How To Get Ahead of 99% of Software Engineers (Starting Today)

Get Magical AI for free and save 7 hours every week: getmagical.com/namanh // I've worked with the very best software engineers and today I'm going to break down all their secrets. By implementing these steps, you can get ahead of 99% of software engineers and cement yourself in the top 1%.
Calendar: calendly.com/namanhkapuryt/ch...
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:18 - Secret #1: Thrive in Ambiguity
2:25 - Secret #2: Find Problems
4:13 - Secret #3: Become a Subject Matter Expert
5:32 - Sponsorship (ad)
6:14 - Secret #4: Be Customer Obsessed
7:15 - Secret #5: Don't Over-Engineer
8:56 - Secret #6: Mentor Others
9:55 - Secret #7: Understand Business Impact
10:42 - Secret #8: Improve Culture
11:24 - Outro
Here are other resources:
Python for Beginners Intro: bit.ly/python-beginner-intro
Modern Python3 Bootcamp: bit.ly/modern-python3-bootcamp
100 Days of Code: bit.ly/udemy-100-days-of-code...
Other Python Courses: bit.ly/udemy-python-search
Udemy Homepage: bit.ly/udemy-home-page
Complete Web Development Bootcamp: bit.ly/udemy-complete-web-dev...
Web Dev Bootcamp: bit.ly/udemy-web-dev-bootcamp...
Data Structures and Algos: bit.ly/udemy-dsa-search
Data Structure Interviews and Algos: bit.ly/udemy-dsa-course
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Sub count: 190,100
#tech #softwareengineer #programming #career #coding

[@namanhkapur]

let's be better friends, for behind-the-scenes, q/a, and stories, follow me @ instagram.com/namanhkapur/

[@aanchaallllllll]

0:00: 💡 To get ahead as a software engineer, thrive in ambiguity and take initiative. 2:39: 👩‍💻 Software engineers find and solve high-yield problems by exploring the code base and communicating with team members. 4:42: 🔑 To become an expert in a particular area, spend more time on it, learn as much as possible, and become the go-to person for that area. 6:58: 🔑 Collect feedback, prioritize improvements, and avoid over-engineering. 9:44: 👥 Top software engineers become successful by emulating the habits and behaviors of superstar engineers and seeking mentorship from them. Recap by Tammy AI

[@BillClinton228]

"exploring the code base and communicating with team members" - yeah more often than not, team members don't like talking about the code base so good luck with that one.

[@sifat9667]

This should be a series. A lot of us really know this but it's SO easy to lose sight of it all.

[@michaelbarbarelli3764]

Well put.

[@Danuxsy]

and it doesn't even work 😂

[@hyper_channel]

One hell of a video mate, I'm 5 years in and I think you hit the nail on the head in all your points.

[@namanhkapur]

congrats on your career so far!!

[@stayaway7357]

So much of this advice applies to a lot of different technology roles. This is great, thank you

[@seigneurdesbouseux6603]

I feel the need to say something especially for the secret #2 and 3# You should understand that being the top 1% engineer in your company could get you nothing, worse than that, working more than needed can stuck your pay raises and make them think that you underperform when you just collapse from the tiredness of overworking. This may be a good mean of progressing in a big company like this youtuber seems to work. But you have to ask yourself first, if I am the top 1% engineer in this company what will I obtain ? Many really good engineers are stuck in shitty companies, with terrible pay, they really work their ass off but they will never have the same pay as the guy that know how to sell himself. The goal is not to be a company slave with many knowledge, for every hour and overtime hour invested in a company you should have a value in return, if not just resign or do the minimum work needed. This "slave" mentality in #2 and #3 secrets, can have a serious backlash in your career, and moreover it can ruin the job market for others engineers that have good work ethics.

[@ronnyperez1998]

Great video! Full good information, entertaining and straight facts no bs. Keep it up!

[@gerryyong5361]

lately ive been studying about growing business and entrepreneurship, and its quite surprising how it all align with this points. apparently the key of success is to solve problem for other people, the bigger the problem the more the reward

[@charanhear]

Clarity driven videos like these are always gonna inspire us on this topic. Absolutely no nonsense. Much much appreciated Namanh!

[@namanhkapur]

always!

[@pablollanos7421]

Thanks Namanh, Along my path I have shifted my focus to many other areas beyond what I initially thought it meant to be an engineer. You articulate it so well, it’s not only about the code, it’s all about the problem we solve and the bigger picture!

[@playversetv3877]

its all nonsense lol

[@kicknotes]

~25 years of experience here, and this was an EXCELLENT video.

