Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

The steady effort we put in to become a better developer can be redirected when needed. This surge effort can provide us the extra steam we need to get a project done. Likewise, it can provide a steady flow of effort that allows us to avoid the usual ebb and flow of IT work. All of that can lead to less exhaustion, more productivity, and a generally better mood. Happy and healthy are traits most of us prefer to have. The Surge Effort There are horror stories about the "pointy-haired boss" that decides to cancel vacations, weekends, and even going home to hit a deadline. While these are sometimes a reality, it is more common to be asked to work longer hours to get a schedule back on track. We may not even be asked to put in that extra time. Sometimes we just find ourselves putting more effort into work than others. This extra time can come from our non-work life and, while not lasting long, can still be a negative impact. We reduce the negative impact by planning for the new high level of commitment and make it a surge effort that pulls from better developer hours instead. Personal Relationships A common victim of our increased time requirements is our personal relationships. A "date night" gets cut short, or we miss out on a game with our sports team. That is a negative impact that can hit us immediately when the boss needs more effort from us. When we have already incorporated time in our schedule for professional development, we can pull from that instead. It is time we were already going to "work" so it can be a buffer for our personal life. A surge effort may never even be noticed by others in this situation. A Temporary Measure While we can withstand life's emergency deployments and bug fixing sessions, these still should not be the norm. The impact of halting our professional improvement will not be a problem in the short term. We may fall a little behind, but that is something that can be caught up. The problem is when a short term push turns into a death march, and our professional development grinds to a halt. Episode Challenge: What is the best average work hours for ou to put in each week and maintain a good quality of life? Read more about advancing your career.

We have often looked at ways to provide content as part of a side-hustle. Thus, we will skip that topic this time around. Instead, let's look at giving back and providing things for free. However, before you move to the next article, we will focus on how free to others does not mean it lacks value for you. We might even see situations where an altruistic approach is very beneficial to us and our brand. Start With Giving Back Before we look at the benefit of this type of action, we should focus on what we are doing. The goal for tasks like we discuss in this episode is to share our experience with others. This process is how we show appreciation for those that came before us and give back to the cause by educating others. It is important to note that we are not claiming superior knowledge in this case. Nevertheless, we are assuming our experience can be a lesson for others (whether positively or negatively). Accountability Yes, I know. Accountability is a word that appears throughout our content and presentations. Nevertheless, it is a fact of life that we are more likely to do something when we feel accountable. We are also more likely to do a task well in those cases. We can use this common trait to our advantage. Instead of doing something to "scratch our itch," we can use giving back to drive us to produce something of higher quality. Whether this is a product or a presentation, it will provide practice in one of more skills. We are providing a service for free, but our desire to be known for quality means we will probably not do slipshod work. Indirect Marketing Just as we want to do good work even when giving it away, people like to feel they have paid for what they received. This trait can lead to the best kind of networking. Our brand can become related to "doing good" or giving back and produce a positive view from others before they even meet us. Episode Challenge: Look for a way to take some of your work and turn it into a brief presentation or small application to provide free for others. Read more about advancing your career.

There is a well-known book that describes mastery of skills as needing ten thousand hours. The ideas put forth in the book have many arguments for and against, but that is for another time. In this episode, we look at ways for mastering skills in under the ten thousand hours mentioned in the Outliers book. This theory is critical for our daily exercises in getting better because we do want to reach mastery at some point. Complementary Skills We can assume that there is some amount of hours typically needed to master a skill. Likewise, many skills are related in ways that allow us to learn multiple skills in less time. The whole hours required are less than the sum of the parts. We refer to these related skills as complementary. For example, learning a third language (spoken or coding) does not take as much time as the first two). We can essentially skip ahead on some of the required time by leaning on previous topics. This benefit can come from identical tasks like the math skills needed in Chemistry were learned in prior Math courses or similar ones like the concept of language genders seen in many Romantic languages. Reduce The Time For Switching Gears There are many ways that complementary skills can work to our advantage. We can also shift more quickly to similar tasks. We can flip back and forth, writing Java and C# code or balancing our checkbook and our business ledgers. Compare this to the time to switch from working a crossword puzzle to doing Algebra problems or even writing business emails and personal chats on Facebook. Include The Pareto Principle I have more good news for you. We do not need to completely master most of the skills that we have in our quiver. We can move from comfortable or strong to mastery when a skill becomes one used daily. Foundational skills and concepts like object-oriented design, working with loops or collections, and boolean algebra require mastery to advance our career. Specific knowledge like memorizing syntax for a language or which C# collections are best for a task do not need to be mastered for most jobs. This approach is not a fake til you make it, think of it as an MVP approach to mastering skills. Episode Challenge: How long did it take to master your last skill? Apply that to your roadmap and mastering your next skill. Read more about advancing your career.

