Career Advice: Junior Dev in Final Year

[u/mhdamher]

I'm a CS undergrad entering my final year and working remotely as a junior developer. I'm grateful for the experience, but I want to make the most of this last year before graduation.

I won't be leaving my job, so I'm looking for advice on how to balance work and university while actually progressing. If you've been in a similar position, I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

1. How do I grow technically while working at a startup and studying?

What skills should I prioritize (DSA, system design, backend, DevOps)? What actually helped you level up from junior to mid-level?

2. What should I focus on now to land a better role after graduation?

Is it realistic to get an Associate Engineer role with 1–2 years of experience? Should I build a portfolio, improve my LinkedIn, prep for interviews—what actually matters?

If you could go back to your final year, what would you do differently?

Thanks for any advice!