This blog post is all about: that Ninja doesn't differ from Rockstar, why Fullstack != Versatile, is switching tech stacks a failure, what does the tech swap's success depend on, why bother re-specializing if job market is a paradise for any tech, how learning Elixir changed my C#-fu.When browsing programming job offers you're getting attacked by very different position descriptions:nouns that depict position vary: Engineer, Software Engineer, Programmer, Developer, Ninja, Rockstar, ... :)seniority adjectives vary: junior, mid, regular, aspiring, senior, lead, leader, principal, ...the only part that remains the same (& always appears) is the name of the technologyApparently…
All posts in career development
This blog post is all about why you don't keep your best code in a drawer :), what does it mean to discount your work, why sometimes you have to be a bit "selfish" (and that it's not against the teamplay), that you're both brand and product, there's no excuse for staying shy (and not doing anything about it) and that even if the job market situation doesn't require it (now), you should think more long-term when it comes to "selling" out yourself.Disclaimer: potentially surprisingly - this IS a blog post for software engineering professionals of all levels & positions,…
This blog post is all about: why (& how) your workmates are not your families (and not even your friends - first), what's an unwritten "protocol of co-operation", why we're ruining good teams with empathy (& leave disappointed afterwards), how does mutual admiration society apply to professional scenarios.Disclaimer: Before we get into the topic, please consider getting familiar with few of my older posts first, this will help in getting my point (& justify some bold words I'll use to back it up ;P):Praise for Radical CandorScoundrel Leadership: an unexpected (?) praise ofIf you think Agile is not about…
This blog post is all about how spoiled we are when it comes to our salaries :), why theory alone doesn't make you a "senior", that stepping back may be the best way to make a meaningful step forward, who is Salva Ballesta, why you need to start finishing & why skills make only 1/3 of proper candidate evaluation.Disclaimer: not all companies are alike, not all hiring managers are alike & there's always someone desperate enough to break all the rules :) What I present here is my point of view & the rules I follow personally. Feel free to…
This blog post is all about ... designing nuclear power-plants, insatiable desire to put CQRS, eventsourcing & microservices in every software product, engineers' maturity, what's more important: problems or solutions & how JIRA can help (yikes!).There are some terms in IT you'll probably never learn at any CS University course. Yet, they are too important to omit & one of them is "bike-shedding". Frankly, I haven't heard this particular term until last year's outstanding presentation by Jimmy Bogard.But let's assume that for whatever reason you haven't so far & don't want to watch Jimmy's vid. Basically ...Bike-shedding happens when…
TL;DR Many people in the industry are so used to free high-quality content available on-line, that they can't accept the simple fact you actually have to pay for some stuff. Software crafts(wo)men who should be the first to preach for digital rights respect are the first one to breach them (& boast happily about that) - e.g. by stealing content from on-line services that (for a reasonable price) help them boost their careers. Disclaimer: no, I haven't changed my mind & I'll keep blogging in English; however this particular post is related to situation I find…
TL;DR The entry threshold in software development industry gets lower & lower - it's a great opportunity for so-called developing countries to spur the "close-the-gap" efforts towards more advanced ones. Some approach it more naively (ehhh, India ...), some approach it smarter - I had a chance to take a peek into how it's done in Tunisia, perceived as the most open & progressive Arabic country. My general impression is that Tunisian software developers have strong enough foundation to be competitive / cooperate as equal (depends on whether you see them as competition or associates) with their European / American…
TL;DR Poor (in terms of engineering culture standards) work environment doesn't just impact negatively the end products (quality, fit-for-purpose), development process (effectiveness, efficiency) & people morale - it can also deteriorate their skills, attititudes, long-term motivations. One with high standards is not likely to welcome happily the sudden, significant drop, but we fool ourselves by justifying short-term "compromises" that slowly (but cumulatively) lower our baselines, effectively turning us into much more inferior engineers over longer period of time. If you were to describe an archetypical engineer with just one adjective (that depicts the most desired/characteristic trait…