[@coolumar335]

quality video, Namanh - trying to be less dependent on Jira tickets myself and getting ambiguous problems solved every day

[@rickhallett4223]

This is scores ahead of most yt code videos! Bravo, Sir. Bravo.

[@kubersingh2560]

This is so inspirational! Thank you Namanh!

[@user-xc2ey6yd3d]

Thank you for the pieces of advice!

[@olavisau9194]

As a staff software engineer I can vouch that the video is accurate. About the goal itself though, idk if this is different for others, but after reaching this point - I am not sure if I would recommend it as a blanket goal to go for. Having already done what the video recommends and more, now being in this position, it's just endless hassle. Almost all the work is now only difficult problems, but the pay is maybe 30% better than a mid level engineer. I am not entirely convinced the mental energy consumed and stress is worth it. I don't know how else others have done it, but for me I have had years when I worked around 310-320 days. I am not even sure if it's possible if you have kids or time consuming hobbies, but then again maybe I overdid it a bit and it's not really necessary.

[@ChemistTea]

Thanks. That was insightful and encouraging. I definitely feel good about some of the things I'm doing. There are always opportunities to find problems and solve them, especially when you are familiar with the codebase.

[@zerbitx]

Well, this was an inspirational way to start my day. Taking out any reference to engineering, I think these are great tips for any field.

[@ForgottenModders]

Started my day with this video too, and it was indeed a nice positive beginning to a day.

[@morenomt27]

So true!! Thank you for this!

[@odewoleabdul-jemeel8859]

Thank you for sharing this. It is really insightful

[@MeghadityaRoyChaudhury]

Great set of advices. I wish someone told me these a decade back when I started as a Software Engineer.

[@nromancarcamo]

Yay! 🙂 I matched several traits according your pov. I think that In am in a good direction of ideas and goals.

[@gringotico1759]

Great video man. Also, from one linty man to another, lint rollers are good thing to have around the house, specially for dark colored clothing. Looking forward to the next one man.

[@carolinewu1022]

SUCH A GOOD VIDEO! Now pls do one for product management

[@stephenghool8888]

Good advice man…definitely need to keep the customer in mind

[@MightyDrunken]

Good video and points. Domain knowledge is a phrase I didn't here but is what a lot of this boils down to. Know the business and the processes. The code is only a reflection of these, so go to the source and speak to the rest of the business and customers.

[@user-zj7lz3ff2r]

Spot on Namanh!! Really great video!

[@DeltaXML_Ltd]

Great video with some really helpful tips 😃

[@admanek]

I still enjoy your videos and consider them worth watching from the beginning till the end (even though I treat YT as a time waster platform :)) Great job Namanh!

[@TerrenceLP]

Over 20 years in, you are spot on except for one thing... not everyone is cut out for these levels to come easy even after years at it. "Some people listen, while very few can hear 🙉"

[@Optable]

Or the even more common ultimatum: one listens, one hears, one cannot for the life of them apply the hearing in any tangible, effective, or meaningful way without constant attempts. There is so many types of intelligence, some more impactful on work acceleration and comprehension in general. Some like: Speaking & Thoughtful communication IQ; Task & Application IQ, Creative Output IQ, Meeting Demands IQ; Well-rounded IQ; Fire Extinguishing High Stress IQ; Team Communication IQ; Above Decent at most, excellent at nothing IQ (CEOs); etc. Some have a few. Some have one. Some have many. Some are constantly trying to get better at each, but simply cannot

[@anonanon2031]

That was a great video. Great work.

[@BeasenBear]

This was great! Can you make a similar one geared towards freelance work?

[@edwardmitchell6581]

This all applies well to data engineering and cloud engineering. I'm wondering if I get good enough at solution architecture I can focus on these skill and pay less attention to coding. Also sounds like this works best at large companies and startups. If you are fighting fires at a small company with tons of tech debt, can't do any of this stuff. Secret #0: work on teams that allow you to have impact.

[@mangalegends]

I hear that. I know from experience that some companies are so restrictive in what they'll let you do that it's pretty much impossible to make a real impact

[@edwardmitchell6581]

@@mangalegends The absolute worse for me was working in a shadow IT team at SunTrust (now Truist). We had limited access to data and anything we created could only be shared by email and sharedrive. My manager gave me a book on UML to help me with my job.

[@nascentnaga]

applicable to any field really. great vid

[@namanhkapur]

[@firstshield9507]

Video excelente Namanh!

[@PartiLeduc]

Excellent video, I'm a staff engineer and this is exactly what I look for in good engineers.

[@jacobstein828]

It’s what you look for in junior engineers. Those same behaviors don’t translate to staff+ roles.

