I've been a software developer for 20 years. i've been involved in language development and large data warehouse development. I've worked for start-ups that have gone public, and for government contractors, and I've written a published programming book. My knowledge is either self-taught or on-the-job. I've worked with some of the best ...
Assuming a small off-hours development project that may or may not have market value but which the project owner does not want to open source (or at least not at the moment). What is the proper way to formally state this intention to potential collaborators? Is a non-disclosure agreement over board? I know many people are weary of sig...
Well my school semester ended a week ago and I got a C in one of my Data Structure courses. Should I feel discouraged and pursue a different career?. I mean don't get me wrong I love programming I just don't want to become a bad programmer. ...
Is there an orthodox method to becoming an enterprise architect? I have looked into getting TOGAF-8 certification, but aside from that, what type of business and technical experience will I need to overcome? ...
I find that designers and managers tend to ridicule user interface designs created by programmers. Without question there have been tons of poor user interfaces made by programmers in the past, but it seems like the norm to assume all user interface designs made by programmers are bad. Developers who strive to constantly improve themsel...
I know some people move over to management and some die... but where do the rest go and why? One reason people change to management is that in some companies the "Programmer" career path is very short - you can get to be a senior programmer within a few years. Leaving no way to get more money but to become a manager. In other companie...
I opened up my CV earlier today for a brush up and noticed that it had crept into the four page realm. Granted, I've been an engineer for over 10 years now and I've moved state-to-state 3 times so I do have a lot of baggage. How-ever, being in the position of hiring myself a couple time during my career I've always kind of raised an eyeb...
Bear with me with this question.... I lead a team of 4 developers and am largely responsible for making all the design decisions (design documents, UML modelling, integration with existing systems etc) for all our projects as well as initiating some of the projects in the first place. I also do a lot of development and testing and all t...
I work full time as a .Net programmer in Kansas City. I would like to start picking up some side gigs for extra cash. Anyone else doing this? How are you finding the opportunities? Any tips, suggestions, advice would be greatly appreciated. ...
How programming job offers have you turned down? What is the ratio of accepted to declined? As a programmer to be highly effective is difficult. We even have the Joel test to determine if a workplace is suitable. Have you turned down work that you don't believe will lead you to producing great code. ...
I am 33. Have not worked as a programmer. Have not much worked at all. This is because some bad choices and some personal problems in last 10 years. Recently have moved to Britain. My English is not fluent in technical and business areas. However, I program since age of 13. My background is Pascal, C (K&R), UNIX and C++. I my opinion it...
Hey, I'm an 18 year old student in college. I've been programming since I was maybe 12 or 13, but haven't really gotten into any high-level stuff until 2 or 3 years ago with Java. In college, I am majoring in computer science... it is cool and all, but what I really want is a job in web development because that is what I find the best (...
I work for my parents in a small document management company. Almost 3 years ago I began learning how to code in Visual Basic using Visual Studio 2005 and .NET 2.0. I have read many books since then and attempt (when possible) to learn as much as I possibly can. A problem I have, though, is the tyranny of the urgent, which means that I'...
I've been a Win32 programmer for the last 8 years now and as I see my mid-life crisis rapidly approaching I begin to wonder: What I have really accomplished? and am I really happy in my career and what do I really want to be doing in my work life? I can see Bill Gates' vision of a future with robots in the home just like how a large per...
I'm looking for software career opporunities in Europe. What career sites can you recommend? (They can be specific to a country.) ...
If you have ever been fired from a job, did you notice anything different about the behavior of your peers or upper management just before your termination? What are some common signs to look for among your coworkers and project manager(s) that would indicate your position is severely at risk? EDIT: My instincts were right, and I opted ...
Hi, I would be glad if you could share your career development experience. Currently I'm working as a software engineer and I am looking the way to advance to higher position. I would appreciate any advice regarding the knowledge, formal education or any other useful tip which could help at career building toward project manager and h...
In the last year, I've been making more of an effort to speak at user groups both inside my company and in the community at large. I've found I learn very quickly by trying to teach others. So I pose the question to the community, what is more valuable to you? A deep dive into a technology that doesn't have a lot of documentation/comm...
I worked as an in-house programmer for 7 years before developing severe burnout and decided to take 6 months off for a surfing holiday. At the time, a recruiter told me I would have no problem finding work when I returned, considering my skills and experience. Six months turned into two years as I explored different parts of the world a...
I'm going to be graduating shortly, and I was wondering if there were any Java technologies that I should take the time and learn before I enter the job market. I have no real java enterprise experience (all my internships involved C development on Linux) however, I have worked extensively with it in a large number of my classes. So is...