Develpreneur: Become a Better Developer and Entrepreneur

Sooner or later, most of us have a desire to search for a new job. This situation can arise from negative things like personal conflicts and lack of challenge or can be looking for a better position. In any case, there are good and bad reasons and timing for a job search. The Obvious Timing We will quickly get the most apparent situation out of the way. There are times the market is perfect for getting a job, and times when it is not. These tend to be highly visible (a lot of people looking for the same type of job, or a lot of unfilled positions) and not under our control. The market is what it is. However, we do want to avoid searching for a job in a bad market. Sometimes we have to be patient and suffer a little longer to get a new job that is a positive move. Keeping An Ear To The Ground The best way to keep your options open is to stay current with the market. This approach is one that we take in our efforts to be a better developer. Our skills are current, and we have been exposed to some of the new ideas out there. When we do this, we are better positioned to see when a new technology wave is coming that may be an opportunity for us to advance. Run Towards, Not Away One of the critical things in thinking about when to search for a new job is in our control. We will always be better off when we move to something new rather than flee a bad situation. We do not know when things can turn into a bad situation. However, when we keep our eyes out, we are more likely to be aware of the potential steps up in our careers. I feel a need to point out that we should not always be chasing greener pastures. That is a fool's errand. Instead, we should have our career roadmap with goals. Then we should be prepared for opportunities where a new job can move us forward on that roadmap. Have specific, career-based goals that drive your move to a new job. Avoid getting distracted by shiny things like a simple raise or avoiding a problematic project. Sometimes the best way out is through, and desperation is never good in a job search. Episode Challenge: Take a brief look at the current market and your career roadmap. Is now a good time to step into your next goal? Read more about advancing your career.

When we build a personal brand, there is a certain amount of "bragging" we need to do. This form of marketing can be seen as pure narcissism at times. While that is not a concern as much as we may think so, it is still an area worth considering. Sometimes you can go too far, and then is it marketing or narcissism? Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey Two perfect examples of over-the-top marketing are Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey. The political nature of Trump has brought out those that accuse him of narcissism, but that is more recent. There is a difference between these two personal brands. However, both trumpet their features and successes steadily and often. I think it also gives us examples of how we can find a level of comfort between marketing or narcissism. It may also help us feel more comfortable with mentioning our accomplishments in a resume, brand, or interview. Oprah Everywhere I am not sure anyone has accused Oprah of being a narcissist. However, when you look at her content, you will see her name and image everywhere. That could imply she thinks highly of herself. On the other hand, look at any brand site like Nike, Coca-Cola, or similar huge brands. You will see logos everywhere, and the product names mentioned heavily. That is a part of marketing and building a brand. Make it synonymous with your goals. Oprah uses her name all over because it is content created by her organization. She wants everyone to associate her with what she produced. That builds brand awareness, and it has worked for her. Who would not want to see a stamp of endorsement from Oprah to help their product? Subtle or Flagrant We all know the hard sale person that is continuously driving towards a close. I think Trump is that guy. He is always on message trying to make his name synonymous with high quality or success. Oprah has the same goals. However, she surrounds herself with things and people that point to her rather than doing it herself. Both of these approaches have pros and cons. On the other hand, one approach seems to be less polarizing. While the approach of letting your work stand on its own may not always be feasible, there is a strong message it can give. Keep these personal brand masters in mind as you work on yours. Episode Challenge: Review your site and resume. Do these tell a story about you that is what you want readers to know? Read more about advancing your career.

