Alright, I think we’ve stewed with the idea of DIS long enough…
We touched on it lightly last post but let’s talk about some tangible solutions to get passed it.
A sort of “life after getting DIS’d” – that’s right STILL not tired of it! I’m gonna milk it as much as I can… DIS is the hill I’m going to die on… 🙂
Of course, the vlog will go into a lot more detail, and I recommend you watch it but I’m just going to give you a little TL:DW if you’re on the move…
As we stated previously , there is no unicorn (know it all) developer, know your basics and then pick up the rest on a need to know basis and having a good resource pool will help a lot. Now let’s add to that: diving into projects and writing easy to understand code will help: it’ll get the project done quickly and efficiently. Clean, simple, and easy to understand code IS professional and professionals get paid. Also, Specializing in a niche (of programming) that makes you money (ex: machine learning code, e-commerce for small businesses, etc.). Again, check out the vlog for a little more detail and stick around in ’til the end for “Montreal in February” or “a -23 meditation”. Keep warm and enjoy!
So, you’ve been a developer for maybe two or three years? You’ve got some gigs and you’ve gotten paid and now you’re starting to work with the big fish… You’re maybe even working alongside other developers with 5-8 years of experience and suddenly you feel a kick in the pit of your gut… “WTF am I doing here?”
“I’m wayyyy in over my head, everyone knows what’s going on; they get their work done faster, they know which languages to use for any given situation. I don’t belong here.”
Ya just got DIS’d, son!
Yup, developer imposter syndrome…’d.
Now for some of you I may be spot on and for others, you either have felt this way and gotten past it <bravo>, or you haven’t crossed this particularly crappy bridge yet. And though I know it’s hard to come to any universal agreement on the internet, I think even in the back of our mind we can understand, sympathetically, “You can never ignore the emotional aspects of anything you do in life; especially career.”
Everyone Gets DIS’d, Bro:
(yes, I’m enjoying the hell outta this acronym)
But seriously, as unpleasant and humbling as these feelings are, they are completely normal. Everyone has felt these feels; even outside of the development field (it’s just called plain “Imposter Syndrome”, I know IS = boring acronym, but you should look it up). Ironically, feeling like we don’t belong (an Imposter), is something that everyone feels at one time or another. And perversely, it’s kind of a milestone; it means you’re “moving up in the ranks” and coming into your own by being around other more experienced programmers/devs who you should be taking the opportunity to learn from, or if you’re a little more solitary in your work, branching out finding a community you can learn from and feel supported in.
Alright I Got DIS’d, Now What? (Still not tired of it, mwahaha.)
Guess what? “There is no unicorn developer”, that is to say there’s no one that know every language, has been in every situation and knows everything. If there was, clients would just hire him/her and there would never be a need for anymore programmers or devs. Check out this vlog: if for no other reason than to see me freezing my butt off in the cold as we switch from a tight “man on a mission” shot to FPS mode and then the car for some “real talk”… It’s a fun way to talk about what can be a pretty frustrating subject. Me? I’m gonna sit here and think of how I can work this acronym into a sentence where I DIS your mom! OOOOOOHHHHH, snap!
Enjoy!
WordPress, is the most popular CMS in the world … and for good reason.
Spoiler Alert: Yes, WordPress did approach us to do this.
Also, SPOILER ALERT: we don’t know how to use spoiler alerts…
It’s not selling out or corporate schilling because we actually believe in and love this product, and are happy to tell you guys about it. It works for us and we hope it works for you, if you need something like this; plain and simple. Yes there are other platforms comparable to WordPress and if you are happy with them, more power to you. But if, you’re curious about it, we think you’ll find what you’re looking for, whether it be style or function.
We could list all the amazing functions and plug-ins right here but it’s easier to just watch the vlog.
That way you can see my awesome sweater-jacket too 🙂
Some of you may be scoffing at the title saying, “Great, man…another DUH kernel from the popcorn bag of life…” To which I would say, that’s the worst metaphor I’ve heard in a long time; please leave writing to the writers 🙂
But seriously, if you’ve never been the victim of this, consider yourself lucky. And if you have, then you both can consider this a little reminder.
