Develop Yourself

Hosts Aaron & Peter gather for their monthly catch-up episode where they talk about: An update on Peter’s contracting work (he quit his job several months ago) How they each set goals, plan their weeks and stay productive despite the ambiguity of their busy lives and jobs. Shameless Plugs Build Learn Web3 Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4dxiqn3XLMXsWWm6w0do5o?si=2f65b9f239c24f5b Parsity...

One of the most intimated parts of being a Software Engineer, at any level, is onboarding to a new team and having to learn a new codebase. In this episode, Aaron walks through 5 steps to take to quickly onboard yourself and start contributing to any team. Shameless Plugs Junior to Senior (use code DVY100 to access the course for free) Parsity dev30.xyz Peter's YouTube channel Send us a text...

Today, we discuss software engineer salaries. In particular, I talk about some of my engineering salaries, factors that influence your pay, and what reasonable ranges are based on experience level.  I share all of these things with the hope of combatting the stigma around money discussions and helping you to have a bit more information on your side when it comes time to find or negotiate a job. Ch...

In this episode, we speak with Chris Ferdinandi. Chris helps people learn vanilla JavaScript at gomakethings.com, and believes there’s a simpler, more resilient way to make things for the web. His developer tips newsletter is read by thousands of developers each weekday.   Chris and I talked about his journey, how to make a career transition to web development, how Chris found his niche in vanilla...

Every few weeks, we (Aaron and Peter) do an episode where we catch up, talk about what we’re each doing and what we’re learning. On this episode we talk through: An update on Peter’s life as a self-employed contractor Aaron’s side-gig, devMint (Web3/Crypto Code School) How the economic downturn is affecting bootcamp grads and hiring What it means to embrace process over results. Enjoy! Shameless P...

In this episode, we speak with Jake Gaba. Jake is a student at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, and the owner of Indifferent Broccoli, a video game server hosting and rental company that he bought while taking a year’s leave of absence from Stanford.  In this episode, Jake and I talk about how he narrowed down his criteria for acquiring a business, the fateful Google search that led him to...

Nathan and Doug just graduated from a coding bootcamp, but instead of grinding it out to find their first Junior Software Engineer position, they started a Web3 software development agency where to build custom crypto/web3 apps for companies. In this episode, we interview Nathan and Doug to hear their story and learn how you might be able to follow a similar path. Shameless Plugs Build Learn Web3...

In this episode we speak with Maria Lamardo. After unexpectedly entering tech, Maria developed a specialty in accessibility engineering and also began speaking at conferences and organizing local communities. Maria eventually started speaking on global stages and also got her current job, which is completely focused on accessibility. In this conversation, Maria and I talk about her story, how she...

What makes some bootcamp students successful, and others flop? In this episode, we argue that successful students embrace “process over results”. Specifically, we’ll walk through 4 areas that successful students focus on how they embrace that “process”. These areas are their: Skills Habits Network Mindset Parsity: https://parsity.io/ Peter's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/peterelb...

After you've had your first engineering job for a while, you may start wondering about how to take the next step in your career. The thing is, approaches for getting promoted often aren't obvious or discussed. In this episode, we talk about the best strategy I've found for getting promoted. By taking advantage of a technique that most rarely practice, you can stand out and take on g...

In today’s episode we’re going to be talking with Andre Elmoznino Laufer who currently works as a Lead Software Engineer in Stockholm, Sweden. Andre was a student at the very first bootcamp Aaron launched in 2016 and since then has worked his way to where he is now but taking risks and being confident. As you’ll hear, Andre is full of out the box advice on landing your first job after a bootcamp a...

Building your own projects is the single best way to improve and reinforce your development skills. But, often, it's hard to know what to build or where to even start. In this episode, we talk about how to generate ideas for side projects, and how to find the motivation to complete them. We'll talk about why projects are important, why not to do projects, and Peter's simple framewor...

3.5 years ago, Justin had never written on LinkedIn, but since then his 1-person business has done nearly $1.5M in revenue, with 98% margins, and he’s done this primarily based off his 230k+ LinkedIn followers. What’s his secret? Creating LinkedIn content with systems he’s developed. In this episode, Justin will walk us through how to build on LinkedIn and create a following with minimal time comm...

