Andrew Heinke

How to make offices less distracting (and more productive): * Make smaller floor sections w less seats * Sight / Sound blockers on desks * Provide enough meeting rooms This removes most sources of unwanted distractions.

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Designers need to learn to code. 😱 No, I'm just messing with you. C'mon you thought I'd open that can of worms? 😄 I have a PLOT TWIST for you. 🌀 What if coders need to learn something new? 😮 In leaked audio of a fireside chat, head of AWS, Matt Garman, suggested that in as little as 2 years, developers may need to learn different skills... Why? I'm sure you've guessed it. AI I know. AWS cut hundreds of jobs in April. Gramin says, "Coding is just kind of like the language that we talk to computers. It's not necessarily the skill in and of itself," the CEO said. "The skill in and of itself is like, how do I innovate? How do I go build something that's interesting for my end users to use?" Obviously this is unsettling. Market changes + AI hype = Disruption But we are constantly changing. Tech today is different than it was in the 90s. Don't get too tied to 1 definition of work. ❌ People need to figure out how to create value for their org and this is going to involve learning new skills and trying new things. We need to: 1. Only use AI where it actually makes sense (not for hype) 2. Remember AI is a tool for humans to perform better 3. Stay nimble and continue learning What do you make of these comments on the no-code(r) revolution?

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Wonderful Explanation of Spring and Spring Boot ... #softwaredevelopers #javadevelopers #javadeveloper #recruiterwings #learninganddevelopment #springbootframework #springframework

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Hire for the person you need 3-6 months after a person fills the role. Or, better yet, the next role. You can teach a specific tool or how you code within a specific programming language. So don't hire for that unless the job is BUILT around that tool. The things you're really looking for propel the person into the next role or into doing more in the current role - and faster. When I see what you've got your applicant tracking systems screening for...it can really make me shake my head. I come from the days before it was all online. From when it was both easier as simpler. I used to place ads in a thing called a newspaper. Yes, really. So the advice comes from then as well. Make every word count on your job description. Put your specifics in the preferred qualifications. Know what you truly care about, and commit to keeping your tech job descriptions relevant to the work and a career path. You'll have to revisit and revise tech job descriptions more frequently than other types of roles. Today's advice - do not filter out people with 10+ years of technical experience who lack a technical degree. Need a hand hiring tech people? I can help.

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After a third-of-a-century career as a software tester, I'm done. I'm hanging 'em up. I'm retiring. I'm 58 years old and therefore supposed to call this an "early" retirement. I'm not going to let the nominal age at which I can start drawing Social Security benefits define early-vs.-late, though, so I am not going to use that term. I have no grand retirement plans. My horizon is a couple-three months out - I have a few hobbies, and I'm going to install Jira at home and build a backlog of maintenance and improvement projects* with the intent of not being in a particular hurry to start executing. (*both "home" and "personal", if you follow me) You know what, though - this sounds like the first chapter of some kind of adventure novel. "How did I end up getting involved in <something you'd never think I'd do>," something along those lines. So I'll write it out loud here - I'm way past being the protagonist in a thriller story, but if you need someone to be, like, the guy on the other end of the phone who provides you the information or communication assistance so that *you* can undertake the dangerous and exciting adventure, hey, call me up. A career in software testing leaves me with no special adventuring skills or important influential connections, or anything like that, but at least I'll have some spare time, the need for which, in my opinion, isn't emphasized enough in the description of supporting characters in novels and movies.