Technology moves fast and is not likely to slow down. Therefore, cutting-edge knowledge we have today can quickly lose its value. Nevertheless, just as a car that loses a lot, but not all, of its value when you drive off the lot. We also still have value in those old and rusty skills from our past. There are modern needs and baseline knowledge that can be assumed from those past projects. Do not ignore them in an interview or resume. Migration Is Forever An essential part of technology moving forward is that we always have migration projects available. There is a steady stream of new and start-up companies that can dive into new technology from scratch. However, there is also a significant number of organizations that see a need to move old technology to something new. This process often requires knowledge of both the past and the new platform. That is a niche into which you may fall. It has its own challenges, but can be lucrative. The Value of a Firm Foundation There are work and experience that come from learning and mastering anything. Even though the platform you learned last year has lost its luster, there are fundamental skills you showed. This situation is most evident with a version upgrade. While there are watershed releases that can nullify prior version knowledge, that is rare. Even big leaps in functionality are almost always built on those past versions. That means you may have old and rusty skills, but those are still useful in the modern version. They might even be close enough for you to be instantly productive. Staying Current You do not need to work in a specific technology every day to stay current. Once you have "mastered" a technology, it can often be enough to keep up with release changes. One or two versions are often close enough to your core experience when you supplement that knowledge with things like conferences, reading blogs, and watching videos. An added benefit of this approach is that you will likely have a go idea of what you do not know. The more substantial changes in any version will tend to be primary topics for this sort of content. Thus, even though you may not have used the new features, you can still talk intelligently about them. Episode Challenge: Add a section to your resume or brand site that addresses podcasts, blogs, or tutorials you follow and maybe the type of things you learn from it. Read more about advancing your career.

We spend a lot of time doing the work that makes us a better developer. Nevertheless, there is still some work we need to do as part of selling those skills. Research and preparation for a job or interview are highly valuable tasks for us to take on. These steps can help us feel comfortable and impress in an interview or as part of our brand site. Answering Questions - Solving Problems You will not spend much time looking at marketing heavy sites without seeing answers to unasked questions. That is a technique that is highly effective in drawing in prospects. Think about it. When you are looking for an answer to a question, and someone starts a conversation implying they will provide a solution, they will have your attention. This fact plays into our research and preparation work. We will be looking for likely problems so we can lead the conversation to how we can provide solutions. Understand the Business The number one outcome of our research should be an understanding of the business. Yes, it is helpful to understand the titles and fundamental background of the interviewers. However, it is more valuable to have a solid foundation of knowledge about their organization and competition. These pieces of information will help you determine their pain points and problems they have already solved. That allows you to spend your time selling them on what you can add rather than what they already know. Ask Questions, Be Proactive The goal of this research is not to keep you from asking questions. Instead, you should be in a position to ask well-informed questions. These will ideally lead the interviewers to see where you add value to their requirements. When you can show them areas that you will exceed expectations, you will quickly separate yourself from the competition. You will be seen as useful and that much more memorable. In the best situations, you will be able to imply that your position with their company will be invaluable. Episode Challenge: Do some research on an upcoming project or company even if it is a vendor meeting. Read more about advancing your career.

We often overlook the non-professional work we do in our life. It is easy to throw work experience on our resume when we got paid. However, what about volunteer work or maybe even side-effects of living our life? There is life experience we can lean on at times that will even put us ahead of the competition for a job or project. Scheduling and Managing There are a lot of people in the technical world that are either not good, or they do not like management tasks. That means the experience you have managing people and projects can be a way to separate from the pack. These skills can come from running a large family, scheduling reunions, or managing a sports team. You likely will have experience with "difficult conversations," whether it was telling a child "no" or cutting someone from tryouts. These are everyday tasks and roles among all of us. However, many people fail to mention them. That is an opportunity for you to highlight your skills and how you see them applying to a job. These are areas where you can start a great conversation as well. Throw a bit of your personality into those descriptions of your experience. A Place Of Its Own While these types of experience and skills are valuable, they still should be differentiated from professional experience. It is always better to do something within your career. On the other hand, we want credit for all we have done. This obstacle is easy to overcome by providing a section on your brand site or resume that highlights your hobbies, pastimes, and non-professional work. You can treat these as a job and give a description of the skills learned and used. Life Is Hard When I hear stories from others, I am often amazed at what they have overcome. These challenges can make us a better employee in many ways. Yes, some of your experiences can be held against you. Nevertheless, those can often be a way to distinguish yourself and even impress those that are evaluating you. Surviving a deadly disease or winning a blue ribbon for your culinary skills are among those things that are easy to leave off a resume. However, they may be the extra edge you need. Episode Challenge: Update your resume or branding site with a personal section (hobbies, pastimes, sports, etc.). Read more about advancing your career.

