software components
Posted on Become a Better Developer

Plan and Estimate Your Project Better With Software Components

One of the challenges of building software applications is the planning and estimation required to get started.  This can be a daunting task as we see more complex software every year.  However, we can learn from experience and build a list of components that we know will be required.  This list provides us some everyday tasks to be completed for software as well as easy chunks of work to estimate. Logical Software Components There are software components that are a feature or construct of some languages and platforms.  In this case, we are talking about logical pieces instead.  For example, a login, logging, general user interface facets (header, footer, navigation), and a database setup/configuration are all components of most applications.  There might also... Read more

fund your learning
Posted on Become a Better Developer

Fund Your Learning and Efforts To Become a Better Developer

By this point, you have likely said to yourself, “This is all good, but how do I afford it?”  The good news is that you are in an excellent position to get paid while you advance your knowledge and career.  In fact, learning new tools while building real-world experience is a common trait among the best developers I have met.  We will explore the details of how to fund your learning in more depth in future posts.  For now, let’s just start the wheels moving with things you can do. It Takes Skills To Learn Skills When you are starting out, it can be easy to underestimate the value of the skills you already have.  Once you have a degree, you... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Podcast

Development Language Certifications and Other Tech Certs

We have looked at certifications before.  However, now we go a little deeper in our final part of the development languages overview.  The bulk of this episode focuses on development language certifications, and then we go back and look at some related to databases and other tech areas. Development Language Certifications as a Learning Method The best part about working on certifications is the experience and know-how they bring.  A certification test is going to be wide-ranging in topics it covers (within the language) while pushing/implying best practice approaches.  This approach to learning is often more complete and useful than on-the-job training provides.  Many companies have a path to using a language that ignores best practices or lacks full utilization of the... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Podcast

Use The Value of Steady Improvement to Achieve Big Goals

Slow and steady wins the race.  This is a fact of life we are taught in grade school.  Unfortunately, it is one that is easy to forget.  Some goals and objectives seem too big for us to achieve them.  However, we can use the approach of steady improvement to reach heights that seem unobtainable. Steady Improvement and Momentum The concept of momentum is one of the most important ones that come from steady improvement.  Once we start to do even a little work on a task each week or day, it becomes easier to continue on that course.  We are more likely to stay current on our progress mentally (as opposed to forgetting our place) and our time to get... Read more

develpreneur podcast
Posted on Podcast

An Interview With the CMO of Freeeup.com

This episode is the second in a two-part interview with Connor Gillivan of Freeeup.com (Part One is here).  This time we look at his company and how they might be an excellent resource for you.  That holds whether you are a provider or if you are looking for help. A Curated Model Conner describes their model and approaches far better than I.  However, I will say that they have a different process for connecting workers and customers than many of the other sites.  They vet their resources and use that knowledge to match the best worker for a given project.  This method takes a lot of the guesswork out of finding a good customer or a good freelancer.  Truly a win-win approach... Read more