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Here’s a bit of a hash truth: You’ll never pay off your tech debt in full. I know that can be hard to hear—especially if you’re anything like me and you don’t like to carry any actual debt. But software tech debt tends to accumulate in our codebases faster than we can keep up with it, so it’s essentially impossible to keep a balance of zero at all times. Here’s some good news though: You don’t need to pay it all off. The key to a maintainable codebase is not eliminating tech debt completely, but identifying your highest-priority pieces and paying those off first. There are many different frameworks we can use to evaluate a piece of tech debt, but one that I like in particular because of its simplicity is the one developed by the Riot Games team. With this framework, we evaluate each tech debt task using three different metrics: 💥 Impact — how much damage is the tech debt doing? Is it causing bugs, slowing your team down, hurting performance, or maybe a combination of all of those? 💰 Fix Cost — how much time and effort do you need to spend in order to pay this tech debt off, and what’s the opportunity cost? (i.e., what else could you be doing with your time instead of handling this piece of tech debt?) 🦠 Contagion — how much will the tech debt spread if you don’t fix it as soon as possible? For instance, a high-impact, high-contagion piece of tech debt with a relatively low cost is a good candidate for paying off as soon as possible. On the other hand, if paying off a piece of tech debt is too expensive and isn’t negatively impacting the codebase, then it might make more sense to carry on with that debt. In general, you can think of the impact and contagion metrics as the interest rate of your tech debt. With a high interest rate, it’s better to pay it off as soon as possible. But if the interest rate is zero (or near zero), postponing it might make more sense. Remember that the goal is not to eradicate tech debt from your codebase—that’s just impossible. Your job as a codebase maintainer is to prioritize your ever-growing list of tech debt so you can focus on the most impactful pieces first. If you’d like to learn more about this framework, check out this issue of the Frontend at Scale newsletter: https://lnkd.in/guqdTfwP And if you have any fun (in retrospective) tech debt stories to tell, share them in a comment below 👇

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Myth 👉 Jobseekers have to include every possible keyword ever in their resume, lest “The AI” find them unworthy. Reality 👉 Most companies and ATSes still use zero AI whatsoever. More commonly, recruiters like Hakeem Saleh still spend their days manually filtering by “Non-Negotiables” like he describes below. Those non-negotiables are rarely if ever soft skills, so don’t worry, you won’t be filtered out if you decide to skip the cliche buzzwords. How I know this: of over 1000 jobseeker customers in the past year, our data shows that those without big summaries and soft skills sections got *more* interviews than others, not less. (The data is correlative, not causal, but still.)

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I don’t think L9 engineers at FAANG are paid $2mm a year because they know how to get an A+. I think L9 engineers at FAANG are paid $2mm a year because they know when to shoot for a C+ instead of an A+. And then task people underneath to get the minimum grade necessary to achieve the objective. It’s the perfect blend of business savvy and technical skill.

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I've seen a few posts lately saying things like "all code is a liability." It's pretty hard for me to accept that mentality, and it puts a super negative spin on the value developers bring. I'll be the first to support the idea that we're here to bring value, not to just write code for code's sake. But oftentimes the code is what delivers value, which makes it an asset. If you're building a SaaS, or an APaaS, or firmware for your hardware, your code is your most valuable asset. Without that code, you have no product. It makes me wonder - are there any other industries that would call their most valuable asset a liability? 🤔

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Software Engineers: Congrats on making it to the interview! But don’t screw it up with THIS mistake... You’ve got the offer. You’re at the upper end of the salary range, fantastic, right? But then you blow it by asking: "When’s the next raise?" 🤦‍♂️ Let me be blunt. STOP focusing on squeezing every penny before you’ve even proven your value. IT companies are hunting for professionals who want to: Contribute Grow Bring value NOT money-begging **** who can’t see past their paycheck. I get it, we all want to get paid. But seriously, when your first question after an offer is "How soon can I get more?" You’re already shooting yourself in the foot. ✅ Here’s what you SHOULD be asking: → How can I grow within the team? → What opportunities are there to lead projects? → What impact can I make in the first 6 months? Trust me. If you’re good at what you do, the money will follow. Focus on showing your worth before whining about raises. Want the job? Stop being greedy and start being strategic! If this hits too close to home... Well, maybe it's time for a reality check. #SoftwareEngineering #Recruiting #SalaryNegotiations #ValueFirst

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It’s official: landing a software engineering job is tougher now than it was just a few years ago. With many startups shutting down and big companies laying off employees, candidates with 0-5 years of experience are feeling the pinch. What can you do? Shift your storytelling from tools and languages to the impact you've made. Highlight who your users were, how you improved their lives, and any recognition you received. Remember, outcomes matter more than just the technologies you used!

