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The Human Dimension of Software Engineering

The Human Dimension of Software Engineering

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Screen-Time, Dangers and Fallacies

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Parental Struggles with Screen-Time

As a parent, the general notion of screen-time is challenging to disregard. I spent a lot of time thinking about it, as it is a concept that bothers me. It is also an important concept that cannot be ignored as it hides real risks. What troubles me is not the widespread concern about the dangers of screen-related obsessive behaviors; that concern is healthy, and I share it. The problem I have is more about semantics, generalizations and delicate nuances.

Screen-time is an expression that describes any time spent in front of a screen. Watching TV, playing video games, reading e-books, using social media, reading or watching the news, watching videos, coding, etc. It is all technically screen-time; but, is all screen-time bad? ... 

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10 Top Reasons To Have a Career in Tech

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Reading Time: 8 minutes

If you’re exploring new professional opportunities, a career in tech may have caught your attention as a potential avenue. Even if you already have one, you might have reached a point where you wonder if it was the right decision.

Having been in the software industry for 30+ years, I firmly believe that a career in tech, and especially programming and software engineering, is not only accessible to everyone, but it also represents a brilliant path to take in life. I am going to give you my top 10 reasons for this sentiment. ... 

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Best Strategies To Invest Your Engineering Time Wisely

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Reading Time: 11 minutes

When I started coding in 1984, there weren’t many choices of languages and technologies. Basic, C and Pascal were the main ones. Only a few books on the topic were available, and the internet didn’t exist. With such a limited choice, it wasn’t difficult to decide how to spend my learning time to become a software developer. Distractions were not a problem, and networking wasn’t much of an option either.

Over the years things changed dramatically. Today you have an incredible array of options and information to choose from. Deciding where to spend your time can be daunting. Should you become a generalist, and know a little bit of everything? Or a specialist, and know one thing well? Also, should you learn to write code at all? Are you trying to start a business, or are you trying to learn to code? What are your goals? ... 

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The 5 Problem-Solving Skills of Great Software Developers

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Reading Time: 9 minutes

To be effective, software engineers must hone their problem-solving skills and master a complex craft that requires years of study and practice. Despite what newcomers might think, understanding a programming language, a framework or even algorithms is not the hard part of building software.

For example, languages are easy, especially the C-inspired imperative ones. There are only 32 keywords in the C language, and their meaning is easy to master:

autodoubleintstruct
breakelselongswitch
caseenumregistertypedef
charexternreturnunion
constfloatshortunsigned
continueforsignedvoid
defaultgotosizeofvolatile
doifstaticwhile

C also has 14 pre-processor directives, which are also not difficult to understand: ... 

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15 Best Ways To Give, Ask For And Receive Feedback

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Reading Time: 7 minutes

The meaning of feedback.

I define feedback as a process in which the effect or output of an action or behavior is ‘returned’ — fed-back — to modify the next action or behavior. Feedback occurs when an environment reacts and provides information, and when someone who is attuned to the situation can translate that chaotic information into well-formed thoughts.

Why is feedback important?

When you get feedback from a mentor, your boss or co-workers, you have an opportunity to achieve growth. Feedback tells you how others perceive you. Even if it is not an accurate description of reality, it is an accurate description of other people’s perception of you, which is a key factor for your success. ... 

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