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.…
Lessons From a Veteran: Approaching Things From a Different Direction
This post is part of a series interviewing veteran developers, asking them questions about their journey to tech mastery and sharing the advice they have for those getting started. Today Eric Goebelbecker is telling us about what really matters for programmers. Eric is a developer, DevOps engineer, system administrator, and whatever else he needs to be for the small trading firm he works for. He’s also writes fiction and enjoys cycling in his free time. You can catch up with him here. How long have you been a programmer? What Stack do you work with? I’ve been working as a developer in one form or another for just about 28…
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…
Lessons From a Veteran: Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone
This post is part of a series interviewing veteran developers, asking them questions about their journey to tech mastery and sharing the advice they have for those getting started. Today, Omkar Hiremath is telling us about lessons he’s learned during his journey as a programmer. Omkar uses his BE in computer science to share theoretical and demo-based learning on various areas of technology, like ethical hacking, Python, blockchain, and Hadoop. Let’s find out what advice he has for new programmers. Basic logistics: Stack? How long have you been doing it? I started programming when I was in school. Like everybody, I started with C and C++. But when I started…
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…
Lessons From a Veteran: Hard-Nosed Advice From a Softie
“Lessons from a veteran.” Ow, doesn’t that just make you want to duck and run? Trust me, I didn’t come up with the first part. Being called a veteran is a lot more attractive than the dinosaur label I put on myself more than 10 years ago (already!). Being a dinosaur is what it felt like, though, being at least 10 years older than my colleagues and having started in programming long before many of them were even born. From the Seven Seas to Bits and Bytes My career started in 1985, the week after I graduated from nautical college. Yes, I was trained as a ship’s mate. I loved…
Lessons From a Veteran: When You’re Not Sure If This Career Is For You
This post is part of a series interviewing veteran developers, asking them questions about their journey to tech mastery and sharing the advice they have for those getting started. Today, we’re talking to Sylvia Fronczak. Sylvia is a software developer that has worked in various industries with various software methodologies. She’s currently focused on design practices that the whole team can own, understand, and evolve over time. Wondering if a career in programming is right for you? Read Sylvia’s advice below. Basic Logistics: Stack? How long have you been doing it? Most of my career has involved Java in some shape or form. Coming in a distant second place is…
Lessons From a Veteran: Peter Morlion on Legacy Code and Bird’s Eye Views
Today, we’re starting a series interviewing veteran developers, asking them questions about their journey to tech mastery and sharing the advice they have for those getting started. Our first interview is with Peter Morlion. Peter is a passionate programmer that helps people and companies improve the quality of their code, especially in legacy codebases. He firmly believes that industry best practices are invaluable when working towards this goal, and his specialties include TDD, DI, and SOLID principles. Let’s hear what he has to share! Let’s start with some basic logistics. Which stack do you work in? How long have you been doing it? I started out my career in 2007…
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…