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Microsoft comp structure isn’t properly advertised. You won’t get 300-400k base pay, but I’m a firm believer with proper allocation …. engineers CAN most certainly avg that and more. You don’t need to be Sr/ Principal or in Leadership to do it either. I set out on what originally seemed like a DELULU journey. Could I max everything Microsoft offers and make more investing in a year than I do in base pay? I don’t make 150k base pay, but through choosing to allocate differently … put away 150k in a 12 month period. I’m not someone in recruiting selling you a far fetched idea… I’m someone who decided why not try? Why not see what could happen? Why not play around and find out? (This does not include yearly RSUs) Some stuff that has worked for me: 1) Maxing the 401k Jan-April. By getting it done in 3.5 months … I take advantage of compound interest over the year and set myself up for backdoor Roth eligibility. 2) Signed up for the high deductible health plan and max HSA contributions. This unlocks FREE HEALTHCARE or.. you can use it as an extra tax free retirement account. (Triple tax advantage account unless you are in CA) By weekly trading in this acct … you will never have to worry about a deductible and I wish more people knew that. 3) Max the ESPP. You get Microsoft shares at a 10% discount. I opted to hold and diversified by taking advantage of mishaps. (Ex: Crowdstrike, Nvidia, Oracle (50% returns + dividends), forest fires, and I bought more Intel despite what people say) Hold Microsoft long-term, diversify with competitors that have temporary mishaps. 4) September is a KEY month at Microsoft. During bonus season, change backdoor contributions to 65% so the bonus funnels to a tax free acct. You could also do this if you are delayed on any other contributions/ could technically backload a 401k if you missed out in the year. You don’t need more money to make more money. It’s all about allocation and knowing you can work within any constraints you are given. Some people need more, others create more🙃😉

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Crazy idea💡 ... I've decided to start offering recruiting services 100% free. For starters, you just tell me a type of "unicorn" developer or tech talent you've been deeply struggling to find: A type of candidate that seems "impossible" to land with your current setup and TA/HR team. But, you decide to let me TRY. And I do .... without you paying me anything, I spend hours, days, weeks ... months .... I pour my SOUL into finding someone that fits your ever changing goals, iterating with you, selling you to strangers ... I keep a 24/7 pulse on how likely you are to land each candidate. We discuss pros and cons, (often on nights and weekends). I keep them engaged, and you informed. We work together for hours on end thinking through how each person might strategically impact your business over long term. We work hand in hand with you, making sure you get this hire dead on, bullseye 🎯. ... and I do all of that without getting paid a penny. If my candidates only checked 11 of your 10 boxes instead of 12? No money. If you change your mind and don't want to hire? No money. If they don't pass your background check or drug screen? No money. If you don't like one of their references? No money. If sales were down for a week and you changed your mind at the final hour, i.e. decide not to hire? No money. If I bring you incredible people but you don't offer enough to win them? No money. I find the unicorn but they only have been working with Rust for 7 years and you want more? No money. If I bring you amazing candidates but they decide they don't like your WFH policy so they turn you down? No money. If I bring you amazing people but they get a counter offer they can't refuse? No money. If the CEOs third cousins uncles granddaughter gets referred in at the final hour and you decide not to hire my candidate... even though they're better!? No money. ... ... ... ... Welcome to agency recruitment :) Here, we work for free .... Unless ...unless ... unless I somehow beat the insane odds and bring you someone YOU absolutely love and who also loves the idea of working with YOU. Yes, if that .... then you owe me some money. Give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised ... I'm willing to bet on myself my team. And if we don't meet and exceed your expectations, you didn't pay a damn cent. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #devrecruiter

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Some engineers are worth +$2,000,000/yr, and I'll explain why. Their biggest skill is not coding. It’s “leverage.” Top software engineers who make millions share these three qualities. 1. They handle a large group of engineers These engineers often lead tech leads and handle teams of 25+ engineers. This influence gives them leverage and increases their impact within the company. 2. They write super impactful and clean code In companies like Meta, even a single change in software can have a huge impact. This impact makes paying a lot for their specialized skills worth it. 3. They improve efficiency at scale They make improvements to tools or infrastructure that everyone uses. Making 500 engineers 5% faster is like creating the bandwidth of 25 new engineers.   Most engineers won’t reach these levels, but we can still learn from them. The key to having more impact is working harder and finding ways to leverage your efforts. Focus on leveraging your impact, as it’s the best way to achieve more. 

