John Johnson-Rodgers

Jr. Devs, You need to start thinking outside the box when it comes to your career. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday and they were telling me about a small business their children (12 and under) had started. I won’t reveal what it is to protect their small advantage. :) But basically, it's providing a simple service that takes very little time for very little cost. It's offering a convenience. Anyway, as he was telling me about it, it was so simple, so obvious, but something I would have never thought of on my own. I’m not really an idea person. I need something to start with, a clear problem to solve. I often need a pre-defined path to follow. Many Jr. Devs need to be less like me, trying to follow the pre-defined path, and more like my friend, looking for things other people might be missing, opportunities no one may notice. Think about ways you could implement what you are learning to help individuals, small businesses, local governments… virtually anyone; to fix a problem, meet a need, or simply make someone’s life easier in areas they may not have thought of themselves. The traditional route into development is clogged right now, so perhaps it’s time to look around and see opportunities from a different perspective. Find a non-traditional route to begin using your skills in a career that might look a little different from everyone else. Who knows, you just might stumble on the next Uber or Airbnb or maybe you just build a great list of clients who need simple work from a trustworthy developer. Take a fresh look at the problem and find a creative solution. #juniordeveloper #mentoring

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Jr. Devs, When you are sitting in that interview chair trying not to say the wrong thing and trying to remember all the stuff you’ve been told about how to interview well, don’t forget this one thing that should give you at least a little more confidence. You're not the only one being interviewed. You may think… duh, there are tons of candidates for this job. However, that’s not what I’m talking about. You are interviewing the company. Most Jr. Devs don’t think like this because, frankly, most Jr. Devs are just trying to get a job and they often don’t care or don’t consider the company or the culture they end up in. I’ve spent a lot of time on the DevMentorDave YouTube channel recently talking about mentoring and the need for it in our organizations. But that’s only one part of finding the right fit. The company is looking for candidates they think will fit what they need. Notice I said, ‘NEED”. They don’t just hire because it’s fun (it’s not). They need someone and you need to make sure they are a good fit for YOU before accepting an offer or before leaving the interview. Don’t just ask questions you found on a website or were given by a recruiter. Think about what matters to you as an employee and as an individual and ask questions that will impact how you work and impact your success and future. That level of confidence and interaction in the interview may just set you apart from the pack, even if your dev skills are the same as all the other candidates. #juniordeveloper #mentoring #interview 

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The other day I posted some Go code on how to sort an array using the bubble sort technique. I got some questions from people asking how you would sort the array in descending order. It's actually very simple and requires only changing a single character in the code. Below is a screenshot + link to the code in python demonstrating an ascending vs. descending bubble sort. https://lnkd.in/ebmcri96 #dataengineering

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Developers, this is how to write a 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 resume that isn't 5 pages long… A few weeks ago, I posted that buzzwords are only useful if they're integrated into your resume or LinkedIn profile. In response, a couple of Developers messaged me asking for advice.  If they hadn't condensed their expertise into a list of buzzwords, their resumes would be 5+ pages long! Here's what I told them... Even if you have 15+ years of experience, there's no reason for your resume to be any more than 2-3 pages. The purpose of your resume is to show a recruiter that you're: > Qualified. > Impressive. Any blanks can be filled during the interview process. At the top of your resume, add a Summary that immediately shows whether you're qualified for the role. (If it isn't clear, recruiters will skip straight to the next application - they won't scroll through your resume to calculate how many years of relevant experience you have). Try something like this… "Senior Flutter Engineer with 5 years of app and mobile development experience in fast-paced startups. My expertise spans iOS and Android, and I'm proficient in Python, Java, and Dart programming. I'm a strong Project Manager, have led teams of up to 5 Junior Developers, and have a track record of exceeding targets and expectations." Then, under each job role, all you need to do is write: Dates - Job Title - Company - Expertise/Specialism - Achievement 1 - Achievement 2 - Achievement 3 There's no need for a huge paragraph or an essay. (And I'll share the best way to frame your Achievements in a future post…) Did you find this helpful? Feel free to share it with your network if so! #ResumeAdvice #ResumeTips #DeveloperJobs #Recruitment

