Ask smart questions

Dear new developer, Asking questions well is one of the best ways to learn quickly. You can ask questions of the code, of other people or of search engines like Google. Here are excerpts of my two favorite posts about asking questions. First, How To Ask Questions The Smart Way: If you are trying to … Continue reading Ask smart questions →

Don’t make the same mistake twice

Dear new developer, "To err is human". We all make mistakes. A few years ago I was working on a contracting project with a new version control system. I didn't take the time to understand all of the commands, but just dove in and started writing code. A few days in, my branch was weird … Continue reading Don’t make the same mistake twice →

Over-index in your first few months

Dear new developer, It is unfortunate, but first impressions matter. And, like any other job, a developer position is in large part based on relations with other people. Therefore, it behooves you to bring your best self to work for the first few months of any job. That doesn't mean you get to check out … Continue reading Over-index in your first few months →

Learning to read code is more important than learning to write it

Dear new developer, Coding is fun! You get to take a few words on a page, breathe life into it through your understanding, type rapidly into a text editor, and display it to our colleagues. It's an amazing profession that is changing the world. However. The vast majority of code is read far more often … Continue reading Learning to read code is more important than learning to write it →

Learn a text editor

Dear new developer, As I mentioned before, the raw "stuff" of software is primarily text files. Actually, the foundation of software is ideas and information, but unfortunately a computer can't yet run on those. So you will need to create text files. Learning a text editor will serve you well in building software. Why a … Continue reading Learn a text editor →

Learn Version Control

Dear new developer, If in doubt, put it under version control. Version control is a way for you to keep track of the core nuts and bolts of code, which are files on the filesystem. Version control lets you make mistakes, err experiments, and roll back time to when things worked. Version control lets you … Continue reading Learn Version Control →