Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman Cheat Codes for Junior Engineers with Kat Excellence
Oct 30, 2025
Kat Excellence, an early-career software engineer and author of the blog katexcellence.io, shares valuable insights on navigating the tech industry. She discusses the challenges of motivation in coding and the importance of small, consistent progress. Kat emphasizes shipping code early to prove impact and the significance of documenting work. She also highlights the benefits of reviewing PRs daily to enhance learning. With a focus on turning setbacks into growth, Kat offers junior engineers a toolkit for success in their careers.
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Early Career Rollercoaster
- Kat is two years and four months into professional engineering and sometimes feels competent and sometimes not.
- She contrasts classroom learning with the deep context needed at large companies that you only gain on the job.
College Trains Learning Not Current Stacks
- College teaches how to learn rather than specific, long-lived tools or stacks.
- Real-world engineering requires context and tribal knowledge that classes rarely provide.
Degree Choice Fueled By Hiring Realities
- Kat chose a college CS degree over bootcamps to ease hiring friction as a Black woman facing higher scrutiny.
- She felt a college credential would reduce bias and make the hiring process smoother.