Published in Developer Purpose·15 hours agoDon’t be an arrogant programmerKnow-it-alls don’t get very far in this career. Yesterday, another developer described a problem to me. It seemed like it should be simple. So, I told him so. That was a big mistake. Questions, not statements I assumed I knew the answer. But that problem has been challenging a very smart engineer for…Coding2 min readCoding2 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·1 day agoAlpha Software: The perfect appThis week at Alpha Software… Daily list Like what you read here? I write something new for software developers every morning. Join the daily list to get updates! — Join Medium for $5 — Access all of Medium + support me & others!Software Development1 min readSoftware Development1 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·2 days agoMember-only“Engineering vs. product” is a lie.Engineers ARE product owners. Whether you like it or not. At most organizations, engineering and product are separate departments. The product team understands the business context & comes up with requirements. Engineering leads implementation. But that distinction is false. There’s no such thing as a separation between defining the product…Startup2 min readStartup2 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·3 days agoMember-onlySolving a coding problem is easy. Getting buy-in is hard.Most developers see a problem & think of a solution. This is easy: Solve my problem with the first reasonable solution that comes to mind This is hard: Consider all the other ways I might possibly solve my problem Investigate if my preferred solution will hamstring other teams or future…Coding1 min readCoding1 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·4 days agoMember-onlyLow expectations make you happier.That may sound counterintuitive. Who wants to expect little from their life? What about at work, in relationships, or your health? Setting low expectations seems like a disaster waiting to happen. But I assure you, low expectations are a secret to success. Let me explain… Only go up When you have high expectations: …Coding2 min readCoding2 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·5 days agoMember-onlyPull the eject lever on energy-sucking projectsThis week, my team cancelled a project I’d been working on. A week’s worth of effort down the drain. A senior engineer said, “time to pull the eject lever.” And we did. I cancelled the pull request. Closed the Jira ticket as “WON’T DO.” How do I feel about spinning…Software Development3 min readSoftware Development3 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·6 days agoAlpha Software: Code reviewThis week at Alpha Software… If you want a quick review, keep your changes small & simple. Daily list I write something new for software developers every morning. Join the daily list to get updates! — Join Medium for $5 — Access all of Medium + support me & others!Code Review1 min readCode Review1 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·Mar 23Member-onlySigns of a pro developer: Know when to stopNewer developers make a classic time-wasting mistake. They keep working. When a problem gets gnarly, they spin their wheels. Pro developers know a simple truth — stop, take a break, ask for help, and re-approach the problem. The danger I once had a new developer join my team. He was eager, but…Programming3 min readProgramming3 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·Mar 22Member-onlyMy framework for how to answer coding interview questionsIt’s no secret I hate coding interviews. They’re a terrible way to hire & prone to false negatives (aka unnecessary rejections of good candidates). For most companies, asking whiteboard-style questions is not in their best interest. Unfortunately, they’re the industry standard. And as a software engineer, you’ll have to answer…Developer5 min readDeveloper5 min read
Published in Developer Purpose·Mar 21Member-onlyI’m not getting any job leads!Developers tell me all the time, “No job opportunities are coming my way!” When I ask them about their background and positioning statement, they don’t have one. Or, they say, “I’ll work for anyone anywhere!” My first bit of advice to these developers is to narrow your focus. Niche down…Coding1 min readCoding1 min read