We have looked at our professional experience and addressing it on a resume or personal branding site. In this episode, we look at the other major area of our background and how to handle listing education. Degrees are easy. However, there are also many different forms of knowledge that we want to include. Partial Diploma and Post Degree Work We first look at the cases where we have done work in pursuing a degree. These situations arise from life getting in the way or when we are in progress towards a goal. The work has been done (to some extent), so do not be afraid to list it. Yes, there is more work to be done before graduation. On the other hand, we have made some (maybe significant) progress towards that achievement that can make us a more attractive prospect to employers. Professional Training We have covered certifications. However, there is also a broad range of professional training classes we can take that do not end up in a certificate. These educational experiences are valuable. We spent time and learned in a focused environment, so there is an expectation we know more than those that did not. This area includes professional training but also may be a course taken at a local college or as part of a conference. The Online Experience There are entire degree programs that come from online learning. While most of these include multiple students and a virtual classroom environment, some are self-study. Similarly, there are sites like Udemy or LinkedIn Learning that provide top-notch education and classes. The lack of fellow students does not negate your ability to learn. You have put in the time and effort, whether you receive a grade or not, so own it and claim it. Episode Challenge: Update your resume or branding site with education beyond your degree(s). Read more about advancing your career.

There countless things we do during our careers that are easy to forget yet make us better. In this episode, we look at counting conferences as professional experience. We can easily overlook these valuable times spent in an immersive few days. However, that would be a mistake on our part. Here are some things to consider as you add conference attendance to your resume or brand. A Known Quantity The value in certifications and degrees is that there is a minimum of information we get from them. These set a bar of our knowledge or experience. A conference can do the same thing. We will at least be exposed to the ideas covered in presentations, and those have a cumulative effect. Think about how you would view someone that spent four days listening to content about being a better developer. Do you think you might think of that person as having some ideas on how to be a better developer? Yes, you would. There is an experience that comes from attending such events that has a professional value. Performing At A Conference Attending a conference is one thing. Presenting or speaking is a whole other level. There is a degree of respect that is attributed to any conference speaker. This respect may be more than reality dictates. However, that is not a bad thing for you. Expertise is an amorphous idea, so do not shy away from situations that can label you as one. When you contribute to the content, you want to include conferences as professional experience. There is just too much of an impression that it can make. Non-Obvious Value Of Attendance An item on a resume is helpful. However, there is far more value than that of attending a conference. We will be able to network with others. There will be applications and solutions we will be exposed to. We might even learn some ways to think outside of the box. All of these side effects add up to being a better developer. Therefore, we should take credit for it and list it among our achievements. Episode Challenge: List recent conference experience on your resume or personal website. Read more about advancing your career.

We talked about a personal brand website. In this episode, we focus on the personal portfolio. This content is work examples, deliverables, and possibly even applications. The bonus for this form of delivery is that your reader can experience the content rather than read it. Let's look at some ways to make this content sing and avoid hitting sour notes. Keep Their Attention We need to start with a warning. It is easy to provide tons of links in your content on the web. These may take the user to a website you built or documents they can read. Whatever the goal, keep the main problem we are solving in mind. You should keep the reader in the context of being presented with your story. Links away from your site can distract and splinter this story. Make use of frames, open other tabs, or even screenshots to keep the user focused on you. Avoid sending them to other sites where they may never return to you. Reduce Live Examples To Clickable Demos It is very tempting to send readers to the applications and web sites you are proud of. However, this can distract them from you in light of focusing on those applications. One way to keep control of the narrative is to use screenshots and a clickable demo or wizard. Allow the user to click on an image rather than the real application. This approach not only keeps them focused on where you desire, but it also provides a way for you to narrate their experience. You can virtually walk them through the application and highlight the features or functions you want to share. The Elusive Side Hustle Many of us struggle with how to present work we do as a side hustle. This personal portfolio is a perfect platform for that work. You do not have to tie any of this content to a time frame or employer. Therefore, you can include (and exclude) whatever makes sense to you. There is no need to worry about gaps in time or experience. Make this the story you want to share. Episode Challenge: Add a recent work example to your personal web site or at least your resume. Read more about advancing your career.

