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  • Should programmers learn linux?
    Common Questions

    Should Programmers Learn Linux?

    May 22, 2020 /

    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…

    Read More
    Eric Goebelbecker

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    What Non-Programming Skills Do Programmers Need?

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    Lessons From a Veteran: Gabriel Aizcorbe on Unexpected Lessons

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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…

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    Erik Dietrich

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    Programmer Personality Traits Explained by an Expert

    September 9, 2021
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    Lessons From a Veteran: Hard-Nosed Advice From a Softie

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    HTML

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  • 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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    How Do Programmers Interact With the Rest of the Team?

    October 10, 2018
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    Programmer Education Requirements Explained by an Expert

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    Lessons From a Veteran: From Economics to Software Engineering With Andrew Bryant

    July 16, 2021
  • 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 Non-Programming Skills Do Programmers Need?

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    Is a Software Engineer the Same As a Software Developer?

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

    March 27, 2020
  • 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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    What Is the Difference Between Coding and Programming?

    September 27, 2024
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    Lessons From a Veteran: Incidental (or Maybe Accidental) Catalysts With Jonathan Hall

    March 12, 2021
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    Magento Performance Concerns and How to Boost It

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  • A set of keys for home
    Common Questions

    Do Programmers Work From Home?

    January 19, 2019 /

    In this post, I’ll answer the question “do programmers work from home?” This is a burning question in the minds of many. And it goes beyond programming and beyond IT. There are a few ways to answer this question so I’ll go through each. You’ll learn more about how programmers and anyone can work from home. I’ve been on all ends of that spectrum in my eight years of working in software development. In the first segment, I’ll share my experiences. Later, we’ll look at how to find these opportunities. Finally, I’ll wrap up with other models besides full-time employment. Let’s get started with the first case…

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    Phil Vuollet

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    How Long Does It Take to Learn Python?

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    Should Programmers Learn Linux?

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  • 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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  • HTML
    Common Questions

    Should Programmers Learn HTML?

    December 14, 2018 /

    Should programmers learn HTML? I haven’t thought about this in a long time, but I recently came across a programmer who didn’t want to learn HTML. He does mobile app development for Android and iOS. He has an opportunity to learn HTML and add it to his repertoire, but he won’t. I think everyone should learn HTML, and here’s why… You Can Get a Job Using HTML A quick search on a job board like Indeed.com returns about 30,000 jobs using HTML. The salary range for those jobs is from $30,000 per year to $130,000 per year. There are even jobs that are not programming jobs where they want HTML…

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    Phil Vuollet

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    Is Software Engineering a Good Career?

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    What Is the Difference Between Coding and Programming?

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  • 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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    6 Things School/Bootcamps Can’t Teach You About Being a Programmer

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

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  • 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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If you click on an affiliate link and wind up purchasing something at the site, they send us a small commission as a way of thanking us and encouraging us to send them more business.

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