Latest Posts - Page 159 of 207

July 2, 2018July 1, 2018 Become a Better Developer

Strategic Planning and Long Weekends

Every new year brings a flurry of resolutions and plans for the next twelve months. Considering how quickly things change, this seems a bit ambitious. By the time we get into the middle of the year our plans have likely been altered a little at least. Sometimes the goals have changed, even in substantial ways. Therefore, this time of year is an excellent chance to assess your progress and do some strategic planning. Six Months in Review When you set annual goals as we do in our mentor classes, then you at least started the year with lofty aspirations. Six months in, it is a good time to see how that is progressing. You may be ahead of schedule and able... Read more

June 29, 2018June 17, 2018 Podcast

Building a Backlog of Tasks in Life to Be More Productive and Create Free Time

Our modern lives are full of work and tasks that can leave us exhausted at the end of the day. This hectic pace can often keep us from doing the things we enjoy. Never fear, in this episode, we look at ways to organize your week and day to create free time for the things we enjoy. Filling The Bucket The concept that is the basis for this approach is that of filling a bucket with ever smaller stones. Our tasks have size and time requirements. Thus, we have larger tasks that take big blocks of time and small items that can be accomplished in minutes. Those smaller tasks may be just as important as the larger ones. However, our ability... Read more

June 27, 2018July 1, 2018 Podcast

Measuring Your Way To Improvement

When we plan our way to becoming better at anything we have to find a way to grade progress. Thus, measuring is a critical factor in improving our performance. We can try to achieve success with something that is not measured. However, how do we know when we have made an improvement or when we have gotten worse? Measuring Provides Our Pace We often talk about becoming better developers. In doing so, we assume that there are specific ways to measure our progress as a developer. These metrics include coding skills, problem-solving productivity, job difficulty that we can handle, and more. The way we track progress is a vital part of how we plan for improvement. Just as a lack of... Read more

June 26, 2018March 14, 2020 Become a Better Developer

Use Experience To Help You Learn a New Development Language

To become a better developer, we need to grow our skills beyond one or two languages that we use. This is a challenge we face throughout our careers as technology advances, and new platforms are created. It may seem like this is an overwhelming obstacle. However, we can use what we have learned to make learning new languages easier every time we do so. The Basics of a New Development Language Anytime you learn a new platform there are steps that are taken. It starts with the “Hello World” application however that may exist in the new development language. One of the reasons this is a standard first step is that it teaches some core requirements for the platform. The application may have little... Read more

June 25, 2018June 14, 2018 Podcast

Coding Standards – A Personal Approach

Most of us were just getting started on our career when we were introduced to coding standards. These are common in the industry and more so where there are entry-level developers. Although the purpose of coding standards is often related to easing team development, there are far more benefits as well. Thus, you should create these for your improvement as well. Coding Standards As A Productivity Tool The first benefit you will get from a standard approach is a template for writing code. We spend more time thinking about naming and structure than we realize. This cost dwindles away as we gain experience because we do tend to have standards we adopt. This occurs even when we do not have... Read more

June 22, 2018June 12, 2018 Podcast

Master Remote Work Through Preparation and Planning

The Gig economy has many facets. One of the big positives for many people is the option of remote work. There is a freedom that comes from being able to get away from a desk and an office outside of the home. This goal is achievable. However, some planning is required to be productive while working remote and making this your regular routine. A Good Workspace We have discussed your workspace in a recent episode and touched on a home office. That is a good starting point, but remote work requires some tools as well as an eye for comfort. For example, you need to have a reliable Internet connection, a way to be reached (cell phone is ordinary), and general... Read more