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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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🚀 10 Signs You're a 10x Engineer (and don't even know it!) 🧑‍💻 1. You've googled "how to exit vim" more times than you'd like to admit. 2. Your commit messages are works of art. Sometimes they even rhyme. 3. You've fixed a critical bug by adding a single semicolon. 4. Your code comments are a perfect blend of humor and despair. 5. You've mastered the art of looking busy while waiting for your code to compile. 6. Your rubber duck has seen things no duck should ever see. 7. You can explain technical concepts using only memes. 8. Your coffee intake directly correlates with your git commits. 9. You've had heated debates about tabs vs. spaces. 10. You've written "it works on my machine" so many times, you're considering getting it tattooed. Bonus: You're reading this and nodding vigorously! 😄

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Lately, I'm running into an issue with senior devs not being able to pass coding screens. I'm NOT talking multi-day take home projects or leet code style questions that require dynamic programming. I'm talking the equivalent of fizzbuzz. -- tic tac toe in react -- pulling data from a data store in python -- using types in typescript ... Anyone noticing the same thing? How much prep should a senior dev really need to do these tests?

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Working with an engineering manager who is also an excellent coder is a true blessing.

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When I talk to non-technical Founders who need a software developer but don't know where to begin, I explain that developers are like chefs. They may have similar natural abilities, but carry entirely different skillsets. "But aren't all developers the same???" Not really... They can fall into many specialized areas, but generally there are two types - 👷‍♀️ The Architect or 💪 The Workhorse So, what's the difference? 👷‍♀️ The Architect really drives the high-level design choices and creates the technical standards for your product. They are your Executive Chef. They plan the menus, manage the supply budgets, and ensure service goes without a hitch. 🍽 They are both strategic and tactical and ensure the system structure aligns with project goals. Typically they work directly with leadership to develop the product roadmap. A software architect might be right for you if you don't have a full-time CTO yet need someone who can drive development forward. They may cost more than a workhorse developer, but is still a value compared to hiring a CTO who is coding directly for you. A great option many early stage startups do is bring on a software architect and become groomed for a future leadership role, whether as an Engineering Manager or eventually a CTO. It's a great way to try each other out without a full commit. 💪 The Workhorse is just like the name implies. They get shit done for you. Features to build? Bugs to fix? Security to update? The workhorse is your line cook. They execute on your vision and create art that makes your product a reality. They grind and get it done. 🔪 Workhorses are typically hands on keyboards and don't spend too much time in the idea phase. Workhorses are great options if you are a technical founder or a CTO in place. that can give them direction. They don't work so great without having structure in place because their job is to execute and if the requirements aren't clean and concise, chances are the end result won't be ideal. So which do you choose? It's not a one size fits all approach. Many factors such as budget, product, resources all factor into it. There is no right or wrong answer. Just what is right for you. If anyone needs help figuring out which they need, DM me. Happy to give a free consult. BTW, I work with the best damn developers in #brazil, so when you get to the point of needing talent... well I got you too. btw... The Bear is awesome. #recruiting #softwaredevelopment #resumes #hiring

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What's your thoughts on the new official CSS logo? alongside it's light and dark variants? #css

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“Why doesn’t anyone want to hire me?” - Entry Level Developer This is a question I often hear and I’d like to share a story about “A” reason why this happens. A long time ago I worked with a company where they hired a developer straight from college. It was their first development job and it was a great opportunity to learn skills they haven’t had before. The manager spent an incredible amount of time training this person to get them up to speed. After one year passed this employee demanded more money, of course why wouldn’t they? The company was not willing to budge on their salary so they left. It cost alot of money for companies to onboard employees and train them, so more times than not companies want to bring in someone who is going to add value quickly. In order to combat this problem, especially if you are an entry level developer, is you need a way to show case how much value you are going to bring into the company you are applying to. You can do this by taking part in open source code, coding for local business, getting involved with like minded folks in your community by attending meetups and coding together. Whatever you decide to do find a way to code that doesn’t involve another tutorial but solves a real world problem. Let’s go! 🔥

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Yes! The most effective engineers are able to properly contextualize their work in terms of ROI. This is done by careful consideration over whether the gains of investing more time into the project is worth the cost of delaying launch.

