The Code Review Advice I Wish I Got as a Junior Dev

Code reviews also frustrate you and make you feel less confident.

I still remember the first time my code went for review.
I double-checked every line, made sure my indentation was perfect, and even ran the linter twice. I was feeling pretty good — until the comments rolled in.

“Too Complex”

“Can You Simplify This”

“Can you rename these functions and files”

“Why not use the map here instead of forEach?”

I won’t lie. My confidence took a hit.

But over time, I realized something important: code reviews aren’t personal. They’re not about who’s right or wrong. They’re about making the code better — for everyone.

As a Junior, I Took Every Comment to Heart

And I know a lot of new devs still do. When someone says, “Hey, this could be refactored,” what we often hear is, “You’re not good enough.”

But here’s the thing: everyone writes imperfect code. Even seniors. Even architects. The difference is — they expect feedback. They want it as they know it helps them learn more and get a different perspective to think.

Once I started seeing code reviews as a learning tool instead of a judgment, everything changed.

The Stuff Nobody Told Me (But I Wish They Had)

If I could go back and whisper a few things to Junior Me, it would be this:

Don’t overexplain your code in comments. If it needs too many comments, maybe it needs to be rewritten. comments must only be used for your reference if the function is self-explanatory then its always better.
Ask questions when you get a review. Not to defend your code, but to understand the why behind the feedback and then you can keep your points while learning a different perspective.
Be the dev who welcomes suggestions, even if it means rewriting something from scratch, I know that it can be frustrating sometimes but this will 10x your learning.
Start reviewing code yourself — even if you’re new. You’ll be surprised how much it teaches you.

Reviews Aren’t Just About Code

They’re about teamwork. About learning from each other. About building something maintainable — not just clever.
It’s not that only you have to solve and work on feedback you can also learn about common do’s and don’ts and suggest those in your meetings, which will give you an edge in front of other colleagues.

And honestly, the more I embraced this mindset, the more people started trusting me with bigger things. Because being good at code is one thing. But being open, communicative, and growth-minded? That’s the real superpower.

If you’re still early in your dev journey and code reviews feel intimidating, I get it. But give it time. One day, you’ll be the one dropping thoughtful suggestions — and helping someone else level up.

And hey, maybe they’ll write a post about you someday. 🙂