Dear new developer, I hope you enjoyed reading these letters. I've certain enjoyed writing them. When I chat with new developers, at meetups, on slack, or via email, they let me know when letters are helpful or unclear. They suggest topics. They give me feedback, which, when you're writing into the howling abyss of the … Continue reading “Letters To a New Developer”, the book
This is a guest post from James Turnbull. Enjoy. Dear new developer, Steve Jobs made the phrase "Good artists copy, great artists steal" famous in the tech industry. However, there's considerable debate about the origin of the expression. Ironically, he was possibly cribbing from Picasso, who might have been cribbing from Igor Stravinsky, William Faulkner, … Continue reading Choose inspiration over imitation
Dear new developer, Feedback loops are so important. (If you're not sure what that is, I'd recommend "Thinking in Systems".) These loops help systems improve. If you don't have feedback, you'll improve more slowly, in my experience. Why? Because you won't know what you are doing that is good and what is garbage. It's really … Continue reading Seek feedback loops
Dear new developer, Take the time to write good commit messages. Such messages communicate intent across time, and live very close to the code. Here's an example of a bad commit message: Updated the code. There's no intent here. Yes, of course, you did update the code. Why? Inquiring minds want to know. updated the … Continue reading Write good commit messages
This is a guest post from Randall Kenna. Enjoy. Dear new developer, Two weeks after I graduated my coding bootcamp, I had an offer. Two weeks after that, I started my first engineering job at a small startup. Here are some of the strategies I used. Treat your job search like it’s your job. I … Continue reading How I Got a Job Two Weeks After My Coding Bootcamp
Dear new developer, I have recently been doing a lot more puzzles. It's a low tech way to spend time with the family. As I was working on one recently, I snapped two large sections of a puzzle together. It was very satisfying. I mused on how working on a jigsaw puzzle is a lot … Continue reading Coding is like a puzzle
This is a guest post from Elise Shaffer. Enjoy. Dear New Developers, As I sit down to write this letter, I'm struck by the thought that I don't know you. You could be like me, a person who’s loved computers since she was nine years old and has taken every opportunity to learn more about … Continue reading Show up
This is a guest post from Adam Leventhal. Enjoy. Dear new developer, I love software engineering. Even as excited as I was to start my first job, I didn’t imagine the deep and enduring joy it would bring. In my career, I’ve oscillated closer and farther from writing code, and while management and entrepreneurship are … Continue reading Writing great software isn’t all about the software you write
Dear new developer, I want to preface this with the fact that I am not a lawyer, so please don't take this as legal advice. This is my experience with employment contracts and other legal adventures as a software developer. When you are starting a new job, you'll be confronted with a big basket of … Continue reading Don’t sign anything you can’t understand
Dear new developer, For large long term life decisions, you should realize a few things. First, that few decisions are 100% irreversible. Second, that the choices you have in the future are based on the choices you make (this is called path dependence). Finally, that you should take time for important decisions. In fact, you … Continue reading Take time for decisions
Letters To A New Developer 