Develop Yourself

Don't hate mail me just yet.  “Free” work as a developer can feel like a controversial topic, but it could be the key to jump-starting your career.  I’ll walk you through strategies for gaining credibility, building a portfolio, and turning your free work into a launchpad for your development career.  You will learn how to:  -Discover valuable projects, not junk work  - Position yourself as a...

I know the smartest and best looking developers are listening to this podcast. As a thank you, here's a mini-tutorial to learn some backend software development as a Javascript developer. Video: https://youtu.be/9mU6Mnq9ZXY Code: https://github.com/CodeCoachJS/js_pros_backend_starter.git​ Please share this and tag me if you do! One last thing 👇 Join me and Aaron Cordova, a recent guest on th...

In the last decade, I got sober, learned to code, and lost 50 pounds.  At the end of the day, the key to all of these transformations came down to habits.  In this episode, I break down how small, consistent changes can lead to big life transformations—whether you want to improve your coding skills, land a job, or just build better habits in life.  Let's learn the science behind habit formati...

The field of software development tends to attract neuro-divergent people, and because of the emphasis on problem-solving, long stretches of focus, and task management, developers with ADHD often face unique challenges.  Henry Lam, an ADHD coach for professionals who shares practical strategies for  managing time boosting motivation minimizing distractions  This advice can be applied for anyone le...

Wondering where to take your first step in the tech world? Should you aim for a fast-paced startup, a steady mid-sized company, or a giant like Google? In this episode I share my personal journey through all three—from a stressful startup experience to working at Fortune 100 companies. Learn the pros and cons of each environment , and get actionable advice on how to navigate your career, make smar...

In this interview, Dagna Bieda, an accomplished software engineer and author of "Brain Refactor" , shares how she struggled with communication as a developer and how she had to "refactor" her own mindset to reach the next level in her career as well as: Common pitfalls that most software engineers make in their career Why "mindset" is more than a fluffy buzzword Marke...

Let me be clear: junior developers are necessary. They are also risky to hire. Let's explore the economics of hiring juniors, how to de-risk yourself and what the hell "junior" really means. Also - here's my email if you want any targeted advice: brian@parsity.io Include your Github and LinkedIn and I'll give you my 3 cents! PS. We have 2 spots left for the last cohort of...

Aaron went from rapper to New York City Transit worker to working at some of the largest names in tech including Coinbase, Docker and Meta (Facebook). This story isn't really about tech or money, but that's a piece of it. The real story is about refusing to settle, rising above your circumstances and creating options in life when you feel like you don't have any. Aaron has nothing t...

The problem with the tech advice you get on LinkedIn, X and TikTok is that it doesn't reflect reality. The loudest voices dominate the space and create an echo chamber. Luckily, Stack Overflow surveys tens of thousands of developers every year to find out:   - what professional developers REALLY think about AI taking their jobs - the technology everyone is using  - the tools we use daily to w...

Parsity grad Nils decided to change careers at 44 from professor of music to software engineer. His story may not seem typical but in many ways it follows the same pattern that has worked for other career changers: - He worked on real world projects in exchange for credibility. - He was open to hybrid opportunities. - He went outside LinkedIn and leveraged his personal network. His life changed. P...

15 years ago I made money by trading various substances for cash.  I was hooked on drugs, alcohol and living like a loser.  It took 3 near death experiences, 2 children, 1 intervention and too many sleepless nights to count before I changed my ways. The transition from criminal addict to nerdy software engineer was tough and there are lesson from my former life which have helped me navigate a care...

I used to hate admitting my mistakes when I was a more junior developer. Over the years, I've made some embarrassing blunders. I've thought I was going to be fired a dozen times. You can not avoid making mistakes as a software developer. It's part of the learning process.  There are a few common problems most developers will encounter that have nothing to do with coding. How you han...

Should I even be telling you this? I mean I own a coding bootcamp. The reality is that you don't need a degree OR a coding bootcamp to be a hire-able developer but there's a reason why the majority of software engineers have some formal education. Let's go over a plan for you to learn the basics of web development on your own and whether or not a coding bootcamp makes sense for you...

Pessimists are often right. Optimists are often successful. When you're doing something new like learning to code, you don't have any "proof" that you will be good at it. Your brain wants to find patterns to protect you from an uncertain future. You scroll IG, YouTube or LinkedIn and are inundated with horror stories which affect your confidence. You begin to doubt that you can...

Learning to code isn't enough. 10 years ago, being able to write some HTML, CSS, Jquery and JavaScript could land you a job. Honestly, you can still make money just knowing these basics. But, if you want career where you work on interesting problems and are highly compensated, there are 3 skills you're going to need which we'll explore and learn practical ways to acquire them . Send...

William Ray is a YouTuber, coder, and recent bootcamp graduate. We discuss how he went from a background in behavioral health to freelancing in the tech industry, overcoming addiction, the challenges of the job market, and the importance of time management. William shares his experience of learning Java and Vue, the significance of building a network, and his innovative approach to finding freelan...

What happens AFTER the "I'm hired" post on LinkedIn? Once the "congratulations" comments and initial excitement wears off, reality sets in. "Did they make a mistake when they hired me?" "Can I do this?" "Will I be fired?" You are now a software developer in charge of writing code for applications that users rely on.  Let's explore some pr...

Megan Dias is a top 1% career coach on UpWork. She's also the career services coordinator at Parsity. She did not hold back on this episode where we discuss: - the reality of the tech job market and what's changed since the pandemic - why you probably shouldn't use the "Open to Work" banner - when to show off your GitHub profile and when NOT to - learning in public do&apos...

It's been a hell of a 2024 so far. I bought a business ( Parsity.io ), got laid off, interviewed a ton and then got hired. Check my LinkedIn if you don't believe me. Let's explore 3 lessons from this layoff that I think you can apply to your job search as a software engineer no matter what stage you are currently at. Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go...

Jack Herrington is the mastermind behind the YouTube channel Blue Collar Coder where he does deep dives on React, JavaScript and front end concepts. He shares his impressive 40-year journey in coding that began at age 13 and has remained close to the front end and excelled in software with only a high school diploma! From working at Nike and Walmart Labs to becoming a prominent tech content creato...

Let's tackle the widespread fear that AI will replace software developers. Get a high level overview of how AI and large language models like ChatGPT work and why they produce such mid code. We go over why junior developers should limit their AI usage or risk becoming exceptionally mediocre developers as well as a better way to use AI as a junior dev. There is one occupation more at risk than...

Special guest Bhupinder Singh, an engineering leader and author of 'Interview Champion', shares his decades of experience in tech, from starting coding at 12 to working with Fortune 100 companies. Learn how Bhupinder collected offers like Infinity Stones from top tech companies after getting obsessed with interviewing like a champion. He discusses his new book, the nuances of tech interv...

Learning JS is tough because you're trying to learn it the same way you learned in school. The ONLY way you can be a hire-able developer is to write code, NOT memorization. Let's go over a practical, hands-on approach to learning and take these resources below to get your hands dirty. Lastly, join us at Dev30.xyz to learn with some pros and the steps needed to actually make programming a...

Learning to code is tough but it's not enough. Too many developers end up as glorified typists or code-bots. As a code-bot you will write code, given a clear set of instructions, that might even work. You will fix easy bugs, update the colors of buttons and might even write some simple features. The danger of being a code-bot is that they are plentiful and expendable. If you want meaningful w...

Your VS Code Shortcuts here including a video. Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI 🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations. AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI