Why I read (listened to) it Microsoft’s stock price just keeps going up and everyone should be interested in how Satya Nadella, the current CEO, keeps it going. I write a lot of code in Visual Studio, I work on a PC, I’ve used SQL Server and I’ve investigated Azure…
Unit testing is incredibly important. I learned that early in my career. And here is my story. *dramatic music* When I studied Computer Science at Northeastern a million years ago, I was never taught to write tests for my code. So, when I got my first real job, the idea…
The last thing most engineers want in their life is another meeting. The company meeting is no exception. High level hand waving and revenue results are a long way from code. There can be an overwhelming temptation to skip out to get some code done while everyone else is distracted…
A software engineer can go a long way without understanding how their company really works. There are certainly advantages in focusing on the code and ignoring the politics and processes that go on around the office. At some point, if you want more control over the work that comes your…
When you went to school, boot camp or learned to code on your own, there is a good chance that supporting production code in the middle of the night was not something you dreamed about. Yet, here we are. When I started my career, I was handed a pager and…
Why I read (listened to) it If you are not familiar with Dr. Brené Brown’s research into vulnerability, I would start with her first book, Daring Greatly. The first book approaches the topic in the space of personal and broader inter-human relationships. Dare to Lead is Dr. Brown’s guide towards…
Code is not always the most challenging part of a project. People come out of the woodwork to ask about progress, discuss the release plan and opine on the feature and functionality. Stakeholders will keep you away from your work and the more you avoid people, the more they will…
Defensive Code is an overloaded term. Many articles revolve around topics like the fail fast principle where you verify the bounds of a function before proceeding. There are opinions about the effectiveness and maintainability of a code base with redundant checks. Still, the principle behind defensive code is that Murphy’s…
There is one question every software engineer knows (or will know) all too well: How long will it take to get to production? The question will make even the most seasoned engineer nervous. Here is why: Fact 1: Your answer will be wrong. Fact 2: Your business needs an answer…
Companies have a variety of alternative work options that allow folks to work from home, if only just occasionally. Developers, with their need for deep work, can appreciate avoiding the distractions of the work place. Home makes it much harder for a co-worker to “fly by” your desk to interrupt…
