It breaks my heart when developers say they feel like an imposter. Don’t get me wrong. Imposter syndrome is very real. If anything, our industry exacerbates it. There’s a subtle expectation to be the hero of any team that you’re on. But the vast majority of developers are doing a…

I’m nervous and excited. It’s like the first day of school. Pick your outfit. Wonder if all the cool kids will like you. Will I like my new team and company? It’ll be fun to find out. There are all sorts of new challenges to work on. I’m eager to…

I want to gouge my eyes out. The internet is so full of terrible advice. You can spend all day reading and planning. You could follow tutorials. Read along on Reddit threads. Dive into interviews on YouTube. At the end of the day, you’ve done nothing. Don’t spend any more…

I’ve been around long enough. I’ve seen a few things. Working as a software developer is a great job. You get to play with computers all day and make them do cool things! On the best days, it feels like you’re getting paid to solve fun brain teasers. On the…

I’m tired of the traditional advice… Every day, it seems like a new article comes out on the importance of building your network. Usually, it’s some rehashed version of “it’s not what you know but who you know that matters” or “you’re only as good as your network.” It’s true…

I wasn’t even sure I should write this article. The trick is so simple. But implementing it — in my professional and personal life — has made a huge impact. It’s the one habit / mindset that helps me the most. Accomplishing tasks gets much easier when you take this…

Productivity hacks are overrated. Most “time management” advice is silly. Or, it helps you to churn through more work, but to what end? Does checking more items off the to-do list make you happier? With that skepticism in mind, I’ve made a list of ways to improve your focus. These…

It’s not even close! Communication matters much more. When you start working as a software engineer, your first priority is writing and shipping code. You need technical skills to get your foot in the door. Pretty quickly, though, that ends. You know enough technically. There are definitely more coding skills…

Full-time job is the only way to advance your career. That’s what the gatekeepers were telling my friend when he considered switching to freelancing for a while. He wanted to know… “If I make the switch and don’t like it, will I be able to come back?” Fearmongering and scare…