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I'm a frontend dev without much of an eye for design. ... whose forgotten everything I ever learned about math above a third grade level ... who hates css I'm a software engineer that doesn't know what a linked list is or how to traverse it. You could probably beat me in a LeetCode battle ... if that was a thing. I don't use ChatGPT or Copilot, not because I think I shouldn't but because I think that would take all of the fun out of coding. Note: I do use stackoverflow ... what can I say, I'm an enigma even to myself. But, I'm highly valuable to startups because I can deliver custom frontend features quickly. You may not check all of the stereotypical boxes for what a [blank] should be, but you can be successful all the same. #software #juniordeveloper

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So trying to find your voice on social media is hard. Do I want to be the against-the-grain dev that asks "Is OOP DeAd??!!" Do I want to be the process-obsessed dev, telling you it ALL needs to change? Do I want to be the haters-gonna-hate dev and show off my remote work setup in Bali? I never worked at GoogAppNetAzon or Microsoft and then left so I can't be an ex-any-of-those-things. I just want to offer advice that worked for me or worked for someone I know. If it helps it helps. It isn't as attention grabbing as "You're doing existence wrong!" but I think that telling folks un-dramatic but actionable things is the way to go, especially if you're just trying to break into the industry or get the job.

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In over 20 years and many companies (check my profile!) of doing this, I’ve never found that there is a single “right” way of doing things. Some companies are very risk tolerant. Some are very risk averse. Some demand clean, supportable code at all times. Some just need to get it shipped as soon as possible. If you’ve only worked one or two places, you may think that the way they do things is the right way. That’s a jr dev mentality. Be open to the idea that there may be a sound reason for doing things a different way.

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Jr. Devs, Programming will never be easier for you than it is today. Of course, certain aspects of writing code or problem-solving may become faster or more natural, but that doesn’t mean the job is any easier. In fact, it will likely get harder. The more you know and experience the harder the problems you will be asked to solve. However, that just means you’ve made progress, you’ve grown, you’ve been successful. It may not get easier, but it does get more rewarding. Here’s to many more years of frustration, struggle, late-night bug fixes, and solo celebrations when the job is done… at 3 am. Here’s to future you looking at the next generation and telling them they don't know how good they have it. Here’s to being a developer. #juniordeveloper #mentoring #success

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The current version of JavaScript bears little resemblance to that first-generation scripting language. While much of the old code still runs in websites, innumerable features and layers have been added since the early days. #JavaScript #Code #Scripting

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It's getting harder for software engineers to distinguish themself against thousand of other applicants for a programming job. I remember when I started my career 24 years ago, it was also a challenging time as the amount of programming jobs wasn't very high. Get out there, start sharing about what you're doing / learning. Start a blog, even in 2024. Help other developers. If you find an interesting open source project do not hesitate to contribute. In episode 41 of go podcast() I talk about this with Matt Boyle and how you can prepare for your first public conference talk. Your communication and collaboration skills are as important as your technical skills these days. https://lnkd.in/eF_Y8SQH

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Jr. Devs, You never stop thinking about the job. No matter how long I’ve been doing this, I still find myself thinking about the problems of the job on weekends, holidays, and vacations. I can’t help it. It’s the problem-solver in me. The key is to stay busy with other things that require your thought process but hopefully in a less draining manner. That’s why I love board games. They are my problem-solving fix, though I don’t get to actually play them as often as I like. That’s why I love studying Scripture (if you don’t know, I’m a pastor as well) because it takes effort and thought to do it well and accurately. That’s why I love doing my YouTube channel when I get time to actually go live or make videos because I think through a topic and share my opinions. This job takes a toll mentally, not just when you’re on the clock, but when you are trying to relax. It’s rare for me to relax mentally outside of the bedtime routine. Even today, when I’m in a ‘vacation’ spot for us… I was still thinking about work. You have to find something to engage your mind unless you are one of the lucky ones who can just let it go! What do you do to keep from focusing on work or learning 24/7? How do you disengage from the job and reengage in other things? I’d love to hear your thoughts and maybe get some new ideas for myself! #juniordeveloper #mentoring #relax

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