How to Use AI Effectively in Coding & Development? How to have a Senior Developer Mindset?

Hey there, curious minds! 👋 (This Week’s Byte – September 04, 2025)

Welcome to this week’s edition of my newsletter, where I share what I’ve been learning, thinking about, and exploring in the tech world. From quick insights and cool facts to blog highlights and personal reflections.

✨ Quote of the Week

• “Make money so that you can walk away from situations you don’t like.”
• “People are complicated: they have sides you don't know, their actions are done for some reasons that are impossible to see from the outside. We only see a tiny part of what they have inside and out..”
• “AI is not going to take your job. A developer who knows how to use AI will.”
• “Some people create their own storms and then get upset when it rains.”
• “Only two things matter: what was said and how it was said. Not who said it.”

How to Use AI Effectively in Software Engineering?

AI can save time, but only when used with a professional mindset. Start by focusing on the problem rather than jumping straight to solutions, take the time to understand why bugs occur, and review any AI-generated code critically. AI is a tool to assist your understanding, not a replacement for it.

1. Get Answers → Understand the Problem

• Focus first on understanding the problem, not just the solution.
• Write down what you want to do and clarify your thoughts.
• Only after that, use AI to generate answers or suggestions.

2. Understand Why Bugs Happen

• Don’t just fix the error, understand why it occurred.
• Try to make a list of steps, "How this bug is happening / How to regenerate it"

3. Write Down the Purpose of Your Code

• Ask yourself: What is this code supposed to do? How does it work? How does it fit into the existing system?
• Writing helps you find gaps in understanding. If you use AI more, then try to write more

4. Don’t Blindly Copy/Paste AI Code

Review AI-generated code like a senior developer:

• Does it make sense?
• Is it simple and readable?
• Is it trying to do too much?
• Can you clearly explain it?

5. Practice the Art of Deletion

• Aim for one function/component → one responsibility.
• Ask yourself: Can I delete this part? Is it really necessary?
• Less code = less risk = easier maintenance.

Interesting Fact

Most people think fat leaves the body through sweat or exercise. In reality, research shows that about 84% of body fat exits through breathing, released as carbon dioxide.

Things I Wish I Knew Earlier: (Taken from some articles)

What makes you have a senior developer mindset?

• Don’t just build whatever you’re asked; you focus on building the right things.
• You make sure, you are building the right things
• You try to find out unknown problems/issues and flag technical difficulties
• Communicate directly with stakeholders.

7 Signs You’re a Tech Lead Already?

1. People want you in meetings: You’re the go-to person for understanding the codebase and explaining architectural decisions.
2. You turn problems into plans : You know what’s broken, what to fix first, and can justify priorities to your manager.
3. You shield the team from chaos : Creating processes, documentation, and knowledge sharing to prevent crises.
4. You see problems before they’re named : You're already thinking about what could go wrong.
5. Your code reviews are teaching others: Offering guidance, patterns, and resources, not just a message "this doesn't work".
6. You write code that won’t bite you later : You know when to keep things simple and when to add flexibility

Tools and Resources

• Faker : Generate dummy data from TypeScript interfaces.
• JSON Server : Quick fake REST API for prototyping.
• YouTube Transcript Generator : Pull transcripts, then summarize with AI.
• RunSQL : Online playground for practicing PostgreSQL or MySQL queries.

Final Thoughts

Some useful thoughts on life

• The only way to build wealth is to keep your ego below your income.
• If expectations grow faster than income, you will never be satisfied.
• People may want different things, but nearly everyone seeks respect, usefulness, and control over their time.
• History is made by surprises, but forecasts are based on obvious patterns.
• A comforting delusion is thinking that other people’s bad circumstances couldn’t also happen to you.
• Read fewer forecasts and more history. Learn more from failures than successes.
• No one is thinking about you as much as you think they are
• Everyone is making a bet on an unknown future
• Study more failures than successes

🎯 Quick Survey, I Want to Hear from You!

How do you learn best in tech?

I’ve made a short (2-minute) survey to gather your thoughts. Your input will help me create more relevant content for future newsletters! Click here to fill out the survey. Thanks in advance, I read every response! 🙌

🧡 Thanks for Reading!

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading. I hope something here increased your curiosity or helped you see tech from a new angle. If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it or hit reply. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, keep learning and building!

Sumonta Saha Mridul, Associate Software Engineer I, Cefalo Bangladesh Ltd.