Spend much time in beginner programming forums and you’ll see many of the same questions again and again from people trying to break into coding. For some of us who just sort of gravitated to the field, it’s a reminder that it doesn’t come as easily for everyone. Sometimes, I feel the urge to send…
Category: Careers
So you want to be an entrepreneur?
There’s been a lot of talk about The Great Resignation in which employees are quitting their jobs left and right, sometimes to go on to other jobs, sometimes not. The common wisdom I’ve heard too often is that the government needs to stop “all these unemployment benefits” and get people back to work. That’s never…
On Success …
This is my latest Ice Breaker speech that I delivered to the Early Bird Ocala Toastmasters group on November 3, 2018. Toastmasters is a great way to develop your public speaking and leadership skills and there’s probably at least one group in your local area. Check out ToastMasters.org for more information on the club and…
The Accidental Teacher
The following is the text from my speech to the Ocala Early Bird Toastmasters on May 19, 2018. My name is Andrew Comeau and I am … a public school teacher? I say it that way because It’s been a study in irony for me. If you told me just a couple years ago that…
Long Term Strategies for a Software Development Career
Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023 In the last chapter, I talked about some of the current options when it comes to getting started in the programming field. I mentioned several development tools that you can get familiar with to decide what path you want to take as…
What You Should Know About Programming Technologies
Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023 So far, I’ve given you some general ideas of what it takes to start and maintain a career in software development but you’re probably still wanting some direction as to the actual first steps of learning how to program. In this chapter,…
Finding a Career in Software Development
Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023 You’ve probably heard people talk about how we’re living in the Information Age with an emphasis on how much information there is to process from all different directions. This is certainly true and it can be a challenge for the average person,…
Software Development is More Than Writing Code
Part of the Getting Started in Software Development series. Reviewed – July 2023 Ask a lot of people about the requirements to be a computer programmer or software developer and they’ll probably start talking about computer science degrees and years of formal training. Those things don’t hurt but they’re not strictly necessary, either. I personally do…
On unpaid overtime …
From TheCodist.com …. Why I Don’t Do Unpaid Overtime and Neither Should You From the article … “In many countries working overtime is unusual and unpaid overtime is rare or may even be illegal. People value having a life outside of work and the thought of slaving away for their employer for nothing is unimaginably…
Surviving the Job Interview: Asking the Right Questions
“Do you have any questions for us?” For some people, that’s the most challenging question in a job interview. They’ll spend time preparing a resume and anticipating the interviewer’s questions but thinking of questions to ask in return gets the least attention. Some people don’t even see the point in asking questions when they’re just…