[@4TheLoveOfHockey]

I really love your content, thank you!

[@namanhkapur]

thanks for watching!

[@rajesh-royal]

100% agree with the ambiguity state

[@djin.n]

great advice. this could be applied to all professions and crafts 👏🏿

[@OzairPatel1]

Well produced video with actually useful and good advice. What more can you expect from this guy 😤

[@namanhkapur]

my guy 🫡

[@JeramiaValentine]

Amazing Speech TY!

[@intoxicatingGold]

I came in expecting a cliche video and impressed. This is definitely a must watch for every software engineer!!

[@albertdugba]

Same here

[@Triggdarichwarrior]

Thanks brother!

[@tomasziniewicz3953]

Very good, thank you!

[@19adhin]

Why did the Jetbrains guy yell at you lol?

[@EdVizenor]

Yeah 😂 why? 😅

[@mohammedabbas6404]

He was still using Net Beans I guess.

[@iftak01]

How can she slap 😝

[@sna1976]

does he really need a reason 😅

[@cnkumar20]

Because he was not good in Vim or emac

[@warlord385]

Loved this video but I have one question/comment. In order to excel and be come the 1%, doesn’t your company have to value all those things you list as well? I’ve been on so many interviews where they just to know if I have experience in “x” algorithm or “y” platform and could care less. Thoughts?

[@matthewj.joseph7818]

THIS is the type of content swe’s need. Great vid!

[@namanhkapur]

🙏

[@Dante02000]

Damn this is the best video yet 🎉

[@jesussaldana1973]

"a word I learned quite recently.." 😂😂 this has me on the floor! I'm subscribing!

[@twoleggedmammal]

I expected this to go the l33t code route, but was pleasantly surprised. I agree with all of these; and for the folks not doing the first few items, it can be hard to work with them.

[@Vince-DM]

Even the majority of Google employees never really bother with leetcode, just find your niche and be good at it.

[@BriariusTitan]

wow actually amazing advice, thank you

[@namanhkapur]

thanks for watching!

[@destiny-fox1990]

Damn, you learned more in 3 years than what I learned in 10years. 😅 meaty stuff. Wish more channels are like this instead of trying to teach a form of JavaScript

[@Loicmartins]

Thank you!!

[@AwomKenneth]

Learning python and this is helping me stay focused!

[@udennaa]

Great video! 👍🏾

[@namanhkapur]

thanks!!

[@TvorCrl]

Well spoken!

[@jithin_zac]

Thank you!

[@vatsalkamani8937]

Inspiring content 👌

[@namanhkapur]

😤

[@Anubis-Ankha]

Thank you 🎉 💝

[@r0075h3ll]

Insightful video

[@TheInfamousButt]

I’m going to watch this before I start work every day until I become this person. Nice vid.

[@MuddyMemon]

Liked because you used the word "ick" haha love it

[@backendninja8333]

Probably the best video

[@SubwaySounds]

Firstly i appreciate the advice in this video. I guess in the context of the SWE job this a great approach but in terms of learning and productivity isn't build fast and break things a better approach?

[@namanhkapur]

that’s probably the best approach, it was facebook’s motto for a long time

[@ultrabolado]

4:44 best JS lib ever right there

[@eminothedon716]

this will get you to the top 1% overworked engineers super quick congrats

[@awmy3109]

Exactly 😂. Just more tasks.

[@ijs8548]

i probably drifted of in middle but all i underestand could be sumed up in a single word which is be " proactive " correct me if im wrong

[@tallawahh]

Soooo, being proactive in solving problems is nice and all, but what do you when u have an engineering manager that thinks it's their way or the highway? When you've already shown you can code on the same level as them but might not have the same number of years experience (Personal experience)

[@skillionair6181]

Thrive in ambiguity, on the other hand if a problem is vague then the criteria will be too. Which one is it

[@daniela.sorianoii2034]

This is a rockstar engineering content! Kudos!

[@b43xoit]

How does mgt get an estimate of how much tech debt comes along with any given proposed solution?

[@muaar]

good shit!

[@theprinceigor]

New video! Let's goo! Already started to worry what happened to "New tech videos every week".

[@namanhkapur]

so many videos ready to go, but ran into issues with publishing, flame me in the comments if it’s not one video every week from now on

[@theprinceigor]

It's alright. Honestly glad to see how much effort is put into the videos and how they get better each time. Good work does not like to be rushed and I completely understand it 🙌🏻

[@m_davis222]

Underrated video

[@mdesnica]

Good content, but I hate to get inline ads when I paid YT subscription to not get ads.

[@jedediahwales9119]

I am glad I found you.

