This is fairly close to my own soldering journey. I'm coming at it with a technical software background and minimal hands-on hardware experience or training.

This is fairly close to my own soldering journey. I'm coming at it with a technical software background and minimal hands-on hardware experience or training. I found a few things that have made my solder joint better (both mechanically and electrically). These three were the purchases that made the most difference. The FNIRSI soldering station https://www.fnirsi.com/products/dws-200 https://www.fnirsi.com/products/dws-200 There are discussion that the tip isn't grounded and it can damage some sensitive components but I haven't run into this and there are online instructions for grounding it. It's very precise. The tip quickly gets to your target temperature and stays there. That means you don't need to hold the iron steady for a long time while it slowly heats up your whole board. The tip on those is also closer to the handle so it's easier to control. There are better irons but for me, this was an upgrade from a Hakko. Flux. I got some liquid flux and some flux paste. The paste is a bit less messy but the liquid can get into small cracks better. Both of them make it much easier to get the solder to stick to the metal. Eutectic solder. Lead solder has a lower melting point than lead-free solder. Eutectic solder takes it a step farther and has a specific formulation so the melting and freezing point are the same. That seems like a technical bit of trivia but it means the solder acts much more like how you intuitively expect it to act. There are a few other things that have helped I really like the Omnifixo component holder but it's worth getting something to hold your components stead. Alcohol and a dispenser https://www.amazon.com/JETEHO-Dispenser-Bottle-Methanol-Container/dp/B07N1G5WD5 https://www.amazon.com/JETEHO-Dispenser-Bottle-Methanol-Cont... Precision tip cotton swabs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BT8VZ3GQ?th=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BT8VZ3GQ?th=1 and some cotton balls flux is messy and you need to clean it. Desoldering pumps look easier but their bad. Get a spool of copper desoldering braid. Get the big once and not those dumb little disks. A silicon matt. They're cheap, protect your work surface, and keep bitsies from rolling around. I also learned to technique tricks that made a big difference: 1) The soldering iron should always have solder on it. That not only protects the tip against corrosion, it gives the tip better contact with surfaces so the heat transfers better. 2) Touch your soldering iron to the thing you want soldered and let that heat up the solder, instead of melting the solder and dripping it onto wires. Troubleshooting: If you see a lot of beading, press the iron more on the component or try some more flux. If you regularly fry components before you get a good solder joint, you may need a hotter iron.