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Problem-Solving With Friends and Associates (or Google)

One of the reasons for an enjoying an IT career is problem-solving.  We get to face a challenge of varying levels every day.  That can lead to us spending more time working on a problem than we need to.  Thus, we need to keep in mind schedules and resources we have to meet our deadlines. Problem-Solving as a Team Sport There is a reason we find many developer offices set up in a way that lends itself to interaction.  Yes, cubicles can be a cheap way to create an “office.”  However, they also tend to lead us to communicate with our coworkers more than a real office with walls and a door.  Some managers claim their door is always open, but... Read more

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Continuing Education – Learning More Every Day

We live in the technology age.  Also known as the information age.  Thus, we have more and easier ways to educate ourselves each day.  As Apple says, “there is an app for that.”  However, we need to be intentional in our approach to continuing education.  Moderation is best and a roadmap will help us reach our goals. Continuing Education Via the Internet A core strength of the Internet is the delivery of news all the time.  Not only that, the news can be on any topic you choose.  Content is not only readily available, it is always growing.  This flood of information can be daunting.  However, there are several tools available to organize your content and build good habits of information consumption. Learn... Read more

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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