[@namanhkapur]

thanks for being here :)

[@david-nb5ug]

how do you do #3 with limited time and resources?

[@argibonaventure4199]

Thanks for the guidance. let’s be the 1% engineers

[@namanhkapur]

👊

[@flobba123]

i just started programming doing some really basic programs , If i get really good perhaps i can work in the field by 2026.

[@muhammadarifulislam7159]

Neatly summarized my observations during my first year at Amazon. Didn't even realize some of them until you have explained. Thanks !

[@mrk131324]

Very good list. But I wonder, how do you follow that path without being employed at a big company? As a freelance engineer - still the profession of the best engineer - you are paid by the hours and hardly invited to business meeting (although we offer to participate for free). So often we are called when the wrong decisions have already been made, then we deliver and then they want to bound us for eternity and then we move on because their offer is abysmal.

[@karnellschultz6446]

Another banger

[@namanhkapur]

thanks!!

[@pbdivyesh]

It frustrates me at times because then it becomes like fulfilling someone's fantasy and not the correct decision or discussion backed by data

[@adityamwagh]

I don't mean to be rude, but do you think that since you've left Bolt and are not currently working at a company, there might come a point when you run out of content to discuss? My hypothesis is that if you were to stay in a Software Engineering role, you would continue learning and have more topics to cover. However, it's worth noting that new viewers will always discover your videos, so you probably don't have to worry too much about this.

[@itsjustme684]

Agreed

[@colinb8332]

This has been the recent trend. Software engineers leaving their jobs to make content seeing others have done it. You don’t have to actually learn all the hard stuff. Just tell and inspire other engineers to do the hard stuff. There will always be a market for this. Especially since so many people are trying to enter the industry.

[@avibcci1297]

@@colinb8332damm I would rather do this

[@JamalKhaffaf]

Most devs I worked with they all had to go solve all the unknowns. - stories - tasks - spikes Mid to high devs they ask thought about money aspect and running a lean set of services.

[@KayderimGameplays]

Hey, can anyone give me some advice on how to progress alone? I'm pretty much the only one in my city who is from the I.T area (in Brazil), so my only choice is to get good enough to even land the most basic junior job, but i've done many courses for Python (including CS50) and i have major trouble in starting on writing any code from zero.

[@b43xoit]

Maybe do a project or two by yourself. Maybe choose based on what else interests you in the world outside programming and computers and SWE. In my case, it's politics, but maybe in yours, it's fishing, for all I know.

[@techzianz4449]

i don't think everyone's mind works on similar ways,so if u want get better at programing makes ur own strategy and way of working ☮

[@nang88]

THATS WHY HES THE GOAT, THE GOATT

[@namanhkapur]

i just wanna be like @nang

[@TrappedInAVoid]

This is the problem with the majority of devs, they are really good at solving stuff, but need direction on what to solve. Its hard, but you can start little by little.

[@evilzzzability]

I am not even a real coder but holy crap everything you said is applicable to anyone in working in the IT field Its the qualities of higher level thinking, people skills and leadership skills will make you stand out anywhere.

[@clebin2023]

incrível demais

[@bernova1024]

Hi, am a big fans of you. I wanted to startup e-commerce marketplace for fashion. All I have is hosting & domains. I need your help man in setting it up.

[@-es2bf]

how do you know what it takes to get ahead of 99% software engineers?

[@primordialsoup-uu5vo]

This sounds more like a startup/tech company thing, where I work we have an architect and senior dev design and we just code, and its all salesforce so all the more boring and mindnumbing :s As much as I want to do a project from ground up myself, not gonna happen at a non-tech company.

[@judostuff9233]

Man what is that flash? Kills everyone's eyes. Good info tho.

[@VolodymyrInTech]

💛💙💛💙👍 Good video!

[@joshuaprivett3552]

User: "People are saying the system crashes or gets slow when they are remoted into it. Can you fix it?" Me: Does nothing, then waits 5 minutes. "Hey I made some changes can you have them reconnect and see if they're still getting the same issue?" User: "Hey it works great now, thank you so much!" If you can't pull this off, you're not a top 1%.

[@arkaprobharoy6006]

Really useful videos but brother please work on the background music it is too lazy 😞

[@namanhkapur]

give me some suggestions

[@sid6576]

Stop making videos like this bro, you're increasing my competition Also, can you talk about what happened with JetBrains guy?

[@namanhkapur]

good idea! will try

[@datboi1861]

I, too, am curious about what happened with the JetBrains guy.

[@roddypine6077]

This applies to any discipline, career, field - You want to be a better DOCTOR - watch this.

[@jayblueguy9932]

Nice

[@namanhkapur]

nice