This is a guest post from Kiah Imani. Enjoy. Dear new developer, There are a lot of things that I wish I had known during my first year as a software developer. If I could go back and give my younger self some advice, here is what I would tell her. Join a developer community … Continue reading No developer is an island: Getting help as a new developer
Dear new developer, I ran across this tweet a while ago: If there was only one piece of advice that I wish I had known early in my career as a software dev is that understanding people is more important than understanding tech, by a long shot. Jose Villalta, AWS engineer I agree wholeheartedly. Why? … Continue reading Understanding People Matters More Than Understanding Tech
This is a guest post from Hannah Seligson. Enjoy. Dear developer, Speaking up was something I always struggled with during my career as an engineer. Speaking up during sprint planning meetings, speaking up when requirements were given with little detail, and speaking up when I felt stumped and didn’t know how to move forward. Asking … Continue reading Speak Up And Make Space For Others
This is a guest post from Rachel Kroll, lightly edited. Enjoy. Dear new developer, I worked for a web hosting company that had a dubious history of keeping spammers around far too long. Then while I was there, they had the so-called "adware" vendor. They got mad if you called it "spyware". I honestly thought … Continue reading How To Avoid Working For Evil
Dear new developer, The title of this post is true. I've seen it done and done it myself. However, when I first started out, I saw the managers who hired me and thought "wow, they are the ones in charge; I want that!" Spoiler: I didn't. Common software development roles Let's define some common terms. … Continue reading It Is Possible To Progress In Your Career Without Managing People
Dear new developer, I was chatting with a Twitter friend the other day and he asked me how I got into software, specifically what was the first program I wrote. I realized I've never shared the story in written form, though I did discuss it on a podcast, so I wanted to write it down … Continue reading How I Got Into Software
Dear new developer, As I look back over my career of over two decades, I see waves of effort. Sometimes I was working really hard, other times I wasn't. I don't know if I ever truly coasted, but there were definitely times when I took downtime on the job and worked a less intensely. Work … Continue reading Cycles of Work
This is a guest post generated by ChatGPT. Only the intro, signature, and title were written by me. I did change the description/bio provided by ChatGPT from first to third person. Enjoy. Dear New Software Developer, Congratulations on starting your career in software development! I'm sure you're excited to embark on this journey and learn … Continue reading Advice From an AI
This is a guest post from Jay Miller. Enjoy. Dear Developer, I just wrote this 300 word unintentional brag piece for you trying to convince you that putting yourself in the right places in front of the right people would have a spinoff effect of more important people knowing who you are. I decided not … Continue reading Make It Impactful or Fun (or Both)
This is a guest post from Anthony D. Mays. Enjoy. Dear new developer, Before jumping into some tips around making career moves, it’s important to address mindset. Many transitioning into tech encounter frustration because the journey isn’t what they hoped. You need to have accurate expectations if you’re going to succeed in any transition. You … Continue reading How To Get Into Tech: Getting Your Mind Right
Letters To A New Developer 