Posted on Podcast

Further Your Career Through a Higher Degree

A higher degree in my mind is anything beyond a high school diploma.  These days, that diploma is almost always a minimum requirement for a technology job.  There are just too many applicants that have that and more. A Higher Degree Sets a Baseline A degree is a great way to raise the ceiling for your career, but it also is a way to lift the floor.  In fact, a college degree can be a path to avoiding some steps of the ladder climbing required in any career.  These rungs may be skipping out on years at a help desk, mindless coding jobs, or other standard entry-level tasks.  In my case, I was even able to skip a company-sponsored month of... Read more

better developers
Posted on Become a Better Developer

Why We Need Better Developers

The mission of Develpreneur is to build better developers.  This statement begs the question “why do we need them?”  When you look at technology, the tools to create applications get more powerful every year.  Each step along the way abstracts developers more from bare metal code.  All of the details of coding are being swept away by powerful frameworks.  In the light of these advances, there should be less need for better developers.  In fact, lesser developers should be our focus. Systems Are Getting More Complex The first thing we need to accept is that applications are getting geometrically more complicated.  There are full-featured frameworks and platforms for building applications, but those hide complexity.  They do not eliminate it. Think of... Read more

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Certifications and Improving Your Value

Experience is the number one asset you can bring to your job.  A close second is a degree and certifications.  There are situations where a decision is required between a degree (or higher degree) or technical certification.  It turns out that certifications are often a better deal and a quicker payoff than that advanced degree. Certifications Require Time and Money The value of a certificate in any technology is that it shows a minimum level of knowledge.  Much like a degree, this allows for an academic approach to building experience.  Thus, no worthwhile degree is a slam dunk.  There is also a fee for almost every certificate.  Often there are also book and class fees that are all but required to achieve... Read more

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Charity – Better To Give Than Receive

We have all heard that it is better to give than receive.  However, instead of taking it at face value, this is something worth looking at deeper.  In this episode, we look at how to live a life we love and passing that along to others through giving. Charity Is More Than Money The first thing to consider is that money is just one way we can give.  There also may be a number of ways you want to give back.  A charity is not the only avenue.  There are all sorts of causes and ways to help others besides the “needy.”  Time can be given to a mentor program, helping youth, or pro bono work in your chosen field. ... Read more

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Accounting For The Entrepreneur

Accounting may not be the most exciting part of a business, but it is an integral part of success.  We primarily keep score for our business based on how it generates revenue.  More importantly, a company needs to gain a profit on that income.  When we do not track the ins and outs of our funds, we are more likely to have more going out than in. Accounting As A Means of Protecting Ourselves When a business is a means to pay our salary or those of others then revenue and profit is seen as critical.  However, a side hustle is often done for fun or extra spending money instead of paying bills.  Thus, it is easy to gloss over the costs that... Read more

coding standards
Posted on Become a Better Developer

Look More Professional With Personal Coding Standards

Coding standards are often left to a development team and not considered for small groups or individuals.  Of course, individuals have a style of coding which is virtually their unwritten standards.  Nevertheless, it is essential to create personal rules.  These best practices will help you write code that performs better and is easier to maintain.  That approach leads to a more professional looking (and working) end product.  Better yet, proper coding standards can be used across languages and environments. Naming Standards An outstanding place to begin is how variables and blocks (methods, classes, functions, etc.) are called.  A language has its syntax and commands, but developers can add complexity with a lousy naming scheme.  You should always conform to your company or... Read more