apply what you learn. Technology evolves quickly, so keep learning and improving your skills. Developing soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability is just as important. Stay informed about industry trends, connect with professionals on platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, and Stack Overflow, and join online communities such as Reddit and Discord. These can help you find mentors, get advice, and deepen your understanding. Remember to take care of yourself. Software development is about solving problems, being creative, learning continuously, collaborating well, and building impactful technology.
If you're just starting, focus on learning the basics like data structures, algorithms, version control, databases, operating systems, and networking. Build projects to apply what you learn. Technology evolves quickly, so keep learning and improving your skills. Developing soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability is just as important. Stay informed about industry trends, connect with professionals on platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, and Stack Overflow, and join online communities such as Reddit and Discord. These can help you find mentors, get advice, and deepen your understanding. Remember to take care of yourself. Software development is about solving problems, being creative, learning continuously, collaborating well, and building impactful technology.
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Amit’s Answer
One of the biggest misconceptions about working in technology—especially in software development—is that it’s mostly about writing code. In reality, coding is just the last step in a much larger problem‑solving process.
In day‑to‑day software development, you spend a lot of time:
1- Dealing with ambiguity
Real problems rarely come to you fully defined. Requirements are often fuzzy, stakeholders may disagree, and constraints aren’t always clear. Your job is to bring clarity: understand what problem you’re actually solving and why it matters, not just “what should I code?”
2- Gathering information and breaking down the problem
You’ll interact with product managers, designers, other engineers, and occasionally customers. You’ll read existing code, look at logs, diagrams, and documentation. Then you break the big, ambiguous problem into smaller, understandable pieces that you can tackle one by one.
3- Making trade‑offs and aligning with others
There’s almost never a single “perfect” solution. You choose between options based on performance, complexity, time, risk, and long‑term maintainability. You discuss these trade-offs with peers and more senior engineers to gain alignment on what “good enough” looks like in this situation.
4- Prioritising what to do first
Even once everyone agrees on the direction, you can’t build everything at once. You decide what’s most important to deliver first—maybe a minimal but usable version—and what can come later. Prioritisation is a big part of being effective in tech.
5-Then comes the actual development
Only after all of that do you really get into coding. At this point, the code is just the implementation of the decisions you’ve already made.
6-Owning the solution after it’s built
Your responsibility doesn’t end when the code is merged. You need to:
6.1- Make sure it runs reliably in production
6.2- Monitor it, fix bugs, and handle incidents
6.3- Improve it over time as requirements change
In short: software development is not just “writing code”; it’s a collective effort to move from a vague problem to a reliable, real‑world solution. The more comfortable you get with ambiguity, communication, trade‑offs, and ownership, the better your career in tech will go—coding skills are necessary, but they’re only one part of the job.
In day‑to‑day software development, you spend a lot of time:
1- Dealing with ambiguity
Real problems rarely come to you fully defined. Requirements are often fuzzy, stakeholders may disagree, and constraints aren’t always clear. Your job is to bring clarity: understand what problem you’re actually solving and why it matters, not just “what should I code?”
2- Gathering information and breaking down the problem
You’ll interact with product managers, designers, other engineers, and occasionally customers. You’ll read existing code, look at logs, diagrams, and documentation. Then you break the big, ambiguous problem into smaller, understandable pieces that you can tackle one by one.
3- Making trade‑offs and aligning with others
There’s almost never a single “perfect” solution. You choose between options based on performance, complexity, time, risk, and long‑term maintainability. You discuss these trade-offs with peers and more senior engineers to gain alignment on what “good enough” looks like in this situation.
4- Prioritising what to do first
Even once everyone agrees on the direction, you can’t build everything at once. You decide what’s most important to deliver first—maybe a minimal but usable version—and what can come later. Prioritisation is a big part of being effective in tech.
5-Then comes the actual development
Only after all of that do you really get into coding. At this point, the code is just the implementation of the decisions you’ve already made.
6-Owning the solution after it’s built
Your responsibility doesn’t end when the code is merged. You need to:
6.1- Make sure it runs reliably in production
6.2- Monitor it, fix bugs, and handle incidents
6.3- Improve it over time as requirements change
In short: software development is not just “writing code”; it’s a collective effort to move from a vague problem to a reliable, real‑world solution. The more comfortable you get with ambiguity, communication, trade‑offs, and ownership, the better your career in tech will go—coding skills are necessary, but they’re only one part of the job.