What Is a Programming Framework?
One of the reasons that learning to program might feel like an overwhelming task is the sheer number of new words, terms, and expressions you come across. Today, we’re here to make your life easier by explaining one such term: programming frameworks. Specifically, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know in response to the question “what is a programming framework?” You can think of a programming framework as a tool—or a set of tools—you use to make your life easier when performing common programming tasks. I know that might sound a little vague, but it’s hard to offer a more complete definition without going deeper into the…
What Languages Should Every Programmer Know?
It’s easy to get lost in the sea of programming languages. On top of that, there are some languages (I’m looking at you, JavaScript) that have a vast ecosystem of frameworks. Wikipedia has an exhaustive list of programming languages with several for each letter of the alphabet. I won’t count them, but there are at least 260 at a glance. There’s no way you can learn all of them. So, what languages should every programmer know? Where to Start? If you want to know where to start, you can take a few approaches. Of course, this depends on what you want to do in your programming career. If you want…
What Non-Programming Skills Do Programmers Need?
As programmers or aspiring programmers, we often focus on the technical skills we need to build software. We work on improving our programming skills, picking up new frameworks, or reading technical books to improve our knowledge of computer science. However, those technical skills will only get us so far. As with most careers, we need to expand our learning and also focus on professional skills. And actually, these skills will make the technical side easier, as we’ll have more clarity on what we need to do to solve problems. In this post, we’ll go over what non-programming skills programmers need to use in our jobs. 1. Communication First and foremost,…
Should Developers Write Documentation? Yes, and Here’s Why
Should developers write documentation? Yes. Yes, they should. That’s it. Everything you need to know! Come back next week for more helpful career advice for aspiring programmers. Oh. You want to know why developers should write documentation? Fine. Why Developers Should Write Documentation Developers should write documentation because it makes it easier for both you and your coworkers to use your code. Well-written code is easy to read and understand. Documented code, on the other hand, is a gift to everyone—even to the coder that created it. Writing documentation makes you a more valuable developer and will help your career. Documenting your code makes you a better developer and helps…
How Many Hours Do Software Engineers Work?
The world of software development has a strange reputation, both for insiders and outsiders. One thing many people have wrong ideas about is how many hours software engineers work, or should work. I’d like to dive a little deeper into this subject: What is the reality and what should you do? What Many People Think Many people think that software engineers work almost all the time. When you ask about average work hours per week, numbers between 60 and 80 hours per week are not an uncommon response. This idea lives among both developers and non-developers. Among some developers, there is also a strong feeling that you can only be…
Do Programmers Use Mac or PC?
In this post, we tackle a question that troubles many an aspiring programmer: Do programmers use Mac or PC? The question does have a short, straightforward answer. Here it goes: Some programmers use Mac, while others favor PCs running Microsoft Windows. Still others prefer to use one of the many Linux distributions. Last but not least, some use some combination of the options above. Are you satisfied with this answer? I wouldn’t be. As it often happens, the short answer turns out to be too short. Despite being technically correct, it doesn’t tell the whole story. I bet there are more things you want to know about this Mac vs.…
Do Programmers Need a Degree?
In today’s job market, many of you look for ways to improve your employability and earnings potential. And you may have noticed articles pointing out the apparent shortage of programmers, along with information on the amazing salaries and benefits they receive. Combining all these things, you may be one of the many people who are now trying to break into programming. And for those of you who are trying to break in, one of the most popular questions revolves around degree requirements. Mainly, you want to know if degrees are required. And you want to know if the degree has to be in a specific field of study. Today we’ll…
Should Programmers Learn Linux?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: “Programmers only use Linux. PCs and Macs are for noobs!” Yeah, no. Linux is a tool. Windows is a tool. MacOS is also a tool. Each is an operating system (OS) that you need in order to make a computer useful, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. The problem is that, just like many other tools, these popular OSs have tribes. If Windows is DC Comics and macOS is Marvel, then Linux is Dark Horse. Uh, What Is Linux, Anyway? Let’s start at the beginning. (It’s one of my favorite places to start.) If you’re asking whether you should learn Linux, you…
What Is the Best Programming Book for Beginners?
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…
Why Are There So Many Programming Languages?
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…