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The Human Dimension of Software Engineering

The Human Dimension of Software Engineering

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Archives for June 2017

Coder’s grit: how to build it

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You can define “grit” as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, and it has been shown to be a better indicator of future earnings and happiness than IQ and talent 1. It is a combination of resilience, passion, determination, and focus. It pushes people to keep up discipline, optimism, and to persevere even in the face of rejection and discomfort.

Grit is an insufficient but necessary ingredient for success in any field, including software development. I have never met a stellar engineer who does not have it. Some people are born with it, but they can also develop it with work and determination. ... 

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Career advice: work yourself out of your job

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Not all software developers are interested in being promoted to higher levels in the ranks of an organization. Climbing the career ladder can be a risky and scary move. If you are not ready for it, you might land in a position that you are not qualified to take. Unless you have a good mentor, promotions can be daunting.

Most software developers I know want to code; that is what they love to do, and what makes them happy. Higher level system architecture, technical leadership or management are not for everyone. However, if a promotion is something you want, remember this one piece of counterintuitive career advice: ... 

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Stay relevant in tech by being a learner, not a specialist

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Being a learner is a choice you already made

When you joined the software industry, you made a deliberate or accidental decision to be a learner. Change, progress, and innovation are the goals of technology; not many fields change as quickly and relentlessly.

As of 2016, there were about 21 million professional software engineers in the world, 4 million of them in America. This large workforce pushes streams of change and innovation; keeping up with it can be daunting. I am here to tell you that you must stop worrying about being left behind, and start embracing change by becoming a non-dogmatic lifetime learner. ... 

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Be good on people and hard on ideas

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This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series principles

Intelligence is not enough

A high IQ does not automatically translate to good ideas. It helps, but it’s not sufficient. Smart people generate large volumes of ideas; some are good, but most are terrible.

Successful people do not rely only on their ideas. They surround themselves with friends, partners, and colleagues who can come up with better ideas and give open and unfiltered feedback, calling bad what is bad and good what is good.

Feedback and an open mind are essential for even the most talented entrepreneurs. They need to hear loud and clear if something seems off, and they need someone who can point that out with no hesitation. ... 

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