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  • What is the best programming book for beginners?
    Common Questions

    What Is the Best Programming Book for Beginners?

    November 20, 2019 /

    I know, I know. You’re here looking for the best programming book for beginners (if you came here from Google). The one book to rule them all, as it were. I wish I could give you that. I wish anyone could. But here’s the thing. Programming is so involved—so complex—that anyone offering a book like that is selling you snake oil. There are bootcamps and four-year CS degrees dedicated to preparing you for a programming career.  No one book is going to stand in for that. And that applies even if you’re looking for a hobby, rather than a career. So, what I’ll do in this post is make some…

    Read More
    Erik Dietrich

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    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: John Pereira on Just Having Fun With It

    October 8, 2021
    Is software engineering a good career?

    Is Software Engineering a Good Career?

    March 19, 2021
    Should developers write documentation?

    Should Developers Write Documentation? Yes, and Here’s Why

    July 3, 2020
  • Languages on boards
    Common Questions

    Why Are There So Many Programming Languages?

    June 19, 2019 /

    Recently, an outsider to the programming world offhandedly asked me a question: “why are there so many programming languages?” This gave me pause for a moment.  When you’re steeped in the programming world, you just kind of take this for granted.  In that sense, it’s like me asking you right now, “why are there so many spoken languages on Earth?” But I reflected a little further on it.  And I decided it would make good fodder for this blog—one that answers questions asked by newbie and aspiring programmers.  We answer questions about whether software engineers are happy and whether programmers should blog.  Why not this question? So let’s look at…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    Software Engineers laughing

    Are Software Engineers Happy? Yes, They Are, and Here’s Why

    April 3, 2019
    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: John Pereira on Just Having Fun With It

    October 8, 2021
    Magento performance concerns

    Magento Performance Concerns and How to Boost It

    May 28, 2021
  • Common Questions,  Get Started Programming

    What Is the Best Way to Learn C#? A Complete Introduction

    May 28, 2019 /

    Let’s talk about learning today.  Specifically, let’s talk about learning a programming language.  What’s the best way to learn C#? For the most part on this blog, we’ve answered questions that non-programmers might have about the world of programming when they’re thinking of breaking in.  And while I suppose learning a programming language could fall into this category, it’s a little more specific. But I wanted to examine this topic with a blog post for a specific reason.  I happened to Google “best way to learn C#” and find that something was consistently missing from the results. Don’t get me wrong. The results are helpful.  It’s just that they seem to focus…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    HTML

    Should Programmers Learn HTML?

    December 14, 2018
    Should developers write documentation?

    Should Developers Write Documentation? Yes, and Here’s Why

    July 3, 2020
    how to choose a programming language to learn

    How to Choose a Programming Language to Learn

    May 7, 2022
  • Software Engineers laughing
    Common Questions

    Are Software Engineers Happy? Yes, They Are, and Here’s Why

    April 3, 2019 /

    On this blog, we’ve taken on some questions that seem as though they’d be too general to answer.  For instance, we looked at what programmers wear to work and whether programming is hard.  And now, in that same vein, I’ll answer the question, “are software engineers happy?” Of course, you must understand that this involves painting with a broad brush.  How could it not? So the idea here isn’t to peg every software engineer on the planet, nor to speak in absolutes.  Rather, it’s about taking a look at the most common case for those of us in the field. I’ll give you a short, quick answer.  Then I’ll list…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    What Is the Difference Between Coding and Programming

    What Is the Difference Between Coding and Programming?

    March 25, 2022
    Best way to learn Python

    Best Way to Learn Python: Resources and a Brief How-To

    October 29, 2021
    Is software engineering a good career?

    Is Software Engineering a Good Career?

    March 19, 2021
  • Software Engineers
    Common Questions

    What Makes a Good Software Engineer?

    March 21, 2019 /

    On this blog, we cover a lot of topics about how to break into programming.  So that practically begs us to answer the question, “what makes a good software engineer?” Well, let’s answer that question today. What Makes a Good Software Engineer: The Short Answer In fact, let’s answer it briefly, right out of the gate.  This will set the stage for the more detailed answer below, where I’ll offer 13 different traits that will help you become a good engineer. A good software engineer is someone who is not only competent at writing code, but also competent in everything else required to build, deliver, and ship valuable software.  A…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    Should developers write documentation?

    Should Developers Write Documentation? Yes, and Here’s Why

    July 3, 2020
    Can you use Git without GitHub?

    Can You Use Git Without GitHub?

