6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers | LinkedIn

6 Habits of True Strategic Thinkers

You're the boss, but you still spend too much time on the day-to-day. Here's how to become the strategic leader your company needs.

Forbes is wrong about “Developernomics” | Knowing .NET

 Forbes is wrong about “Developernomics”

 Professional talent does vary, but there is not a shred of evidence that the best professional developers are an order of magnitude more productive than median developers at any timescale, much less on a meaningful timescale such as that of a product release cycle. There is abundant evidence that this is not the case: the most obvious being that there are no companies, at any scale, that demonstrate order-of-magnitude better-than-median productivity in delivering software products. There are companies that deliver updates at a higher cadence and of a higher quality than their competitors, but not 10x median. The competitive benefits of such productivity would be overwhelming in any industry where software was important (i.e., any industry); there is virtually no chance that such an astonishing achievement would go unremarked and unexamined.

Tough Tests Flunk Good Programming Job Candidates | Slashdot

Tough Tests Flunk Good Programming Job Candidates - Slashdot

"Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister discusses the use of quizzes and brain-teasers in evaluating potential software development hires, a practice that seems to be on the rise. 'The company best known for this is Google. Past applicants tell tales of a head-spinning battery of coding problems, riddles, and brain teasers, many of which seem only tangential to the task of software development. Other large companies have similar practices — Facebook and Microsoft being two examples,' McAllister writes. 'You'll need to assess an applicant's skill in one way or another, but it's also possible to take the whole interview-testing concept too far. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind when crafting your test questions, to avoid slamming the door on candidates unnecessarily.'"

Developers and Professionalism | Girl Developer

Developers and Professionalism - Girl Developer

Clients trust me to take care of things they don't know how to do. In order to do that, they need to feel I am competent and capable. Disappearing in the zone for a few days, while it may be best for the project, isn't comforting for the client. Up until then I had a dim view of client hand holding, and thought "they just need to trust that I am working on it." However, I have realized that a good working relationship, constant updates, and accountability are just as important as clean code and passing tests.

Ask Slashdot: Does Being 'Loyal' Pay As a Developer? - Slashdot

Ask Slashdot: Does Being 'Loyal' Pay As a Developer? - Slashdot

An anonymous reader writes "As a senior developer for a small IT company based in the UK that is about to release their flagship project, I know that if I were to leave the company now, it would cause them some very big problems. I'm currently training the other two 'junior' developers, trying to bring them up to speed with our products. Unfortunately, they are still a long way from grasping the technologies used – not to mention the 'interesting' job the outsourced developers managed to make of the code. Usually, I would never have considered leaving at such a crucial time; I've been at the company for several years and consider many of my colleagues, including higher management, to be friends. However, I have been approached by another company that is much bigger, and they have offered me a pay rise of £7k to do the same job, plus their office is practically outside my front door (as opposed to my current 45 minute commute each way). This would make a massive difference to my life. That said, I can't help but feel that to leave now would be betraying my friends and colleagues. Some friends have told me that I'm just being 'soft' – however I think I'm being loyal. Any advice?"

iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8? A coder's guide | Technology | guardian.co.uk

iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 8? A coder's guide | Technology | guardian.co.uk

It's patently obvious to anyone in the world of IT that app development can be used to create serious wealth. Microsoft's re-entry into the battle for dominance over the mobile computing space signaled by its Build conference in Anaheim, California, this week makes it far easier for talented developers to advance their careers and, perhaps, even make life-changing sums of money.

Age Bias In IT: the Reality Behind the Rumors - Slashdot

Age Bias In IT: the Reality Behind the Rumors - Slashdot

CWmike writes "Is high tech really that tough on older workers, or are they simply not pulling their weight in an industry that never stops innovating? Age bias: Some consider it IT's dirty little secret, or even IT's big open secret. Older workers have been hit harder by the recession. '[Age bias is] something that no [employer] talks about. But it's a reality in tech that if you're 45 years of age and still writing C code or Cobol code and making $150,000 a year, the likelihood is that you won't be employed very long,' says Vivek Wadhwa, who currently holds academic positions at several universities, including UC Berkeley, Duke and Harvard. Wadhwa's observation indicates that age bias is a simplistic label for a complicated set of factors that influence the job prospects for senior tech employees."

