Dear new developer, Recently, I had a conversation with a new developer who was trying to break into the job market. While I'm always leery of giving too much job hunting advice to folks in this situation (after all, I wasn't a new developer during this time, and things have changed a lot since I … Continue reading Ways to stand out
Category: letters to a new developer
How To Find Companies Who are Hiring
This is a guest post from Ali Diamond. Enjoy. Dear new developer, Where should you look to find job listings? Finding companies With so many tech companies coming and going, how do you find a company that you want to work for? Traditionally, I’ve been told to look at the tech I use, and look … Continue reading How To Find Companies Who are Hiring
Why is goal setting so difficult?
This is a guest post from Tiffany Jachja. Enjoy. Dear Developer, Many people will encourage you to set goals and find ways to share them for your career development. All of us have struggled with filling out templates, worksheets, and other forms of documentation to lead the conversation about what we hope to accomplish in … Continue reading Why is goal setting so difficult?
Stretch, don’t contort
Dear new developer, Story time. Many years ago, I was a contractor doing web development. I focused on web/database apps in unix-like environments. I wrote primarily php, java and perl. (Like I said, it was many years ago.) A friend and former colleague reached out and said they had a client seeking development help. It … Continue reading Stretch, don’t contort
Ship the right thing
Dear new developer, I was reviewing a book outline for a friend who is writing a book on software development. As I read over his (quite detailed) outline, I realized he was missing this concept, which I feel all devs should learn: It is far better to build the correct piece of software than it … Continue reading Ship the right thing
The power of mentoring
This is a guest post from Stephen. Enjoy! Dear new developer, I have been looking for a nice definition for mentoring, and I finally found one that was short and concise on oxforddictionaries.com: An experienced and trusted adviser. I like this quote because it does not go into details, nor does it mention higher qualification … Continue reading The power of mentoring
What I look for when hiring new grads
This is a guest post from Matt Schellhas. Enjoy. Dear new developer, I personally look for some of the same things as my peers: Is your resume/LinkedIn fine? It doesn’t need to be awesome. You don’t have a ton of experience to show, so please don’t try and oversell your experience — that just makes … Continue reading What I look for when hiring new grads
The first time
Dear new developer, I remember the first time I decompiled a java file to debug an issue. The first time I recorded a video. The first time I presented to a meetup. The first time I wrote professional code in a new language and had it reviewed. All of these are distant memories now, but … Continue reading The first time
Nine ways of looking at a developer
This is a guest post from Vincent Ng. Enjoy. Dear New Developer, You have embarked yourself in a tech journey full of opportunities. You will encounter and overcome many obstacles and challenges along your journey. You must make the most of your opportunities and excel in them. Below are nine skills that you can practice … Continue reading Nine ways of looking at a developer
You are responsible for your career. No one else is.
This is a guest post from Rowell Belen. Enjoy. Dear New Developer, What I am about to say may be seen as controversial and somewhat unpopular, but I believe it is important. You are responsible for your career. No one else is. It doesn't matter if you have a great boss or work at a … Continue reading You are responsible for your career. No one else is.