self-improvement

Learning the WIN32 API

I have very little experience building software for windows, and zero experience using the windows API, is there a good (preferably online), free resource to learn how to use the windows API(preferably with python)? ...

Starting from scratch...I need some direction...

Hi, I am interested in transitioning to a career in the IT field. I have no formal training of any kind with regard to computers. At this point I would consider myself a really strong end user of windows based programs and OSs. I know I have the technical ability but at this point, not the knowledge or training. I'm sort of the guy t...

What would be a good second language to learn (for a C# programmer)

I've been doing C# for quite a while now (2.5 years) professionally after having dabbled in Java and PHP while in college. Now I really want to improve myself as a developer and want to learn a second language. What would be a good choice and most importantly why; What will learning that language add to my skillset (besides the syntax ob...

Using Version Control for Home Development?

Up till now I have been developing my personal and school projects at home without using any form of revision control software to handle my changes and whatnot. My question is, how feasible is it to use a Version Control application (such as TortoiseSVN) for personal projects I do for myself (and even school projects) ? Is it worth the...

Scaling exercises to practice

I was trying to find online some exercises to practice scaling techniques (memchached, SQL Optimization, sharding dbs), but I could only find descriptions of these techniques, not any project on which to try them. This link with slides on scaling techniques, is an interesting one, as it sums up some tools to achieve scalability quite we...

Test anxiety and programming tests in inteviews

I suffer from bad test anxiety and when it comes to programming tests in interviews I do horrendously. A few months ago I interviewed with a company I was interning at and bombed pretty bad, i.e. it took me a while to solve a simple linked list problem because I was so nervous. For those of you who have done interviewing, do (or have) ...

What are your New year Resolutions as a programmer for 2009?

So, the new year is just around the corner... time for New year Resolutions! To kick things off let's quote Wikipedia: A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous So what resolutions are your resolu...

What would you use to build a web app?

At my current job I've been working on making web apps with Java, Tapestry, Hibernate, MSSQL, and Tomcat. I've got an idea for a little web game I'd like to write. I'd like to know what the SO community would use for something like this. Should I stick to what I know? I was thinking it would be very beneficial for me to learn different...

Setting Personal Development Goals as a Developer

I am looking for some advice for setting some measurable Personal Development Goals for both myself and honestly for my review with my current employer. To give some background I graduated with my Computer Science degree about a year ago and have been working with my current employer since about six months before that. I work on a smal...

Are there any good podcasts aimed at new/inexperienced programmers?

Question says it all. I'm looking for some decent podcasts aimed at junior developers, or those who might be coming from a different background. I used to be into .Net a bit, but I got caught up in some COBOL/legacy stuff for financial reasons and now I'm trying to get back on track with regard to modern languages, techniques, etc. Al...

How do you truly 'get' an abstract concept?

Sorry for the "hippie" question, but I've noticed recently in working with my more experienced colleagues that they will work on 3 simultaneous projects and be able to pickup where they left off and explain minute details to others, whereas I will work on 1-2 things and have trouble remembering basic details. In these cases we are talkin...

What is your programming career-planning for the future?

Do you still see yourself programming in the next 20 years? Who is the oldest developer you know? ...

What are the biggest time wasters for learning programming?

I've had several false starts in the past with teaching myself how to program. I've worked through several books (mostly C and Python), and end up just learning the syntax without feeling as though I could sit down and actually write a program for myself. When I try to look through the source trees of a project on Codeplex or Sourceforge...

Where do you go to discuss programming stuff outside of work?

I've been wanting to brush up on my raw coding/algorithms skills but most of the people at my job aren't all that interested in that side of coding. I've been wanting to find a group of people who could help me take my coding skills to the next level. I've thought about joining the local programming team (university) to kind of pick up w...

Which Development Practice Helps You the Most?

There are a lot of software development practices and processes out there today: automated unit testing, refactoring, code reviews, design patterns, test-driven design, domain-driven design, XP, agile, and so on. My question for you guys is simple: which practices and processes have had the most profound impact on your development, and...

How do I improve my typing skills?

How do I improve my typing skills? I still can't get the fingers correct, and the speed ...

What should a self-taught programmer with no degree learn/read?

I am a self-taught programmer and I do do not have any degrees. I started pretty young and I've got about 7 years of actual programming work experience. I believe I'm a pretty good programmer, but I admit that I have not played much with algorithms or delved into any really low-level aspects of programming such as how compilers work. I ...

Math, programming, and learning

It has been discussed on this site before about the relationship between math and programming, and whether one is a subset of the other, etc. In my recent study of programming, I've found myself more and more wishing I was better at math. You all know the scenario when programming books start to generalize something in a math way ("Ther...

Maintaining the Programming/Family balance

How best can you maintain a healthy balance between Following the never ending programming passion and feeding your never full hungry mind AND Spending enough quality time with your family ...

When coding, what do you worry about?

When you're coding are there certain things that you fret and worry about, specific topics that preoccupy your mind as you type (both new code and when maintaining/bugfixing existing code)? These need not be bad things, more like voices in our heads that help us with the quality of our code, and prevent us from just hacking things out. ...