Advice to New Developers From A Googler

Dear new developer, Monica Dinculescu, who works at Google, has some good advice for new developers. I don't agree with everything she says (ah, the cacophony) but some of it definitely resonates. She has a unique approach to an AMA (ask me anything) using GitHub issues. My favorite answer was to this question: Sometimes I … Continue reading Advice to New Developers From A Googler →

Avoid Working Alone

Dear new developer, I suggest that the first job you take be the one with the highest learning potential, not the highest earning potential. (This post contrasts the two, in the context of entrepreneurship.) This can vary depending on your skills and needs, but I've seen over and over again that you learn more with … Continue reading Avoid Working Alone →

Balance Questions With “Banging Your Head”

This is a guest blog post from Don Abrams, lightly edited. Enjoy. Dear new developer, When starting out, the hard part is balancing two things: Asking questions Banging your head against the wall Additionally, as a new developer you'll likely be encountering something for the first time: a codebase that is really really large. Like … Continue reading Balance Questions With “Banging Your Head” →

Everyone, Including You, Has Something To Teach

Dear new developer, I am happy and amazed when new developers help out other developers. I've seen several new folks go back and mentor at a bootcamp. Or present at a meetup. This is great, because everyone has something to teach. You may think to yourself: "No! I am learning so much right now. I … Continue reading Everyone, Including You, Has Something To Teach →

What is HackerNews’ Best Advice to New Developers

Dear new developer, I have previously written about joining an online tech community. My personal go to right now is Hacker News. I find it has a nice mix of tech, startup/business and other interesting content for me. Here's a thread from a few months ago with advice for junior developers. Here are a few … Continue reading What is HackerNews’ Best Advice to New Developers →

Learn To Explain Concepts To Non-Technical Users

Dear new developer, I taught technology courses for about a year and a half, but have been teaching folks almost my entire career in one way or another (everyone has something to teach), primarily through my blog. One thing I've learned over time is that if you can't explain a technology choice in a way … Continue reading Learn To Explain Concepts To Non-Technical Users →

Writing Is An Undervalued Engineering Skill

Dear new developer, This post discusses writing and how learning to write well can really level up your engineering experience. You can also view over 300 comments about this post on one of my favorite online communities, Hacker News. The author has some suggestions on how to become better: So how can you work on … Continue reading Writing Is An Undervalued Engineering Skill →

Trade Money For Time

Dear new developer, Don't be penny wise, pound foolish. Your time is worth a lot, and it's worthwhile to spend some money to accelerate toward your goals. I heard a client say once that their time was essentially free. I understood the sentiment, but the reality is that if you can be working on tasks … Continue reading Trade Money For Time →