In this episode we speak with Lynne Tye. After pivoting away from a neuroscience PhD, Lynne held a variety of jobs before teaching herself to code and becoming a freelance developer. She eventually founded Key Values, which helps match engineers to engineering teams that share their values. In this conversation, Lynne and I talk about how she learned to code and find freelance development work, ho...

In this episode, we speak with Sara Oros, who JUST graduated from a coding bootcamp and is seeking advice. We help troubleshoot her journey and talk through what the next several phases of his transition will look like. Links Sara's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sara-oros1018 Shameless Plugs: Aaron's Code School: https://parsity.io/ Aaron's JavaScript Program: https://dev30.xyz/ Peter&a...

In this episode we speak with Johnny Dallas. Johnny started coding in middle school, got a paid internship and eventually ended up dropping out of high school to be a software engineer full-time. The company Johnny worked for was eventually acquired. He became one of the youngest engineers at Amazon and recently left to start his own company.  In our conversation, Johnny and I discussed the best w...

In this episode, Aaron shares his own story of battling depression and how becoming a Software Engineer has helped his mental health and changed his life. Enjoy! Links Lost Connections Book: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depression-Unexpected/dp/1632868318/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0? _encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Shameless Plugs Aaron's Code School: https://parsity.io/ Peter&...

In this episode, we speak with Namanh Kapur. Namanh is a Rice University CS graduate, a software engineer at Bolt – a fast-growing  fintech startup – and a YouTuber with over 30,000 subscribers.  In this conversation, Namanh and I talk about growing up abroad, why and how Namanh started coding in middle school, strategies for applying for developer internships and jobs, and Namanh’s aspirations fo...

Each month, Develop Yourself's co-hosts (Aaron and Peter) will be checking in with each other, in part to talk through how they've each quit their Software Engineering jobs to pursue entrepreneurship, indie-hacking, self-employment, etc. This episode is an update on what each of us is doing. Shameless Plugs Peter's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/peterelbaum Aaron's...

In this episode, we speak with Stephen Wise. Stephen is a freelance web designer and Webflow developer and founder of WiseStudio. In this conversation, Stephen and I talk about why Stephen chose to stop pursuing traditional education, how to learn new skills, and Stephen’s story behind applying for (and getting) a dream gig with a well-known YouTube creator. Enjoy! Links Stephen's Website: ht...

In this episode, we speak with Michael Garcia, who is currently learning to code in hopes of landing his first job as a Software Engineer. Michael graduated from a Fintech Bootcamp, but as he had no luck in the job search, he's recently switched his learning path to Fullstack Web Development. In this episode, we help troubleshoot his journey and talk through what the next several phases of hi...

In this episode, we speak with Jake Dohm. Jake is a web developer and serves as Development Lead at Steadfast Design Firm. Jake also runs local meetups, works on open source projects and is actively involved with speaking at and organizing conferences.  In this episode, Jake and I talk about how he got into web development at 14, his learning journey, how to become a code craftsman, the benefits o...

In this episode, Aaron walks through what it means to work on your "mind/mindset" as a budding Software Engineer. As we summarize, it ultimately comes down to your ability to change the way you think or respond to a difficult situation. Then we'll talk about 3 methods you can adopt to work on your own mindset as a developer, daily. Links Morning Formula Hero On a Mission dev30 Shame...

In this episode, we speak with Pete Codes. Pete is the founder of the website NoCSDegree.com, which tells the stories of people who have broken into the tech industry without the traditional credentials. Pete has several other projects he’s currently working on, including a paid community and several courses. In this conversation, Pete and I get into common characteristics he’s noticed among peopl...

Obviously, you've heard of  "crypto" and "web3", but can you define them? Do you know what "blockchain" is? Did you know that as a beginner, you can and should get involved in coding on web3 projects? Today crypto expert Brian Schuster is going to break all of this down for us and explain how you can take action to get involved, right now. Links Brian's Twit...