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, I’ll give you a sampling of the options available. Pay close attention to…
All posts in Careers
Getting Started in Software Development: Part II – Finding a Career
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, especially if they were born even a few decades ago before there was…
Getting Started in Software Development: Part I – More than Writing Code
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 not have a degree aside from the accounting diploma I earned from a…
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…
What You Need to Know About Database Technology
In the modern world, our daily activities follow and leave a rich trail of electronic data from e-mail and text messages to credit card transactions and medical records. At its simplest, the data could be an address book or contact list stored in a text file while more complex information such as a store’s inventory…
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…
Should I become a computer programmer?
So, I was glancing at Reddit first thing this morning and saw the following question …
I’m exploring the possibility of being a programmer, wondering what there is to it, and why you enjoy your job.
A very articulate high-school student was thinking about career choices and wanted to know what being a computer programmer was about and if he should explore it. Always wanting to encourage potential programmers, I offered my answer …
Web Design – FREE Online Training!
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to design your own website, W3Schools.com is an excellent online resource that offers instruction in all the technologies you need including HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript. The site offers easy to use tutorials and complete references for these languages with examples and online demos that you can use…
Focus …
Browsing the bookstore today, I came across an interesting selection called “The Startup Playbook” by David Kidder and Reid Hoffman. It’s a collection of success stories from prominent startups today including AOL, Flickr and LinkedIn. Reading the Kindle sample later (I use the physical bookstore just to see what’s new. They’re way overpriced.) I found…
New Article: Surviving the Programming Interview
While preparing for a recent interview with a local company, I was going through my list of questions to ask the interviewer and suddenly realized it would make a good article for the site: Surviving the Programming Interview: Responding to “Do you have any questions for us?” Although this is primarily written for programmers and…