Develop Yourself

Alex Lau has nearly 2 decades in software and even wrote a book to help developers avoid the pitfalls that nearly derailed his career. What I like about Alex is that he keeps it real. We answered questions from you in this episode with no BS. - Mass applying vs networking vs building in public - How to negotiate your salary and what hiring managers don't tell you - What to do about that naggi...

Think developers spend all day writing code? Think again. A recent study from Software.com reveals that developers actively code for just 52 minutes per day —about 4 hours and 21 minutes per week .  So what the hell do software developers actually do? In this episode, I break down 2 actual assignments I've been given at both a small startup and a large company to illustrate the reality of wor...

In this episode of the Develop Yourself podcast, we walk you through my 5-step process for solving coding problems. If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a problem, unsure of where to start, this episode is for you . I’ll show you how to break down problems, test your assumptions, and leverage patterns to find solutions that work. I also show you exactly how I use this process to tackle problem...

How cooked are we now that OpenAI is getting closer to AGI (artificial general intelligence)? It feels like AI is inching closer towards making software developers obsolete but how much of this fear is real and how much is complete hype? The answer shouldn't surprise you if you write code for a living... Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI 🤔 Got...

In this episode, Vanessa and Wilfredo share their inspiring journeys of breaking into tech as self-taught developers. Learn how they avoided tutorial hell, built standout portfolios, and reinvented themselves online to land their first jobs in software engineering. Packed with practical advice on overcoming imposter syndrome, choosing the right learning path, and navigating the job hunt, this epis...

Before you read "Cracking the Coding Interview" or "Clean Code", I want to offer a f ew books that you should read at every stage of your developer career from not-yet-hired to engineering manager. Me, sponsored? No. I just like sharing what's worked for me in the hopes it can work for you. If you have some good recommendations I didn't mention please let me and the r...

We're going to go through a very hands-on, practical process for learning enough JS to be dangerous. From the tools and services you will need as well as challenges to complete and small projects to make, you will have a clear idea of what to do and build to go from zero to noob. Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI 🤔 Got a question you want answ...

Humans are notoriously bad at predictions, but I’m going to make some anyway.   Based on what I’ve seen this year and what’s happening in the current market, I believe there are a few key things you’re going to need to know to stay ahead in your career.  Some of these predictions I’m making are bets I’m taking myself, and I figured I should share them with you here.  In this episode, I’m diving in...

The coding bootcamp model is need of a serious face-lift. Aggressive marketing has created unrealistic expectations for career changers. Interviews are more difficult and developers are increasingly expected to do more. It feels like things are changing faster and faster. It's not all doom and gloom. Career change has always been difficult. That shouldn't discourage you, you just need a...

I have been working as a software developer for over a decade. These are the 3 simple (but effective) pieces of advice I’d give anyone starting out, including maybe not just starting at all! 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 softw...

A few students at Parsity.io have interviews coming up. I gave them the same advice I'll share with you in this episode. The weird thing about technical interviews is they might not be so technical at all.  While you're grinding LeetCode or CodeWars or if you're just learning to code - you need to be prepared for the non-technical interview. It's way more common than you think....

Nearly a decade ago I started my first day as a developer. The night before the first day, I was barely able to sleep. Would I be found out as a fake developer and fired immediately? Would they give me a task I couldn’t figure out? How long before they realized they made an error in their hiring process? Well, I never got “found out” and I took on more than a few tasks I couldn’t figure out… yet....

ReactJS is the most popular JavaScript library. Love it or hate it, it's a safe bet to learn. Let's walk through how much JS you need to know before ReactJS, how to create your first component and what to do next. PS. I mentioned a video about working with APIs. You can watch it here. Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI 🤔 Got a question you...

The amount of information about how to get into software is overwhelming. Often times, the loudest voices have the least knowledge or experience. Who do you trust? What do you study? What should you build? How do you prove to someone they can trust you? Let's break down a step by step guide you can use land your first job as a software developer. Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 da...

A few months ago, during my first week at a new job, the CEO caught me red-handed using ChatGPT. “What are you doing?” he asked. I told him the truth: “Trying to match this UI design to the design spec—I use ChatGPT all the time for stuff like this. I’m not the best at styling.” His response? “Oh, cool. I had no idea you could do that.” In this episode, I’ll share the full story and break down how...

In this episode, I share the best tools, courses, and resources to help you level up your skills and accelerate your path to becoming a software developer. From Codecademy to Scrimba, system design tips and books that have made a huge impact on me, here's what I think is truly worth your hard-earned money. I have personally used and recommend each of the resources I share with you here. No on...

I chat with Michael, a self-taught developer, about his journey learning Ruby on Rails through project-based learning.  We discuss Rails’ philosophy, early projects, overcoming challenges, and the importance of community and structure for self-taught developers.   Michael shares resources and advice for aspiring developers navigating their learning path and why Odin Project has worked so well for...

After speaking with over 600 of you out there, I got a pretty good idea of what you're likely struggling with. I hope you enjoy these cheat sheets to help fix your janky resume, create a cool side project and maybe even get over that impostor-y feeling in your head. Impostor Syndrome Killer Side Project Cheat Sheet Fix Your Resume Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course t...

Brooke Sweedar is a recent coding bootcamp grad currently on the job hunt. She gets real about what it actually takes to make a coding bootcamp work for you (especially if you're a busy professional), her meteoric rise on LinkedIn, how she's standing out in a crowded market and the reality of career change. Plus some hawttttt takes. You can connect with here here: https://www.linkedin.co...

When you went to school, you were rewarded for completing assignments on time and memorizing facts. This same approach will NOT work for becoming an employable software engineer. In fact, it will have the opposite effect. On your learning-to-code journey, there are many mistakes you will make. You're going to mess up, produce sh*tty code and fail a ton of interviews. These are unavoidable and...

"Maybe Javascript just isn't for me..." Let's talk mental models and Javascript. A good mental model is a way to "latch" onto a foreign concept by relating it to something you understand. I speak with Kylo Robinson, an accomplished Javascript developer who nearly quit learning to code when he came across JS. Since then, he's created a truly unique way to visualiz...

Data structures and algorithms aren't just for interviews. Whether you know it or not, you are standing on the shoulders of giants when you write code. DSA doesn't have to be intimidating. Let's explore some real world examples of common structures and algos and some ways to learn them. Send us a text Shameless Plugs 🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI 🤔 Got a quest...

There is no magical technology stack which will make getting that first job easy. There are certainly technology choices I would avoid and others I would make sure to learn. If becoming a software developer was as easy as learning the "right" technology then most people wouldn't pay tens of thousands learning computer science or for mentorship .  I outline the exact tech stack I wou...

Learning in public isn't about likes. It's not about becoming an influencer. Learning in public is a practical way to validate yourself as a developer, learn the art of writing and become discoverable in a sea of cookie-cutter bootcamp grads. We will go over why you want to learn in public, how to do it and a way to meet other developers without being weird. Grab my learning in public te...

In this episode, I chat with Harley Ferguson , the seven-foot-tall South African CEO of Origen Software.  We dig into strategies for going viral, crafting engaging posts, and how Harley’s unique perspective has helped him build an audience of over 60,000 followers. Whether you're looking to become LinkedIn famous or just stand out in the developer market - you'll walk away with actionabl...