This is a super short little vlog/editorial just reminding you that the struggle is real and it almost happened to me with a friend of mine. Don’t worry, I’m fine but you should really check out this vlog. Bottom line: Be extremely careful when going into business with friends or family. I honestly avoid it where I can because it can potentially ruin the dynamic you have with them. …So on that note, enjoy the vlog…? The next one will be a little more uplifting…kinda.
In the age of fast CPU’s and mature development platforms, will C++ see its’ use slowly diminish over time…
Oh, how the mighty have fallen…
C++: a programming language of immense speed and power has always been the poster child for learning to be a programmer. It’s still used in video games (for it’s processing speed) and other programs (and some apps), but all that power/speed does come at a price. Well, more of trade-off, really… the programming language is notoriously difficult and time consuming to write out [program], and paying programmers to write out such a time-consuming language can be expensive to a fledgling company or even a huge corporation in the red.
Now credit where credit’s due: C++ Is. A. Beast (in every way), and it’s not going anywhere any time soon but, “…it was created 30 years, 40 years ago; something like that… it was created at a time when computers were far far less powerful. The hardware was far less powerful so we needed to design programming languages that really took advantage of the limited resources in terms of memory and it terms of CPU.” With hardware becoming more and more powerful, other less…hardcore, let’s call it…languages have emerged that take advantage of those capabilities that come standard (compare the standard hardware setup of a computer in 1995 and 2010? Heck, 2005 even!) and in turn offer more flexibility with time and framework.
This video goes way more in depth about it (it also starts off trippy in a “Little Big Planet” kinda way). Enjoy the effects, the content and the GoPro magic…
These days, UX and UI are by far the most important aspect of any web app and perhaps, most software written. At least any software that has a visual component.
Let’s get down to it! For those of you on the fence about becoming programmers and are reading this and breathing a little shallow because you have no idea what we’re talking about, “and oh my god, I can’t do this, I don’t know anything…” Breathe, my friend… You are welcome here and all is revealed to those who ask…
UX = User experience. Essentially how a client/customer “experiences” a website. IE: are the articles too bunched up that it hurts the eyes? Are all the buttons the same color? Is the “BUY NOW” button right under the product so you can see it and not have to go looking for it? Etc.
UI = User interface. What the user interacts with to “experience” your product. IE: Touch screens, laptops, phones, etc
I’m not going to lie, these things do overlap sometimes and the blurred lines can make even the most seasoned programmer start muttering curses under their breath, like Yosemite Sam. But instead of separating the two, let’s lean into it. Let’s look at a set of principles that will make all your work in UX (with a dash of UI) streamlined, simple and elegant…
I really recommend watching the video for further explanation because, “there’s a certain set of rules but there’s also a bit of an art to it. …I’m going to teach you some of the rules that I’ve learned over the last few years in terms of designing UX for user interfaces whether it be websites web apps or mobile apps…” …and also I want you to watch the video. Enjoy!
PS – As always, stick around after the chat for a soothing ride that ends up…in a cemetery!!! I know, right?!
If you want to advance your career as a developer, you’d be better to learn how to communicate with the non-nerds.
Let’s take a moment and talk about human interaction. For some of us, people are what make the job fun or bearable; knowing that there’s someone you can problem-solve/go to lunch/ share a laugh with. And for some of us, they’re constantly nagging/in the way/slowing us down or just being the poop emoji given life, ya know?
Well, unless you’re working from home, making your own coffee/meals on an island where all your work gets sent off via carrier pigeon, you’re going to have to communicate with someone. And this communication can take many forms, including direction (giving or receiving), collaboration and even <dun, dun, DUN!> fraternization.
Now before anyone feels like we’re saying, “You can’t communicate effectively, you introverted nerd!”. First off, whoooooa, that’s a lot of words we didn’t use. Second, for most of us (nerds included), we can string many words together in our vast vocabulary and articulate our intentions and feelings to varying degrees of success ( I feel the portrait of the socially “stunted” nerd is a crutch and often inaccurate. In my experience, most of my “nerd” friends can’t shut up about anything…).
Think of it as little “check-in” to reflect on how you communicate with people in the workplace. And for those of you honest enough to see you might lack some of these skills, no worries, check out the video and I think you’ll find these steps both easy and effective. Enjoy!
PS – Speaking of communication, stick around til the end of the video where I talk about a “hairy” situation…
Hello, Salute and Hola! Let’s talk about languages, specifically programming languages…
I often get a lot of emails and messages (Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal…lol.), and one of the main questions is what is the best programming language for me to start out with, or what would the perfect programming language be?
