Life In Software Engineering, Careers in Tech, Leadership, Engineering Culture.
Reading Time: 8 minutesA First Programming Job Requires Experience, But… How? A question that aspiring young developers ask me all the time is: How do I get the first programming job that I need to build the experience required by most programming jobs? It appears like a chicken and egg problem. You need…
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Reading Time: 6 minutesMeet Bolbo. Bolbo is the name of my mental framework for the quintessential software developer. I draw it with a square jaw, black messy hair, round glasses, a cynical sense of humor and a snarky attitude. He doesn’t exist in the flesh, he never did and never will. He is…
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Reading Time: 6 minutesThe software development landscape changes constantly. New areas of specialization, technologies, and methodologies pop into existence every few months, forged by the relentless innovation of the software industry. With it, terms to describe specialized types of developers become part of the unofficial industry lingo and show up in job ads and…
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Reading Time: 6 minutesLife of a software engineer. It must have been more than 15 years ago. I was working as a developer for a company in Seattle. I spent my days writing code, designing technical solutions, leading projects, and interviewing job applicants for engineering positions. I loved my job. The interviewing part…
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Reading Time: 4 minutesDo I Need a CS Degree? I can’t count how often I was asked this question over the years. The short answer is “no.” You do not need a CS degree to have a prosperous career in tech. It is important, however, to have some solid CS fundamentals. A CS…
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Reading Time: 2 minutesMuddy words You are not alone if you heard someone giving a speech containing words that, at close inspection, sum up to nothing. You are also not alone if you interviewed someone who answered questions with vocal noise that filled the air without giving any meaningful answer. I have a…
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Reading Time: 7 minutesSoftware development interviews don’t have to suck If there was a yearly contest to proclaim the industry with the most abusive interview process, software development would win every year. Interviewers ask candidates to jump through hoops to prove their worthiness. I have been in interviews with me on one side…
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Reading Time: 4 minutesHiring great tech talent is the foundation for strong teams. The importance of fine-tuning the interview process and the quality of the interview loops should be of great concern for all hiring managers and organizations. Screening candidates is a very important aspect of any interview. In a world where a full technical…
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