Time is arguably our most valuable resource. We can not buy extra time. We can only spend it as wisely as possible. That means we need to be mindful of the cost of our daily tasks for getting better. Fortunately, that time is not a loss. We can plan out our daily steps to improve in ways that allow us to get more done with little or no additional time spent. One way is mixing side-hustle tasks with your regular job. Killing Two Birds with One Stone We have examined how our side-hustle work and a daily job can overlap. Those tasks we do to improve may help our career while our day job can provide some experience that translates to a side-hustle. These can even overlap when you focus on mixing side-hustle tasks with your daily job. Sometimes the overlap will also be a one-to-one mix-in. Fill Dead Time The approach for mixing side-hustle tasks with your daily job is through the use of "dead time." There are things we do each day that require us to wait for a while. This waiting goes beyond things like waiting in line at a store or restaurant. We have meetings that start late, downloads, and uploads that need to complete, over even reports to run. All of these tasks can take minutes or longer and provide opportunities to use that time wisely. I do not want to imply this sort of micro-filling your time is easy, but it can be done if you plan properly. The Cost of Switching Gears The most difficult challenge in mixing side-hustle tasks with your daily job is in finding large enough granules of time. There is a cost to mentally switch gears even from reviewing reports to reading a blog article. You probably need at least ten to fifteen-minute blocks of time to be able to fill in some gaps. The good news is that modern operating systems and tools make it easy to keep something up in the background so you can switch to it quickly. You can use these little chunks of "free time" to do things ranging from entering your latest expenses to building a new application. Just make sure you avoid getting carried away. Episode Challenge: Review your daily tasks and look for opportunities to automate and free up a little more time. Read more about advancing your career.

Our daily work to get better is not without positive side-effects. One of the most powerful of these is the ability for us to build on prior work. These tools can be a huge productivity boost. That is the case whether we are starting with an application baseline or working from a document template. Prior Work Is An Investment Our daily steps to improve and become a better developer will generate deliverables at some point. These may not be highly polished production items we would send to a customer. Nevertheless, they are a start on that type of work. Therefore, our daily work on improving can also be seen as an investment in some yet-to-be-determined future projects. There is no guarantee we will be able to re-use that work. Thus, consider it a bonus when you do. An Improvement In Quality We have to be intentional about how we do our daily tasks to make the best use of them. However, the return on investment is substantial. We can take the work we initially did, refine and extend it, and then have a better product to build on in the future. Think of a login form as an example. The first time we do it, maybe we just check an email and password stored in a database. Then we come back and use that as a starting point but are asked to encrypt the password and provide several checks for a strong password. Then we later are asked to do all of that in another project but need to add a forgot password option. Each time you build, you will re-test the prior code and be able to improve on the quality and your confidence in it. Avoid Writer's Block A little considered benefit of using prior work is that it gives us a starting point. We do not have to spend a bunch of time thinking through the problem or figuring out where to start. The starting work has already been completed for us (and by us). This prior work can be a huge advantage when you are trying to get something completed before a deadline. That just happens to be a common situation in my experience. Episode Challenge: When did you last find a use in your prior work? Should you create a way to find that material easier? Read more about advancing your career.

