Ask HN: What do you wish you knew when you started your first programming job?

Code is the easy part of the job. Build a strong network of people you trust. Read the error codes and documentation fully (and make sure to understand them). Treat your continuing education like you are a doctor... a lot of work up front (first 4-6 years) then 30-50 hours (minimum) annually. For continuing education I'd recommend moving down the stack as a rule, but rules are meant to be broken. Most of the people in this industry are smart but not geniuses, and a lot of the people who look like geniuses really just have outstanding work ethic. CTO is more of a sales role at established (big enough) companies. Management is not leadership, it is its own skill set, and the only power managers actually have is to fire you, but any reasonable company puts a little resistance in that process... so don't think the management track is special. The trick to moving up a level is that you are so good that going down a level would feel like a vacation.

Lastly have fun with this job, its the best job in the world!

Writing code is by far the easiest part of the job; working out what to write is probably 95% of what you end up doing. Tying libraries together isn't interesting from a code-level perspective anyway, so try to enjoy the process of getting there.

That sitting at a desk for 30 years is really not good for your long-term health.

Be open to changing your mind when others present different ideas and try to understand their thought process.

Buy a rubber duck for your desk. They're very good listeners and often quite inspiring :)

To break everything down into the most crucial elements, and get those working in isolation one at a time.

Staff/senior is a different skill set, and you should just shoot for it instead of thinking banging out code will get you there

It's easy to get started but difficult to maintain momentum. So prepare for maintaining momentum when you start.