--- title: Best Substack posts — April 2024 | daily.dev description: The most upvoted Substack posts from April 2024, curated by the daily.dev community. canonical: https://daily.dev/sources/substack/best-of/2024/04 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:url: https://daily.dev/sources/substack/best-of/2024/04 og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Best Substack posts — April 2024 | daily.dev og:description: The most upvoted Substack posts from April 2024, curated by the daily.dev community. og:image: https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--VAY5ToZt--/f_auto/v1724209435/public/daily.dev%20-%20open%20graph --- # Best of Substack — April 2024 1. 1 [](https://daily.dev/posts/refactor-like-a-pro-s3yoa94d6 "Refactor like a PRO") Article Substack · 2y Refactor like a PRO Refactoring is the act of improving the structure of code without modifying its behavior. It is a continuous practice that simplifies design, improves namings, identifies and removes code smells, and improves testability and maintainability. To become a pro in refactoring, one should practice aggressive refactoring at small scales, master the refactoring hotkeys of their IDE, use mutation testing before refactoring code, turn comments into well-named components, follow the Rule of Three for removing duplication, separate refactoring from changing behavior, and use TDD to make refactoring a core part of development. 308 8 2. 2 [](https://daily.dev/posts/comic-mondays-are-the-worst-apwsx0o3t "(comic) Mondays are the worst") Article Substack · 2y (comic) Mondays are the worst Comics about work made with love and lots of coffee. 184 8 3. 3 [](https://daily.dev/posts/comic-why-are-you-leaving-your-current-job-haslopag3 "(comic) Why are you leaving your current job") Article Substack · 2y (comic) Why are you leaving your current job Work Chronicles is a collection of comics about work, made with love and lots of coffee. 126 2 4. 4 [](https://daily.dev/posts/comic-you-ll-like-it-here-ptbcivem5 "(comic) You'll like it here") Article Substack · 2y (comic) You'll like it here A comic titled 'You'll like it here' is available on Substack, which is a platform for great culture including Work Chronicles. 112 6 5. 5 [](https://daily.dev/posts/10-must-reads-for-engineering-leaders-gnavnpxv9 "10 Must-Reads for Engineering Leaders") Article Substack · 2y 10 Must-Reads for Engineering Leaders This post features a list of 10 must-read books for engineering leaders. It covers various topics such as building a team that doesn't depend on you, removing controls and bureaucracy, extreme ownership, high output management, and the 5 dysfunctions of a team. The post also recommends newsletters written by engineering managers for further learning. 102 6. 6 [](https://daily.dev/posts/how-refactoring-almost-ruined-my-marriage-csa0udwnx "How refactoring almost ruined my marriage") Article Substack · 2y How refactoring almost ruined my marriage Developers have a tendency to refactor code, but it's important to be cautious and find a balance. Refactoring old code may not always be necessary and can introduce new problems. Understanding the existing code and considering future plans are important before starting a refactor. 100 5 7. 7 [](https://daily.dev/posts/how-i-stopped-overthinking-last-week-36ceozalc "How I Stopped Overthinking Last Week") Article Substack · 2y How I Stopped Overthinking Last Week Learn 5 steps to stop overthinking, including writing down thoughts, setting deadlines, focusing attention, avoiding perfectionism, and prioritizing ruthlessly. 74 1 8. 8 [](https://daily.dev/posts/comic-you-should-work-long-hours-too--3japerjie "(comic) You should work long hours too!") Article Substack · 2y (comic) You should work long hours too! Subscribe to Work Chronicles to enjoy comics about work, made with love and lots of coffee. 66 1 9. 9 [](https://daily.dev/posts/comic-mood-z2qewhayz "(comic) Mood") Article Substack · 2y (comic) Mood Substack is a platform for culture and newsletters. 42 1 10. 10 [](https://daily.dev/posts/5-mistakes-that-new-tech-leads-make-learn-to-lead-effectively-tvptjfi3n "5 Mistakes that New Tech Leads Make: Learn to Lead Effectively") Article Substack · 2y 5 Mistakes that New Tech Leads Make: Learn to Lead Effectively Discover the top mistakes new tech leads make and learn key leadership strategies such as avoiding distractions, valuing project management, not expecting to know everything, valuing communication skills, and managing up. 35 1 11. 11 [](https://daily.dev/posts/3-traits-the-most-successful-software-engineers-possess-grxmjjvva "3 Traits the Most Successful Software Engineers Possess") Article Substack · 2y 3 Traits the Most Successful Software Engineers Possess Successful software engineers possess traits such as continuous learning, depth of knowledge, and a willingness to help others. These traits contribute to their effectiveness and career growth. 33 12. 12 [](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-recognize-the-potential-in-engineers-rxd9mpfb1 "How to recognize the potential in engineers") Article Substack · 2y How to recognize the potential in engineers Discover the top 3 traits for recognizing potential in engineers: attitude and mindset, sense of ownership and responsibility, drive and motivation to improve. 