Basil Vandegriend: Professional Software Development

What is excellence in software development and how can you achieve it? This is a question of interest not only to software developers, but also to managers of software teams.
I recent read the book First, Break All The Rules: What The Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently which provides some great insights into this question. […]

As a proponent of perpetual learning, I like to periodically take the time to reflect on what I have learned. Looking back at this past year, I definitely expanded my understanding in a number of areas based on my experiences at work and at home.
My most significant growth was in the area of personal productivity: […]

For over six months now I have been working four days a week instead of the usual five. I originally made this change in schedule in order to spend more time with my young son. When I started, I was unsure how it would go, and how long I would be able to maintain it. […]

Celebrating Thanksgiving Day here in Canada inspired me to write this article. Too often, we focus on the negatives - the obstacles or problems in our way - and fail to appreciate and be thankful for everything else. I find this to be especially true at work, where part of my responsibility is to investigate […]

As part of my series on personal learning, I’ve previously written about learning via online reading and reading books. Reading websites and books is a good strategy for gaining knowledge, but works poorly for gaining skill at doing something. Your ability to retain the information you read is also greatly increased when you actively use […]

Being a professional at the top of your field means being able to consistently perform at a high level. Those underneath may have the same knowledge and abilities, but if they cannot apply them consistently, then they will never rise to the top. This is true across a diverse collection of activities including athletics, photography, […]

My previous article on online reading described how I use online resources for personal learning. Online articles are usually short and provide only shallow coverage of a topic. To delve deeply into a subject, I find that books are much more effective. Books are easier to read than a computer screen, and can be read […]

My prior article on Learning in the Workplace discussed how to take advantage of learning opportunities at work. However much you learn at work, there are limitations on what you can do. Seldom do you have free reign to study any topic that catches your interest for as long as you want. This is why […]

After writing my article on Perpetual Learning, I came across the same concept in the book Core Performance Essentials by Mark Verstegen and Pete Williams (a fitness and nutrition book). To quote from the book: “It’s like the Japanese concept of Kaizen, which we translate in this country as ‘continuous improvement’. In America, we tend […]

As I stated in my article on What is Professional Software Development one characteristic of professionals is growth: they are constantly seeking to improve and grow. This is especially important in the software field due to the rapid change brought on by the constant introduction of new versions of existing technologies and completely new technologies […]