    January 8, 2021
    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: John Pereira on Just Having Fun With It

    October 8, 2021
  • Someone worried about programming being hard
    Common Questions

    Is Programming Hard? Here’s What You Need to Know

    February 5, 2019 /

    Is programming hard? This is a question many non-programmers ask me.  This makes it rank up there with questions like, “do programmers work from home” and “what kind of education do you need to be a programmer?”  Inquiring minds want to know. But unlike some of those questions, this one is actually pretty tough.  It’s a simple question, but the answer is very nuanced. So let’s dive into it, in detail, and help you understand whether programming is difficult or not. Is Programming Hard?  The Short Answer So first off, let’s tackle the question with a short and direct answer.  This will set the stage for the remainder of the…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: Dawid Ziolkowski on Trusting and Taking the Plunge

    September 5, 2020
    Bloggers giving high-fives

    Should Programmers Blog? 5 Things to Consider

    September 14, 2018
    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: Peter Morlion on Legacy Code and Bird’s Eye Views

    March 27, 2020
  • Someone walking into work
    Common Questions

    What Do Programmers Actually Do at Work?

    December 19, 2018 /

    If you’re contemplating a career switch into programming, you’re probably wondering what it’s like. And I don’t mean in the existential sense. Rather, on a day-to-day kind of basis, what’s it like? Well, today we’ll take a look at what programmers do in the office. What Do Programmers Do at Work? The Short Version If you’re looking for an abbreviated answer or a summary, I can certainly provide that. After all, I spent a lot of years working as a programmer in an office. So I can speak at length and summarize quickly. So, what do programmers do at work? Well, not surprisingly, they spend a lot of time programming…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    How long does it take to learn Python?

    How Long Does It Take to Learn Python?

    December 3, 2020
    Full stack of cards

    What Is a Full Stack Developer, Anyway?

    November 2, 2018
    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: Dawid Ziolkowski on Trusting and Taking the Plunge

    September 5, 2020
  • Suits that one might wear to work
    Common Questions

    What Do Programmers Wear to Work?

    November 27, 2018 /

    The posts that I write for this blog are aimed at answering questions non-programmers and aspiring programmers have about being a programmer. This results in me answering some questions that seem perfectly natural. But it also results in questions that surprise me. “What do programmers wear to work?” is one of the surprising ones. I can answer this question in a paragraph. But I can also answer it with an entire post. Let’s start with a paragraph. What Do Programmers Wear to Work? The answer is that it really varies. Asking what programmers wear to work is like asking what people who work corporate jobs wear to work. On average,…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    Students graduating after obtaining education

    What Education Is Needed to Become a Programmer?

    October 18, 2018
    Someone worried about programming being hard

    Is Programming Hard? Here’s What You Need to Know

    February 5, 2019
    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone

    May 30, 2020
  • Full stack of cards
    Common Questions

    What Is a Full Stack Developer, Anyway?

    November 2, 2018 /

    “What is a full stack developer” is a question that mystifies non-programmers.  I understand this because I run a content agency that pairs techies with non-technical editors.  The term comes up, and those not steeped in tech kind of squint at you if you say that and ask, “what….?” What Is a Full Stack Developer?  The Short Version So first, let’s give the short, direct answer to this question.  A “full stack” developer is a software developer with a general enough skill set to build all required components for a working piece of software.  They can handle the database, the programming logic, and the user interface, and they put it…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    What Is a programming framework?

    What Is a Programming Framework?

    August 21, 2020
    Languages on boards

    Why Are There So Many Programming Languages?

    June 19, 2019
    Magento performance concerns

    Magento Performance Concerns and How to Boost It

    May 28, 2021
  • Software engineer or software programmer
    Common Questions

    Is a Software Engineer the Same As a Software Developer?

    October 24, 2018 /

    Is a software engineer the same as a software developer? It’s an understandable question. When you’re on the outside looking into the software industry, it can seem like we programmers (software engineers, software developers, etc.) have a dizzying array of titles. And we do. So, what does it all mean? What’s the difference? Is “software engineer” just a synonym for “software developer”? Is a Software Engineer the Same As a Software Developer? Yes. Full stop. These are the same. Different companies have different title preferences, but the titles describe the same thing: people who write code for a living.   Sure, being a software developer at one company will always be…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    Lessons from a veteran developer

    Lessons From a Veteran: Turning a Hobby Into a Fulfilling Career

    August 14, 2020
    Do programmers use Mac or PC?

    Do Programmers Use Mac or PC?

    June 19, 2020
    Programming languages explained

    Programming Languages Explained by an Expert

    April 2, 2021
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