Accelerate your software engineering career by reviewing code

Reviewing code is often treated as a chore. This is sad because reviewing code is a great opportunity!

• Code reviews help find bugs early
  The earlier a bug is found the smaller the damage it can cause, and the cheaper it is to fix. Code reviews allow catching bugs very early in the process.
• Code reviews allow influencing the design
  Suboptimal design choices are hard to change once submitted. Code reviews make it possible to identify them early and discuss alternative solutions that could make the code simpler, more robust and easier to work with.
• Code reviews help the team achieve its goals
  Each diff contributes to achieving some goal. Reviewing code unblocks the team to move towards this goal.
• Code reviews are a great learning opportunity
  Diffs contain a wealth of knowledge. Whether it is an interesting language feature used by the author or an innovative idea proposed by a fellow reviewer, there is always something new to learn.
• Code reviews give a chance to foster knowledge
  Just as you can learn from others through diffs, others can learn from you. By suggesting alternative approaches, highlighting trade-offs or explaining language intricacies you can help other engineers grow.

But wait, there is more! In addition to all benefits listed above you can also be recognized for reviewing code. When I worked at Amazon my code reviews won me an award for demonstrating the “Insist on the Highest Standards” leadership principle and were one of the factors supporting my promotion.