A big part of a good interview is self-confidence. Those that answer questions directly and confidently are more likely to impress than those that waver or seem unsure of themselves. While interpersonal skills are often downplayed for technology positions, they are still essential for getting a job offer. Hard Work Equals Self-Confidence One of the complaints we hear that leads to imposter syndrome is a lack of "earning" the respect or position one has. A possible cure for this is the knowledge that you have put in the hard work and "earned" your position. I can think of no better way to do this than to take daily steps towards becoming better. Since we do this as part of our better developer path, you should also see your self-confidence grow and strengthen along with your steady improvement. If It Has Been Done Before, It Can Be Done Experience gives us many benefits. One of the most concrete is the idea that something we have done before can be done again. The path and circumstances may be different, but we know we have achieved the outcome. Therefore, we can do it again. We may even be able to do it better the second (or subsequent) time around. Look Back To Look Ahead When our head is down, and we are focused on change from day to day, the big picture can be missed. It is worth your time to occasionally look back at your progress over the last month or even years. That daily effort has lead to you being a better developer. You may not feel that every day, but look back to see how far you have come. This review should help you be more confident in moving forward. Episode Challenge: How far have you come in recent months? Assess your progress on your roadmap. Read more about advancing your career.

There are numerous guides and articles on how to interview. They all provide some great suggestions. However, I rarely see an essential recommendation for technical interviews. Some technical interviews require dry and detailed answers. Nevertheless, you will make a better impression when you focus on stories instead of buzzwords. We Solve Problems The most important aspect of our skills is how they are used to solve problems. While a series of buzzwords can be useful for a job search, that is not the best way to show your skills. It is good to include those buzzwords in your answers to technical questions, but not sufficient. Turn the simple responses about your skillset into stories about how you used them. For example, when asked how much Java experience you have, do not leave the answer at a number of years. Instead, talk about your most recent Java project. You can keep it short, but make sure you let the listener know that you have used those skills. You might even talk about a group of projects you have done and how you used those skills to solve problems prevalent in the industry. Application Is Better Than Coding We are approaching the point where much of the code creation process can be done by automation or templates. While there is still a demand for raw coding skills, those are becoming a commodity and not a path for a career. The competition and compensation make it not worthwhile. Therefore, avoid getting into a conversation about your skills. Focus on how you apply that knowledge. Think about it. Do you ask an auto mechanic about how good they are with a wrench? Why should we waste more than a passing mention of skills instead of how we apply them? The Future Is Stories Instead of Buzzwords We have seen a steady increase in lampooning the buzzword culture. Dilbert cartoons made Scott Adams rich from this form of ridicule. There is no reason for us to get sucked into that trap. Likewise, people are starting to see that technical interviews are not as effective when they only focus on raw skills. Softer questions about how you work with a team, communicate or approach problem-solving are becoming far more common. Make it easy for the interviewer and try answering questions with stories instead of buzzwords to show your technical prowess. Episode Challenge: Convert your resume summary into more of a story and less a dry list of skills. Read more about advancing your career.

We are asked questions every day. Also, part of the expectation of our job is that we will have an answer. However, we do not have to answer immediately. It is acceptable to say that I can find that out or let me get back to you for that answer. Do not rush into a solution when you have time to think through a response or ping others. Experience Is Half The Battle Experience is one of the best teachers. When we are not clear on an answer, we often know where to start looking. This approach may utilize search engines, reference materials, or co-workers. The method we take is not as important as the results we get. Therefore, do not hesitate to take advantage of every source available in pursuing a solution. Proper research takes time, so buy some of that resource with a simple answer like "let me get back to you." Correct Later Is Better Than Partial Sooner I know I jump to an answer too quickly at times. It is sort of an 80-20 rule I have to fight against. When I am fairly confident in a solution, I have times where I have been too quick to provide that one rather than utilize the option to confirm my instincts. This situation is not uncommon in my experience. We want to be able to help sooner rather than later. However, that inclination can sometimes lead us to provide a partial or incorrect solution too quickly rather than a complete solution later. This approach can cause communication and expectation setting problems. Thus, it is better to bite your tongue or provide an answer that you think you know a solution, but you want to verify it. Patience and the "I'll find that out" response happen to be signs of experience. There is a reason we have a saying that refers to fools rushing in. We Have a Lot To Provide All of this steady work on becoming a better developer leads to being a better source for solutions. We should have confidence in our ability to research and learn new things. That leads to us being an excellent resource for answering questions and solving problems even if we do not always provide an immediate response. We know it takes time to learn and improve. Use that knowledge to slow your approach, say you will find that out, and allow yourself to craft the best answer possible. Episode Challenge: Spend the next week listening for problems to solve in your daily conversations. Maybe pick one and see if you can provide a solution. Read more about advancing your career.

