This is a guest blog post from Mark Sawers. Enjoy. Dear new developer, As a software engineer, it’s easy to take our eye off the ball. The ball we really want to pay attention to isn’t … | Continue reading
This is a guest post from Andrew Rondeau. Enjoy. Dear New Developer, Don’t show up an a new job and immediately try to change the tabbing and/or bracing style. This is especially important if the c… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I just had a conversation with my boss. I said “Hey, sometimes I can be overly direct and it comes off like an a**hole. I’ve been told I’ve been condescending … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, If you want to be good at interviews, learn your algorithms. Loads of companies treat algorithm knowledge as a proxy for general problem solving ability. It makes a certain sort… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I was asked about how to start blogging during the Q&A portion of a talk I gave. I had offhandedly recommended blogging as a great way to make connections and to be both cre… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, You need to realize that your manager is pulled between two goals (this assumes you have a good manager–if you don’t have a manager who wants to help you, find a new… | Continue reading
This is a guest blog post from Allan Wintersieck. Enjoy. Dear new developer, I realize that just trying to learn basic programming principles can feel daunting enough, but if I may, I’d recommend a… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I have found gratitude to be an invaluable part of my software development career. First, being grateful makes me happier. It works for others too. When I get frustrated with so… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, This post covers some great tips on getting through your first year. It starts off ominously: The first year as a programmer is one of the most frustrating things a homo sapien … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I remember one of the first times I spoke in public. I was talking about J2ME (which was a technology for building mobile apps, pre iphone) to the Boulder Java Users Group. I th… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Sometimes you just have to grind. It’s easy to find yourself beaten up. Development, while not physically difficult, can be mentally and emotionally taxing. Screwups can b… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, You have only a finite amount of time, and the world is large. Technology changes so often and so fast that it can often feel like there is not enough time. Here are two strateg… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Sometimes you have to learn or do something boring. I know there are times when I’ve had to schlep, whether that is data entry, learning a technology that I’m not th… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Sometimes you want to play out things two and three steps deep. Kinda like chess players, who think about many moves ahead, if you can consider the ramifications of your decisio… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, One time, not too many years ago, I was using git. I had used it for some personal projects, but hadn’t used it in the team setting before. We were using this git branchin… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, One of the most shocking things I learned when I started working in a professional capacity is that there are no adults in the room. That is not to denigrate everyone at your co… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, This post talks about how to ask for mentoring, but the principles apply to getting in touch with any busy person. Busy people are by definition busy, and get a large number of … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, This came up in a Hacker News comment thread recently: I’ve been working since the 90s and I never attempted to do FizzBuzz. Is it really relevant? Maybe to screen junior … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, When I was a new developer, or actually new to the business world, I thought that companies acted rationally. They don’t. I remember when an old timer at my first job talk… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I was chatting with someone I met at a meetup who was about to graduate from a bootcamp. I asked him what his advice to a new developer would be. He said that it would be “… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I wrote this post years ago, but it still applies today. Ah, the arrogance of software developers. (I’m a software developer myself, so I figure I have carte blanche to take aim… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, You are probably going to be dealing with text files sometime during your development career. These could be plain text, csv, or json. They may have data you want to get out, or… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I am happy and amazed when new developers help out other developers. I’ve seen several new folks go back and mentor at a bootcamp. Or present at a meetup. This is great, b… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I want to build perfect systems. There’s something so beautiful about a perfect bit of code that solves a problem elegantly and succinctly. Especially if it comes with a s… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I talked previously about a technique to help you network with strangers. But networking isn’t just about meeting strangers and starting up conversations easily. The easie… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I suggest that the first job you take be the one with the highest learning potential, not the highest earning potential. (This post contrasts the two, in the context of entrepre… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I taught technology courses for about a year and a half, but have been teaching folks almost my entire career in one way or another (everyone has something to teach), primarily … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I suggest you take some of your ample free time (if you have it) and write a technical book. I’ve written one book and doing so gives you a deep understanding both of the … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Don’t be penny wise, pound foolish. Your time is worth a lot, and it’s worthwhile to spend some money to accelerate toward your goals. I heard a client say once that… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, We all make mistakes. Yes, this is not news, but it’s worth repeating. We all make mistakes. I have made them, you have made them, your boss has made them, the person you … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I remember the first month of my first job. I wasn’t sure who was who, what was what or even why was why. It was hard to find tasks that I felt helped the team. I wasnR… | Continue reading
This is a guest post from Jenn Chu. Enjoy. ‘Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something, then you’re more willing to take ri… | Continue reading
This is a guest post from Rylan Bowers. Enjoy. Dear New Developer, ‘You get what you give’ isn’t just a late ’90s catchy pop song set in a late ’90s mall that gives me late … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Searching is is important to writing and understanding software. Less so for giving you a base of knowledge. For that, I’d seek out books, video classes or side projects, … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, This post by Erik Dietrich covers the situation where a developer becomes an “expert beginner”. This is something to avoid as you build your career–don’t… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, It’s paradoxical, but sometimes the best thing you can do is not write code. Remember, the value you provide is to solve the problem you are faced with (the outcome), not … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, I remember the first time I saw a senior engineer struggle with the command line. He was a new hire and was getting up to speed on a new project. If memory serves, he was trying… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, It is unfortunate, but first impressions matter. And, like any other job, a developer position is in large part based on relations with other people. Therefore, it behooves you … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Coding is fun! You get to take a few words on a page, breathe life into it through your understanding, type rapidly into a text editor, and display it to our colleagues. It̵… | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Set up a LinkedIn profile and keep it up to date. This will serve as a public resume. (Yes, a github is great too, but you might not always have time to keep code up to date or … | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Stackoverflow (SO) is great for three different kinds of developers (and someone can be all three over time): those who are looking for answers, usually via Google (searchers) t… | Continue reading
Dear developer, Of the many techniques you’ll pick up over the course of your career, one worth investing in early is journaling. Journaling might not seem like a worthy endeavor at first. Ca… | Continue reading
What I wish I had known when starting my development career | Continue reading
Dear new developer, Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It can be stressful and humbling to reach out and ask a question, but it can be the best way to stop spinning your wheels and make progress. It… | Continue reading