Pair programming is fantastic. And daunting. It’s one of the most effective ways to build high-quality code quickly and efficiently in a flexible way. But your first time pairing can be terrifying. If solo programming is like making your own lunch in the morning, switching to pair programming can feel like being asked to make […]

In the workplace, we often talk about how to be a good mentor and offer the most to those trying to learn from us. But how can you best take advantage of a situation when you are a mentee and not a mentor?

This summer, a small crew from Atomic decided to try something a bit out of our comfort zone…sailing. It turned out to be a lot of work–and a lot of fun! While captaining a sailboat may seem disconnected from the software development work I do at Atomic, I’ve noticed a connection between the two that […]

A small team of Atoms recently participated in the 45th iteration of the Ludum Dare game jam. Ludum Dare is a semiannual game development jam where participants have 72 hours to create a video game based on a theme. The theme for this jam was “Start with Nothing,” and the game that we made is called […]

Recently, I was in a position where I was the only developer assigned to my project. Not for too long, as it turned out, but initially, I didn’t know how long I’d have to fly solo. As a more junior-level developer, the thought of working alone for an indeterminate amount of time was terrifying. However, […]

Joining a project with an established codebase is tricky. There’s a significant amount of information to absorb, there may be new technologies to learn, and there’s usually a lot of code to read! These are five techniques I’ve used for finding sure footing in a codebase as a junior developer.

This summer, there was enough interest at Atomic for us to put together a soccer team to play in a local summer league. It was fun (we even had non-players turn up to support), helped bond us together as colleagues, and even provided some learning opportunities that could be used at work.

Consulting can be a scary business. Folks bring unique, challenging problems and ask you to solve them within a tight timeline. If you’re a planner and you like knowing what the path to completion looks like, this can be stressful. Learning to work confidently in these spaces is one of the great gifts I’ve received […]

Yesterday, I outlined some ways to take ownership of finding meaning at work. But taking ownership of your own career and aligning your personal sense of purpose with your purpose at work isn’t enough to find success. You also need to execute consistently in areas that make this alignment real. To do this, you need […]

It’s an amazing time to work in technology. There is so much opportunity available to talented, driven people. Any of us can rise to the top of our chosen profession. But where we go and how far we rise is increasingly up to us. How will you manage your career in technology? This is a […]