In my prior article on capability for software developers I identified four measures for assessing a developer’s capability. Three of these measures are closely related: the ability to work independent, the amount of assistance provided to team members, and the level of difficulty of tasks that can be handled independently. In this article I examine [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Professional’
I have recently been wrestling with the problem of clarifying the concept of capability levels for software developers. What does it mean to call a developer junior versus intermediate? How can a developer at one level progress to the next? How do you evaluate the capability of a developer? These questions and more formed the [...]
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Would you trust your life to your code? It is a simple question that you might find extreme. But is it really?
You might argue that the answer to this question depends on the criticality of the software you are producing. Software like the control software for the space shuttle or software to control medical [...]
If you are a regular reader you may have noticed that I use guiding statements like a vision or mission to motivate and inspire myself and clarify my future direction. The following articles contain some of my past efforts:
My Vision for IT
Our Mission as Software Developers
Becoming a Champion of Continuous Improvement
I recently drafted new vision [...]
This article continues on from my prior article Improving Computer Science Degrees for Software Developers on the topic of better methods of developing expertise as software developers in the work place. The original inspiration for these articles is the post Master Craftsman Teams by Robert C. Martin in which he proposed a formalized development path [...]
The interview process should ideally be an equal, two-way conversation between the interviewers for an employer and a potential employee. However, speaking as someone who has sat on both sides of the table, it has always seemed to me to be imbalanced towards the interviewers. They control the process and ask far more questions than [...]
What is your mission as a software developer? What motivates you? I recently reflected on my values and goals as a software developer and ended up creating my own personal mission statement. I feel that one of the clauses in my mission is broadly applicable – certainly to my team and department at work, and [...]
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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. [...]
Integrity and ethics are important components of being a professional. In today’s business environment it is not uncommon for ethically-challenging issues to arise. When working as a consultant, however, the very nature of the engagement can strain even the most seasoned professional. I am not talking about the kind of consulting where the consultant is [...]
I’ve recently updated my vision for this website, which I’ll restate here:
Help software developers learn and grow as professionals.
Increase the level of professionalism in the IT industry.
Make the IT industry a more enjoyable and rewarding field to work in.
Why did I create a vision statement for my website? When I started my website I created [...]
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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 [...]
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My website and blog are about software development, so the title I picked for my website is Professional Software Development. Why did I add the word “Professional”, and what does it mean to me? I’m glad you asked.
The term software development is mostly self-explanatory. I call myself a software developer. Some people think this [...]