 

Lessons in a 21st Century Tech Career: Failing Fast, 20% Time and Project Mobility | Google Testing Blog

Google Testing Blog: Lessons in a 21st Century Tech Career: Failing Fast, 20% Time and Project Mobility

If your name is Larry Page, stop reading this now.

Let me first admit that as I write this I am sitting in a company lounge reminiscent of a gathering room in a luxury hotel with my belly full of free gourmet food waiting for a meeting with the lighthearted title "Beer and Demos" to start.

Let me secondly admit that none of this matters. It's all very nice, and I hope it continues in perpetuity, but it doesn't matter. Engineers don't need to be spoiled rotten to be happy. The spoiling of engineers has little to do with the essence of a 21st century tech career.

Now, what exactly does matter? What is the essence of a 21st century tech career that keeps employees loyal and engaged with productivity that would shame the most seasoned agile-ist? I don't yet have the complete story, but here are three important ingredients...

How To Answer A Programming Interview Question And Look Good Doing It | Skorks

How To Answer A Programming Interview Question And Look Good Doing It

Rather than continuing to talk about how hardcore developers should have hardcore math fu, I'd like to shift the focus a little to softer skills (although, as I said, I will come back to math stuff often). I believe that technical people should place even more of an emphasis on soft/people skills than non-techies (I mentioned this in one of the comments to my last post). I will expand on my reasons for this in a later post. In the meantime let's just take it as a given and look at the value of these skills in a technical interview situation.

The Five Essential Phone-Screen Questions | steveyegge2

The Five Essential Phone-Screen Questions - steveyegge2

I've been on a lot of SDE interview loops lately where the candidate failed miserably: not-inclined votes all around, even from the phone screeners who brought the person in initially.
It's usually pretty obvious when the candidate should have been eliminated during the phone screens. Well, it's obvious in retrospect, anyway: during the interviews, we find some horrible flaw in the candidate which, had anyone thought to ask about it during the phone screen, would surely have disqualified the person.
But we didn't ask. So the candidate came in for interviews and wound up wasting everyone's time.

Jay Fields' Thoughts: Passionate, Not Dogmatic

Jay Fields' Thoughts: Passionate, Not Dogmatic

In the past 3.5 years I had the opportunity to interact with some of the smartest people in our industry. I consider many of those smart people to be among the best software developers in the world. Unfortunately, some of the smart people I met weren't much more than assholes. The big difference I noticed between the two groups was -- The assholes were dogmatic, while the best developers were passionate

passionate: expressing, showing, or marked by intense or strong feeling
dogmatic: asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner
--dictionary.com

The difference between passionate and dogmatic is slim, but the result is dramatic.

Coding Horror: Programming: Love It or Leave It

Coding Horror: Programming: Love It or Leave It

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but not everyone should be a programmer. How often have you wished that a certain coworker of yours would suddenly have an epiphany one day and decide that this whole software engineering thing just isn't working out for them? How do you tell someone that the quality of their work is terrible and they'll never be good at their job -- so much so that they should literally quit and pursue a new career? I've wanted to many times, but I never had the guts.

5 Things You Should Never Say While Negotiating | Inc.com

5 Things You Should Never Say While Negotiating | Inc.com

Every entrepreneur spends some time haggling, whether it is with customers, suppliers, investors, or would-be employees. Most business owners are street smart, and seem to naturally perform well in negotiations. You probably have a trick or two—some magic phrases to say, perhaps—that can help you gain the upperhand. But, often, the moment you get into trouble in a negotiation is when something careless just slips out. If you are new to negotiation, or feel it is an area where you can improve, check out these tips on precisely what not to say.

Careers 2.0: It’s About Reputation, Not “Rep” - Blog – Stack Exchange

Careers 2.0: It’s About Reputation, Not “Rep” - Blog – Stack Exchange

A Careers 2.0 profile is designed to let you highlight your best software development work. You can link to open source projects, link to your favorite books, link to your blog posts, but most importantly, you can pick some of your favorite answers that you wrote on Stack Overflow and link to them. Four or five great answers is enough to prove to a recruiter that you know your stuff. (Here’s what my profile looks like. I’m not actually on the job market; please don’t try to hire me!)