Short Answer: There’s no such thing. Pick a language and let’s rock n’ roll. If you’ve seen any of my videos, I’ve broached this subject before and I think, “there’s really no number one language. This is a fantasy, an illusion (WILL saves – BOOM; old school DnD reference.) that beginners would be interested in because at the end of the day, the language that’s going to be number one depends on the type of work you’re going to do, depends on where you live, depends on the type of programming you want to do…”.
Long Answer: “The first step is to learn the fundamentals – Pick a language; pick python, pick JavaScript, pick Java PHP, …pick that language and learn your fundamentals. Once you have your fundamentals, you’re going to have your nerd eyes – you’re going to be able to interpret and see and understand what you’re seeing out there.”
“First rule of programming: You don’t lose if you learn a language…All the modern languages share a lot of the same fundamentals, qualities and characteristics…”. Think of it like this: you’re 10 yrs. old in your parents basement playing super mario bros. on your nintendo ( please don’t sue, nintendo.). Then your older brother or sister enters and pops in super mario 2! At first, you’re a little trepidatious – different levels, different enemies – but after 3o seconds you’re back in saddle as you realize it’s still the same game – jump, jump, beat the boss, / next level: jump, jump, warpzone, / jump, jump, beat the final boss, finish the game, grab a pizza pocket and a soda, go to your room and air guitar to the RUSH album you stole from your brother’s room <the 80’s were a simpler time, yung’unns>.
Of course we’re going to go into more depth in the video <plus another RUBY zing :)>. But know that’s there’s really no one perfect programming language. Get out there, learn your craft, and you’ll always have the tools you need!
A Sneak-Peek At The Upcoming Developer Vlogs In 2019 + So Much More!
First things first: HAPPY 2019, N2N-ers!! …we’re all still here…day 2…
Next up we’re happy to announce some of the cool new gear we’ll be using for our vlogs ( including a 360 camera and some cool videography tools).
Plus, I’m going to be a little more relaxed in the presentation (that’s right you heard me…), “a little more “Stef”, ya know?
We want to focus more on content than pesky little things like video quality that only grizzled old camera operators could pick out.
I’m going to let the vlog do most of the talking but I’m really happy to tell you that we’ve got some big upgrades coming up for the killersites network,
AND you’ll be seeing it in the first couple of months this year. BOOM! Right outta the gate!
There’s so much more, but while reading about it is FUN-damental, let’s take a look at the vlog and engage some more of our senses (for those of you that are still recovering from the last 2 days…maybe put on sunglasses and turn the volume down…). Also, if any of you want feel the cold of Quebec emanating off these pixels, or just wanna see some “BTS Stef”, you can fast forward to 4:25 of this vlog.
PS – Yes, I actually move that fast in the cold and yes, I try to move through most of my tasks like I’m in a “first person shooter”, but the my weapon of choice will always be a coffee.
Enjoy!
…Fair warning: this may get a little depressing but it’s worth it; promise…
Chances are at one point or another you’ve felt the itch. That feeling of wanting a change of [job] scenery, maybe even a new career path. Some of us grab opportunity by the horns and just make that switch, others make a more calculated move that usually involves taking some courses, making some phone calls and waiting for the right time to jump and land on the “terra-firma” of a new career.
Much to the utter amazement of the last group of us who unfortunately feel like there’s no chance; maybe we feel like we’re under-educated, maybe our present job has sucked all the motivation out of us or maybe we’re just scared to fail and fall behind on payments (mortgage,bills,etc.).
I’d imagine the issue becomes especially worse when you’re looking into technology jobs, like a software developer. Our insecurities about our own skill and ability to learn can be almost crippling. We may even ask ourselves what are real benefits of investing myself in this field? Not to mention the time/energy commitment and how much money are we really going to make?
Short (and admittedly somewhat vague) answer: lots of things. But right after job satisfaction, let’s face it: it’s money. How much will do I stand to make? Check out this video and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised…
Also, if you’re wondering how stable a software development job is, check out this page.
The good news is, the more time you invest in learning new skills and competencies, the more money you can charge knowing that you are fully worth that amount <the more you learn, the more you earn>. So get out there and absorb all the knowledge you can. It may take time, it may take more energy than you thought, but it’s worth it and so are you!
