development Archives

Growing as Makers

Making Mistakes Made Me the Developer I Am Today

We talk a lot about the costs of making mistakes, but something nobody seems to talk about is the cost of avoiding mistakes.

Project & Team Management

Rethinking Agile, Part 1 – Deload Periods

After sustained intense exercise, a deload gives your mind and nerves a chance to reset. I think it's time to bring this concept into software development.

Growing as Makers

3 Ways Ego Prevents You from Succeeding at Work

Dropping my ego allowed me to exhibit the teach and learn value much better, and I have become a better developer because of it.

Development

Onboarding as a New Dev: How to Wrap Your Head Around a Large Code Base

Be patient when learning a large code base. It's a long process, but if you keep working at it, eventually everything will come into focus.

Development

Developers: Be Careful How You Use Metrics

We often apply metrics to job performance. When it comes to software development, however, this is surprisingly complicated.

Development Practices

Applying Lessons from Learning a Foreign Language to Software Development

Going from humanities to STEM was a challenge. However, there were lessons I learned from studying a foreign language that apply to software development.

React / Redux

When Should You Make Reusable React Components?

Building reusable React components is an important skill for a developer. Here are the best practices for using these powerful tools.

The Software Life

Between the Lines: Parallels Between Professional Football and Software Development

My previous work as a professional football player is fairly uncommon in the software development industry, but there are more parallels than you'd expect.

Development

Developing on the Web is Better Than Ever – and Not as Good as It Could Be

The web projects I’ve been building are the best they’ve ever been. Incredibly, we can take for granted the development tools that make this possible.

Development Practices

A Case Study: Understanding Unfamiliar Code Without Aid

I’d like to share how I dug into some unfamiliar code to find some direction so you can see how I approach this sort of problem.

Project & Team Management

Use the Compounding Nature of Developer Time to Deliver Value

Developer time compounds like interest in a bank account. The better the team, the better the interest rate of investment in the team's software.

Growing as Makers

Impressions of the LeadDev Together Series

Thinking about participating in a virtual software development conference or event? Here's why I'd reccomend the LeadDev Together series.