All of us should have a personal branding website of some sort. This goal can be achieved through a blog site, a web site that displays our portfolio, or a page on LinkedIn. Whichever approach we take, there is the information we should include the stuff we can avoid. This site tells our story and should do so in the way we want to tell it. When you create this material, do not be shy or humble. This content should impress all who read it. Your career may depend on it. Theft Is The Highest Form Of Flattery The Internet is full of stolen ideas. Take a look at popular sites, and you will see the same designs over and over. Do not be afraid to do more of the same. When you build your personal branding website, it is best to start by finding an example that you like. There are sites you can use as a basis or themes and skins that may be what you want. For example, I have multiple sites that follow under this category of showing off content. Each of those started with a Wordpress theme, and then I customized as needed. This approach has sometimes made it easy for me to spin up a site quickly while also leaving me free to stray far and wide from the original theme. Entertain and Sell We often talk about keeping a focus on the problem to be solved. In this case, the problem is getting the reader to understand your skills and experience properly. Thousands of sites solve this problem very well. Spend some time browsing for great ways to display content and then build on that. The problem we are solving is very personal to you. Your experience, skills, and career goals are very different from everyone else. Emphasize your uniqueness and try to get your personality to show through. We can achieve this by writing a blog or presentation videos. However, there is no need to go that far. Add descriptive text about your experience and work examples. This content is an opportunity to give the reader a feel for your personality and character. Those are critical for positions where chemistry is one of the goals in building a team. Spoiler alert, chemistry should always be a substantial part of the decision process when building a team. Solve The Problem and Tell a Story While keeping your eye on the core problem we are solving, find a way to make your content flow. You can do this through your content itself. However, you can also use white space and formatting to drive your story. Make use of traditional styling like headers, bold and italics where applicable. You can also make use of colors and highlighting to encourage the reader down the path you desire. Focus on the skills and experience you want to repeat. After all, this is our personal branding website, so it should present the side of you that you like the best. Episode Challenge: Create or Review your personal web site. Read more about advancing your career.

A frustrating part of my education was a need to show my work. I always wanted to get to the answer, and showing work slowed me down. However, work examples are an important part of our application process for a job or project. Potential employers can learn a lot from the deliverables we have produced. Therefore, we must present that content in a way that is easy to read and promotes our personal brand Show Off Your Skills The first thing to consider in building portfolio material is what you want to say. There is a story around your career, so own that narrative. Select complex problems solved and the technologies you enjoy to craft that story. We produce a lot of content in our jobs, so trim down your portfolio to the best of it. It goes without saying that you can skip the work you were not happy with. There is no need to hide the fact that you made mistakes. On the other hand, you can avoid leading with those mistakes. Own it, do not flaunt it. Show Your Ability To Follow Processes An area of work that we often fail to display is our ability to follow standards and processes. It is ok (and maybe helpful) to include things like a typical status report or personal design document. Do not forget to include some unit tests you have written. These items may not be "sexy," but they do show you to be a professional developer that knows how to create software. Generated Code and Frameworks Less is often more with work examples. Do no provide thousands or millions of lines of code just to show off big projects. This concern includes generated and framework code that often appears in open source projects. Focus on what you have done, not the work you built on or source code that was generated for you. That extra code is just more to sift through even when you provide proper attribution to the author. Episode Challenge: Take a look at your personal GitHub account and review how it looks to the public. If you do not have a public account then create one and start on your personal repository. Read more about advancing your career.