29 1 13. 13 [](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-self-manage-even-if-you-have-a-manager-your-future-self-will-thank-you--kyygsazug "How to Self-Manage Even if You Have a Manager (Your Future Self Will Thank You)") Article Substack · 2y How to Self-Manage Even if You Have a Manager (Your Future Self Will Thank You) Learn about the career benefits of self-management and how to build self-management skills. Discover why self-management is crucial for remote and hybrid workers. 24 14. 14 [](https://daily.dev/posts/dealing-with-impostor-syndrome-in-the-engineering-world-rwuj86xto "Dealing with Impostor Syndrome in the Engineering World") Article Substack · 2y Dealing with Impostor Syndrome in the Engineering World Practical advice on how to deal with one of the most common psychological states in engineering. 21 1 15. 15 [](https://daily.dev/posts/great-teams-build-great-software-xksmn3stk "Great teams build great software") Article Substack · 2y Great teams build great software Great teams build great software. Teamwork is the essence of building great software long-term. Inspiring great teamwork is crucial for success. The article provides tips on inspiring teamwork within a team and across an organization. 19 1 16. 16 [](https://daily.dev/posts/greetings-from-the-future-it-s-really-f-cking-boring-pvsv5vb9b "Greetings from the future it's really f*cking boring") Article Substack · 2y Greetings from the future it's really f\*cking boring The quantitative revolution has made various aspects of culture, including basketball, more predictable and boring. Franchise sequels and data-driven music are becoming the norm. Algorithms in non-traditional media optimize for addictive content. AI-generated content poses risks to originality and variety. Human creativity and emotions are key to innovation and should be protected. AI and human creativity can work together for unimaginable possibilities. A book called 'The Master Switch' explores the control cycles in new technologies. 15 1 17. 17 [](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-use-your-mentor-effectively--gf0kufqiq "How to Use Your Mentor Effectively?") Article Substack · 2y How to Use Your Mentor Effectively? Learn how to effectively use your mentor to achieve exponential growth in your career. Discover the non-obvious aspirations where mentors can help and how to find the right mentor. 15 18. 18 [](https://daily.dev/posts/power-of-blameless-culture-in-software-engineering-wb7rchzml "Power of Blameless Culture in Software Engineering") Article Substack · 2y Power of Blameless Culture in Software Engineering Blameless culture in software engineering prioritizes learning and improvement over assigning blame for failures. It fosters innovation, encourages accountability, improves collaboration, and boosts morale and confidence. Tech leads can contribute to this culture by leading by example, celebrating learning, facilitating post-mortems, and addressing root causes of mistakes. 12 19. 19 [](https://daily.dev/posts/data-pipeline---incremental-vs-full-load-jprocsnqr "Data Pipeline - Incremental vs Full Load") Article Substack · 2y Data Pipeline - Incremental vs Full Load Learn about the pros, cons, and use cases of incremental and full load data pipeline design patterns in this article. 12 20. 20 [](https://daily.dev/posts/the-2024-breaking-into-data-engineering-roadmap-c0vbxr48l "The 2024 breaking into data engineering roadmap") Article Substack · 2y The 2024 breaking into data engineering roadmap Learn about the necessary skills and steps to break into data engineering in 2024\. Topics covered include learning SQL, Python or Scala, distributed compute, data modeling, building a portfolio project, and building a brand for interviews. 12 21. 21 [](https://daily.dev/posts/sql-vs-python-data-pipelines-tempnk1ue "SQL vs Python Data Pipelines") Article Substack · 2y SQL vs Python Data Pipelines The post discusses the decision of when to use Python and when to use SQL in data pipelines. It emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between the two and making good technical decisions. It also highlights the pitfalls to be careful about in both SQL and Python pipelines. 11 22. 22 [](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-manage-up-as-an-engineer-or-a-manager-huvfp0mry "How to manage up as an engineer or a manager") Article Substack · 2y How to manage up as an engineer or a manager Learn how managing up can improve your work experience and benefit the whole team. Avoid common mistakes and follow a 5-step framework for successful managing up. 11 23. 23 [](https://daily.dev/posts/going-from-impostor-one-day-to-feeling-like-a-superhuman-the-next-day-w7lu4xjl8 "Going from impostor one day to feeling like a superhuman the next day") Article Substack · 2y Going from impostor one day to feeling like a superhuman the next day Embracing imposter syndrome leads to growth and learning in the engineering industry. Feeling like a superhuman when solving coding problems can outweigh insecurities. 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