Stop Coding Like a Freshman: 7 Clean Code Habits That Will Impress Employers
You can tell a lot about a Computer Engineering student by looking at their code. Not by what it does—but by how it looks.
If your variables are named x, y, and temp2, or if you have a single function that is 500 lines long, you are coding like a freshman. And in a job interview, that is a red flag. “Clean Code” isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about professional courtesy to the person who has to maintain your work (which is often future-you).
Here are 7 habits to adopt immediately to level up your programming game.
1. Meaningful Variable Names
Bad: int d; // elapsed time in days
Good: int elapsedTimeInDays;
Code is read much more often than it is written. Don’t make the reader solve a puzzle just to understand what a variable holds. Modern IDEs have autocomplete; you have no excuse for saving keystrokes.
2. Functions Should Do One Thing
If your function is named processUser() but it validates input, connects to the database, sends an email, and updates the UI, it is doing too much. Break it down.
validateInput()saveUserToDatabase()sendWelcomeEmail()
Small functions are easier to test, easier to debug, and easier to reuse.
3. Delete Dead Code
We all do it. We comment out a block of code “just in case” we need it later. Then we push it to GitHub. Stop it.
That is what Version Control (Git) is for. If you need that old code back, you can look through the commit history. Keeping commented-out code in your active files is clutter that confuses other developers.
4. Consistent Formatting
Do you put the opening brace { on the same line or the next line? Do you use tabs or spaces? 2 spaces or 4?
Truthfully, it doesn’t matter which you choose, as long as you are consistent. Use a linter (like ESLint for JS or Black for Python) to enforce a standard style automatically. Code that looks uniform is easier to scan.
5. Avoid “Magic Numbers”
Bad: if (status == 2) { ... }
What is 2? Is it “Approved”? “Rejected”? “Pending”?
Good:
const int STATUS_APPROVED = 2;
if (status == STATUS_APPROVED) { ... }6. Handle Errors Gracefully
Freshman code crashes when the user inputs a string instead of a number. Professional code catches the error and tells the user what happened. Use try-catch blocks. Check for null values. Never assume the “Happy Path” (where everything goes right) is the only path.
7. Write Comments for “Why”, Not “What”
Useless Comment:
i++; // Increment iWe can see that i is incrementing. Tell us why.
Useful Comment:
// Increment index to skip the header row in the CSV file
i++;Level Up
Clean code takes more effort to write initially, but it saves hours of debugging later. Start applying these habits to your current thesis or side project. Your future employers (and your thesis adviser) will notice the difference.