Part of advancing our career includes accepting or rejecting job offers. It may come as a surprise to you that we do have a choice. We might even reject an offer without having another option. There are considerations to keep in mind throughout this offer process. The Counter Offer Both sides can always take or leave an offer and then make adjustments. This process works the same for jobs as it does anything else we negotiate. For example, you can conditionally accept an offer and say you also require another week of vacation. There may be a change in your salary, or the bonus structure, or even your workspace. Do not limit your negotiations to simple things like salary and health benefits. There is much more that can be included in an offer. There is also no reason to wait to set some of these expectations. Feel free to mention (at appropriate times) during an interview process what your needs are. These often include concerns like childcare, flex hours, or remote work. Feel free to craft your unique job offer. They can only say "no." You want to stay within reason. However, you may be surprised at how flexible some organizations can be. No Time Like The Present A job offer is an act of setting expectations. Both of the parties involved will walk away, expecting things based on that agreement. You will provide work deliverables and expertise while they will compensate you. Thus accepting or rejecting job offers comes down to being comfortable with the job as the contract defines it. It is hard (and sometimes self-defeating) to re-open negotiations on an agreement. Therefore, you should air all of your concerns before agreeing on an offer. It will help you avoid kicking yourself later. All Things Are On The Table Any part of your job can be negotiated. Some companies may have limits, but you can ask for all manner of benefits. Think about the rock stars that are known to require odd things like a bowl of green M&Ms. It is best to avoid the appearance of being a prima donna. However, it is also good to set yourself up for a job you love. Episode Challenge: List three non-salary items that would be good to ask for in your next job offer. Read more about advancing your career.

Rules are meant to be broken, and sometimes there is a reason for veering from standards. We often do this to build a one-off or maybe a proof-of-concept. These are situations where we have a form of excuse to try out a new language or create something quickly instead of "correctly." The rules are different for these projects, so what should we include in our planning? Avoiding POC Problems A critical flaw in some proof-of-concepts projects is that it is too good. There are times where the powers that be want to move forward quickly and build on that POC. While that may be feasible, it is often a wrong decision. There are short cuts taken for a POC that need to be addressed before moving to production. Therefore, it is often cleaner to start from scratch and use the POC as a reference instead of source code. This need is where doing a POC in a different tech stack can be a plus. When you are a specific tech stack shop, it is going to be difficult to change gears to another one. That means a POC in another stack has a built-in excuse for being done from scratch rather than extending it. This approach may seem a bit sneaky, but sometimes you need to provide a little insurance against an overzealous sales or marketing group. A Shorter Solution Path Some technologies are best suited for larger projects. We have looked at tools like scripting languages that can be a way to produce a result quickly. When you need a solution fast and will only need it briefly, it is a perfect opportunity for veering from standards. We often see this occur with migrations and upgrades. By definition, you are not going to migrate or upgrade more than once (or maybe a few times), so the tools for that are throw away. The shortest route to building those tools will usually be the best. The MVP As Pivot A POC has some good reasons for a different tech stack. An MVP is not the same. One of the essential features of an MVP is that it is a starting point for the product. When you build an MVP and do not extend it, you are not creating a proper MVP. Thus, creating an MVP by veering from standards may cause an unintentional pivot from your tech stack. I have seen this happen when a consulting group is brought in to jumpstart a new product. They build an MVP but do so with their core competencies. The end result is an organization that is forced to support multiple tech stacks. While that is feasible in some situations, it is rarely recommended. Episode Challenge: Consider the last time you did a POC or one-off. Did you stick to the normal tech stack or use it as an opportunity for something different? Read more about advancing your career.