Ask Slashdot: Am I Too Old To Learn New Programming Languages? - Slashdot

Ask Slashdot: Am I Too Old To Learn New Programming Languages? - Slashdot

ProgramadorPerdido writes "I have been a developer for 25 years. I learned Basic, VB, C, FoxPro, Cobol, and Assembler, but the languages I used the most were Pascal and Delphi. I then concentrated on a now-non-mainstream language for 11 years, as it was used at work. One day I had the chance to move into Project Management and so I did for the last 2 years. Now, at almost 40 years old, I'm at a crossroad. On one side I realized developing is the thing I like best, while on the other side, the languages I'm most proficient with are not that hot on the market. So I came here looking for any advice on how to advance my career. Should I try to learn web development (html, xhtml, css, php, python, ruby)? Should I learn Java and/or C#? Or am I too old to learn and work a new language? Should I go back to PM work even if I do not like it that much? Any similar experiences?"

Want To Keep (And Motivate) Your Best Employees? It's Not About The Money | Fast Company

Want To Keep (And Motivate) Your Best Employees? It's Not About The Money | Fast Company

In the past year, I've had a half dozen of my friends quit or prepare to quit their jobs in a bad economy--well-paying, high-profile positions--to pursue their entrepreneurial vision. These friends have all contemplated taking tremendous risks and are brave to face the high odds against success. I'm feeling sad that each, had they had had a better relationship with their companies and comrades, could have found success and support for their visions within the context of their old companies.

Stop the Madness! A Less Trigger-Happy Approach to LinkedIn

Stop the Madness! A Less Trigger-Happy Approach to LinkedIn

Imagine a stranger cutting through the crowd at an event—a networking happy hour or hey, even a concert—to say, “I would like to add you to my professional network.” He quietly hands over a resume and walks away, leaving you to guess the nature of his interest. Awkward, right? Downright off-putting. Creepy, even.

So why do so many people decide to approach new contacts on LinkedIn this way?

Google+ Circles: What it Means for Your Personal Brand

Google+ Circles: What it Means for Your Personal Brand

Just when I finish a guide to using social media to build your personal brand, Google releases a potentially landscape-changing social sharing component. Really!? Really? Well, yeah, of course. Social media changes fast—the features available today could be tested and changed by tomorrow—which is why we made sure that the Brand Thyself! (released a month ago) would be as relevant in a year as it was last week.

Why the New Guy Can't Code - Slashdot

Why the New Guy Can't Code - Slashdot

theodp writes "'We've all lived the nightmare,' writes Jon Evans. 'A new developer shows up at work, and you try to be welcoming, but he can't seem to get up to speed; the questions he asks reveal basic ignorance; and his work, when it finally emerges, is so kludgey that it ultimately must be rewritten from scratch by more competent people.' Evans takes a stab at explaining why the new guy can't code when his interviewers and HR swear that they only hire above-average/A-level/top-1% people. Evans fingers the technical interview as the culprit, saying the skills required to pass today's industry-standard software interview are not those required to be a good software developer. Instead, Evans suggests: 'Don't interview anyone who hasn't accomplished anything. Ever. Certificates and degrees are not accomplishments; I mean real-world projects with real-world users. There is no excuse for software developers who don't have a site, app, or service they can point to and say, 'I did this, all by myself!' in a world where Google App Engine and Amazon Web Services have free service tiers, and it costs all of $25 to register as an Android developer and publish an app on the Android Market."

Up or Out: Solving the IT Turnover Crisis - The Daily WTF

Up or Out: Solving the IT Turnover Crisis - The Daily WTF

If you’ve worked at enough companies in the IT industry, you’ve probably noticed that the most talented software developers tend to not stick around at one place for too long. The least talented folks, on the other hand, entrench themselves deep within the organization, often building beachheads of bad code that no sane developer would dare go near, all the while ensuring their own job security and screwing up just enough times not to get fired.