Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

Office politics are one of the most frustrating things in the business world.  There are people that live for this challenge.  However, they are often seen as detrimental to productivity.  We even have some arguments that this as something that needs to be removed from typical work experiences. The Value Of Different Voices One of the essential attributes of office politics is that an organization...

Cellphones have become a constant in many of our lives.  They are the first thing we reach for in the morning and the last thing we put away at night.  This situation has led to plenty of complaints and worries about these devices.  However, there are upsides of cellphones we can focus on to keep that positive outlook. Cheaper Long Distance The ability to talk to people outside of your area code u...

Our modern communication within a group is dominated by tools like MS Teams and Slack .  These messaging tools are the outcome of several years of working on the problem of quick and thorough communication.  We have looked at how e-mail is intended for lengthy or cumbersome conversations.  Now we look at tools that are designed for a quick response and often a short one.  These provide for much mo...

We all use email daily.  Even though we have seen several new ways to communicate in recent years, it is still a staple of our lives.  That is why spam is so common. It is a way to reach almost everyone.  Of course, it also means we have more messages we delete than we read.  Nevertheless, we can look at email as a positive.  It provides us a needed option for communication online. Use Email As It...

We all use email daily.  Even though we have seen several new ways to communicate in recent years, it is still a staple of our lives.  That is why spam is so common. It is a way to reach almost everyone.  Of course, it also means we have more messages we delete than we read.  Nevertheless, we can look at email as a positive.  It provides us a needed option for communication online. Use Email As It...

We all use email daily.  Even though we have seen several new ways to communicate in recent years, it is still a staple of our lives.  That is why spam is so common. It is a way to reach almost everyone.  Of course, it also means we have more messages we delete than we read.  Nevertheless, we can look at email as a positive.  It provides us a needed option for communication online. Use Email As It...

When you look at statistics on software development, the success rate is disappointing.  Many factors contribute to this negative trend.  However, scope creep is a stealthy form of derailing even the best-planned projects.  Nevertheless, there is a bright side to this common obstacle.  We can find a silver lining for even this black storm cloud. Filling a Release Scope creep can be managed in a wa...

Our paychecks primarily come from customers, directly or indirectly.  That may point to there being no negatives in dealing with them.  Nevertheless, supporting users can be a struggle.  Developers and engineers do not typically enjoy support and interaction with them.  That does not keep us from finding a positive customer experience in the work we are asked to do. Setting The Stage I have often...

We all face obstacles and challenges in our daily work.  However, the IT world is full of extra challenging problems.  These are the tasks that we struggle against for days or weeks instead of minutes or hours.  We can see a project go off the rails due to one of these obstacles, and they can challenge our sanity.  They are never fun to experience.  Nevertheless, some positives come from these "da...

Timing is everything.  There are moments where it is easy to list the upside of recruiters.  On the other hand, there are times when we have less nice things to say.  For example, that call that interrupts our "coding groove" can make any call unpleasant.  It is only made worse when we find the person on the other end has a random job to tell us about. A View Into The World I have come across deve...

Open Source software is a staple in most modern careers.  One reason is that there are essential pros to using it.  Some developers would even argue that it is hard to find negatives with this approach.  Love it or hate it, Open Source is here to stay.  There are too many languages, frameworks, libraries, and tools that fall under this umbrella to ignore them. Removing Barriers To Entry The free f...

Technology changes at a fast rate.  It might even seem like that speed is increasing every year.  This speed of change can be daunting to those that want to "stay current."  It requires us to spend hours every week consuming content and working on new skills or with new tools.  While this situation can often be viewed as a negative, there are many positives we can find in these challenges. Steady...

We will look at a number of obstacles during this season.  The testing challenges that are part of quality assurance can be daunting for developers.  However, there are invaluable lessons learned.  We will see how testing teaches us about our solution and goes beyond its promise of quality improvements.  You might even find a new product based on what testing teaches. A New View One of the most va...

Developers have many ways to advance their careers.  Our resumes can fill up quickly when we take the right view of our tasks.  However, the best results can come from learning from debugging.  The ways that this sometimes frustrating task can lead us into career paths we never expected.  Thus, what better place to start our positive view of the daily work challenges. Small Bugs And Crippling Flaw...

There are numerous obstacles we face in our careers.  The day-to-day things that we dread can be a source for complaining and even whining.  However, learning from challenges is one trait of being a better developer.  In a season with an unlucky number (thirteen), it seems like a perfect time to focus on a glass-half-full approach to the monotony we face. Not Just Drudgery There is a notable diffe...

A better career has ben the underlying topic for this season.  As we bring this season to a close, it seems like a perfect time to hit the high points.  We revisit some tips that are important to utilize in making that extra effort.  It takes time and effort to become a better developer, so productivity is a key indicator of long-term success. Stacking Up Effort Our day job, side hustle, and caree...

The steady effort we put in to become a better developer can be redirected when needed.  This surge effort can provide us the extra steam we need to get a project done.  Likewise, it can provide a steady flow of effort that allows us to avoid the usual ebb and flow of IT work.  All of that can lead to less exhaustion, more productivity, and a generally better mood.  Happy and healthy are traits mo...

We have often looked at ways to provide content as part of a side-hustle .  Thus, we will skip that topic this time around.  Instead, let's look at giving back and providing things for free.  However, before you move to the next article, we will focus on how free to others does not mean it lacks value for you.  We might even see situations where an altruistic approach is very beneficial to us and...

There is a well-known book that describes mastery of skills as needing ten thousand hours.  The ideas put forth in the book have many arguments for and against, but that is for another time.  In this episode, we look at ways for mastering skills in under the ten thousand hours mentioned in the Outliers book.  This theory is critical for our daily exercises in getting better because we do want to r...

Time is arguably our most valuable resource.  We can not buy extra time. We can only spend it as wisely as possible.  That means we need to be mindful of the cost of our daily tasks for getting better.  Fortunately, that time is not a loss.  We can plan out our daily steps to improve in ways that allow us to get more done with little or no additional time spent.  One way is mixing side-hustle task...

Our daily work to get better is not without positive side-effects.  One of the most powerful of these is the ability for us to build on prior work.  These tools can be a huge productivity boost.  That is the case whether we are starting with an application baseline or working from a document template. Prior Work Is An Investment Our daily steps to improve and become a better developer will generat...

A big part of a good interview is self-confidence. Those that answer questions directly and confidently are more likely to impress than those that waver or seem unsure of themselves.  While interpersonal skills are often downplayed for technology positions, they are still essential for getting a job offer. Hard Work Equals Self-Confidence One of the complaints we hear that leads to imposter syndro...

There are numerous guides and articles on how to interview .  They all provide some great suggestions.  However, I rarely see an essential recommendation for technical interviews.  Some technical interviews require dry and detailed answers.  Nevertheless, you will make a better impression when you focus on stories instead of buzzwords. We Solve Problems The most important aspect of our skills is h...

We are asked questions every day.  Also, part of the expectation of our job is that we will have an answer.  However, we do not have to answer immediately.  It is acceptable to say that I can find that out or let me get back to you for that answer.  Do not rush into a solution when you have time to think through a response or ping others. Experience Is Half The Battle Experience is one of the best...

Part of advancing our career includes accepting or rejecting job offers.  It may come as a surprise to you that we do have a choice.  We might even reject an offer without having another option.  There are considerations to keep in mind throughout this offer process. The Counter Offer Both sides can always take or leave an offer and then make adjustments.  This process works the same for jobs as i...