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Carta's data is ....off? Coastal Recruiting communicates with hundreds of engineers weekly, primarily in New York and San Francisco. We consistently encounter software engineers with 2-6 years of experience requesting base salaries between $180,000 and $250,000, plus equity. Perhaps "misleading" is a better term, as I frequently hear founders saying, "But Carta indicates we can hire this engineer for $140,000 to $160,000." We then observe Seed/Series A companies paying $200,000 to $300,000 for top talent. The disconnect may stem from the fact that companies raising funds from Sequoia, Khosla, Founders Fund, Lightspeed, a16z, KP, Greylock, Index, NEA, Lux, and others are not seeking what 95% of the companies providing data to Carta are seeking. These companies are looking for the top 0.01% of engineers. I say all this while also acknowledging my appreciation for Carta. I value the data and charts it provides, but it's important to remember: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

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Senior Devs / Hiring Managers—during our live webinar yesterday, we polled a few hundred recent Comp Sci grads. 60% didn’t feel that they had enough experience in Java to qualify for an enterprise coding job. Instead they’d been pointed towards Python. 80% had no experience with Unit Testing. I know Comp Sci isn’t just about software engineering; but it’s by far the largest number of available jobs for grads. If jobs are the metric that Higher Ed is judged on, this seems like a huge failure. Does this line up with your experience? How are you dealing with this skills gap when you look to onboard junior talent?

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Everyone should take this "ghost engineer" research with a grain of salt. It's not peer reviewed and has *significant* limitations. You also can't position yourself as an expert on code quality or software engineering productivity when your own website's code has automatically detectable bugs that impact accessibility compliance. There's nothing productive about shipping broken code that puts you at a risk for lawsuits. Great reporting here by Jason Koebler on 404 Media: "Are Overemployed ‘Ghost Engineers’ Making Six Figures to Do Nothing?" https://lnkd.in/dhhUH8Av --- Image alternative text (also set on the image): Side by side of the mentioned research project's website and HTML. Two button-looking shapes are outlined with arrows pointing to their respective HTML. It shows that each one is an HTML button with an HTML anchor (or hyperlink) element inside.

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I'm going to post a few challenges I have had as a software QA. I should be relaxing today but those that know me, know my brain is always in thirty places at once. To developers: Trust your QA. Y'all don't know how many times I've heard, "Well, it works on my local". I don't care. In the test environment, it breaks. I do my due diligence to investigate why, present evidence in logs and from the database, present recordings, and meticulously document steps of reproduction and results. And even after, I still get, "It works on my local". Get off the dang local. NO ONE knows this software, app, platform, etc. better than the QA because we live it more than anyone else does. To business analysts: I know you all are overwhelmed. But please stop copying and pasting Acceptance Criteria for similar features. It makes a mess for developers and QA because the AC doesn't match or conflicts with not only the developed feature but integration as well. Which brings me to my next point... What QA is: Everyone thinks of us as just testers. I am sick of that. I spend half my time working with the product owner, BAs, and Devs, just making sure the AC reflects the solution needing to be resolved. I can't tell you how many times I have had to address with the BAs conflicts in a story over AC, nonsensical AC, WTF verbiage, etc. So then the developers get confused and we are in long meetings addressing what is messed up. We are here to help you ask the questions you didn't think to ask. We don't just test..... we look at future issues too. We like process improvements. Automation: Stop asking me to automate a one-off feature test that hasn't even gone through UAT yet. It's time wasted. Too many companies do this. Might as well give me the day off for the time it takes to do that because the automation is useless after UAT. Learn the purpose of automation. Product Owner: When I tell you before a demo not to demo certain things because there are still issues, don't shred me after the demo because you decided to demo them anyway and they break. I TOLD YOU not to do that, and why. Data: QA worst nightmare. My last position I would get two test records to test against 20 AC when I first started. I said "Helz no". I built up a catalog of test records I could use, positive and negative, as I progressed because I want multiple records against every AC. Which I often shared with the developers for their unit tests who loved it. QA needs data, all. You give me two records, don't yell at me that coverage isn't thorough. Probably sounded more a rant. But I'm opinionated. Where many QA are not. And these are common issues. Want to improve QA, improve the above.

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